diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/Compose/NestedContentPropertyComponent.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/Compose/NestedContentPropertyComponent.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5794a2734e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/Compose/NestedContentPropertyComponent.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
+using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;
+using Umbraco.Core;
+using Umbraco.Core.Composing;
+using Umbraco.Core.Events;
+using Umbraco.Core.Models;
+using Umbraco.Core.Services;
+using Umbraco.Core.Services.Implement;
+using Umbraco.Web.PropertyEditors;
+
+namespace Umbraco.Web.Compose
+{
+    public class NestedContentPropertyComponent : IComponent
+    {
+        public void Initialize()
+        {
+            ContentService.Copying += ContentService_Copying;
+            ContentService.Saving += ContentService_Saving;
+        }
+
+        private void ContentService_Copying(IContentService sender, CopyEventArgs<IContent> e)
+        {
+            // When a content node contains nested content property
+            // Check if the copied node contains a nested content
+            var nestedContentProps = e.Copy.Properties.Where(x => x.PropertyType.PropertyEditorAlias == Constants.PropertyEditors.Aliases.NestedContent);
+            UpdateNestedContentProperties(nestedContentProps, false);
+        }
+
+        private void ContentService_Saving(IContentService sender, ContentSavingEventArgs e)
+        {
+            // One or more content nodes could be saved in a bulk publish
+            foreach (var entity in e.SavedEntities)
+            {
+                // When a content node contains nested content property
+                // Check if the copied node contains a nested content
+                var nestedContentProps = entity.Properties.Where(x => x.PropertyType.PropertyEditorAlias == Constants.PropertyEditors.Aliases.NestedContent);
+                UpdateNestedContentProperties(nestedContentProps, true);
+            }
+        }
+
+        public void Terminate()
+        {
+            ContentService.Copying -= ContentService_Copying;
+            ContentService.Saving -= ContentService_Saving;
+        }
+
+        private void UpdateNestedContentProperties(IEnumerable<Property> nestedContentProps, bool onlyMissingKeys)
+        {
+            // Each NC Property on a doctype
+            foreach (var nestedContentProp in nestedContentProps)
+            {
+                // A NC Prop may have one or more values due to cultures
+                var propVals = nestedContentProp.Values;
+                foreach (var cultureVal in propVals)
+                {
+                    // Remove keys from published value & any nested NC's
+                    var updatedPublishedVal = CreateNestedContentKeys(cultureVal.PublishedValue?.ToString(), onlyMissingKeys);
+                    cultureVal.PublishedValue = updatedPublishedVal;
+
+                    // Remove keys from edited/draft value & any nested NC's
+                    var updatedEditedVal = CreateNestedContentKeys(cultureVal.EditedValue?.ToString(), onlyMissingKeys);
+                    cultureVal.EditedValue = updatedEditedVal;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        
+        // internal for tests
+        internal string CreateNestedContentKeys(string rawJson, bool onlyMissingKeys, Func<Guid> createGuid = null)
+        {
+            // used so we can test nicely
+            if (createGuid == null)
+                createGuid = () => Guid.NewGuid();
+
+            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(rawJson) || !rawJson.DetectIsJson())
+                return rawJson;
+
+            // Parse JSON            
+            var complexEditorValue = JToken.Parse(rawJson);
+
+            UpdateNestedContentKeysRecursively(complexEditorValue, onlyMissingKeys, createGuid);
+
+            return complexEditorValue.ToString();
+        }
+
+        private void UpdateNestedContentKeysRecursively(JToken json, bool onlyMissingKeys, Func<Guid> createGuid)
+        {
+            // check if this is NC
+            var isNestedContent = json.SelectTokens($"$..['{NestedContentPropertyEditor.ContentTypeAliasPropertyKey}']", false).Any();
+
+            // select all values (flatten)
+            var allProperties = json.SelectTokens("$..*").OfType<JValue>().Select(x => x.Parent as JProperty).WhereNotNull().ToList();
+            foreach (var prop in allProperties)
+            {
+                if (prop.Name == NestedContentPropertyEditor.ContentTypeAliasPropertyKey)
+                {
+                    // get it's sibling 'key' property
+                    var ncKeyVal = prop.Parent["key"] as JValue;
+                    // TODO: This bool seems odd, if the key is null, shouldn't we fill it in regardless of onlyMissingKeys?
+                    if ((onlyMissingKeys && ncKeyVal == null) || (!onlyMissingKeys && ncKeyVal != null))
+                    {
+                        // create or replace
+                        prop.Parent["key"] = createGuid().ToString();
+                    }                   
+                }
+                else if (!isNestedContent || prop.Name != "key")
+                {
+                    // this is an arbitrary property that could contain a nested complex editor
+                    var propVal = prop.Value?.ToString();
+                    // check if this might contain a nested NC
+                    if (!propVal.IsNullOrWhiteSpace() && propVal.DetectIsJson() && propVal.InvariantContains(NestedContentPropertyEditor.ContentTypeAliasPropertyKey))
+                    {
+                        // recurse
+                        var parsed = JToken.Parse(propVal);
+                        UpdateNestedContentKeysRecursively(parsed, onlyMissingKeys, createGuid);
+                        // set the value to the updated one
+                        prop.Value = parsed.ToString();
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/Compose/NestedContentPropertyComposer.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/Compose/NestedContentPropertyComposer.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4c9d9dee1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/Compose/NestedContentPropertyComposer.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+using Umbraco.Core;
+using Umbraco.Core.Composing;
+
+namespace Umbraco.Web.Compose
+{
+    [RuntimeLevel(MinLevel = RuntimeLevel.Run)]
+    public class NestedContentPropertyComposer : ComponentComposer<NestedContentPropertyComponent>, ICoreComposer
+    { }
+}
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/Umbraco.Web.csproj b/src/Umbraco.Web/Umbraco.Web.csproj
index e39687bed8..c06ec574c5 100755
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/Umbraco.Web.csproj
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/Umbraco.Web.csproj
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@
     <Compile Include="Cache\UserGroupCacheRefresher.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Cache\UserGroupPermissionsCacheRefresher.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Compose\BackOfficeUserAuditEventsComposer.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Compose\NestedContentPropertyComponent.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Compose\NotificationsComposer.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Compose\PublicAccessComposer.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Composing\CompositionExtensions\Installer.cs" />
@@ -237,6 +238,7 @@
     <Compile Include="Mvc\SurfaceControllerTypeCollectionBuilder.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Mvc\ValidateUmbracoFormRouteStringAttribute.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Profiling\WebProfilingController.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Compose\NestedContentPropertyComposer.cs" />
     <Compile Include="PropertyEditors\ParameterEditors\MultipleMediaPickerParameterEditor.cs" />
     <Compile Include="PropertyEditors\RichTextEditorPastedImages.cs" />
     <Compile Include="PublishedCache\NuCache\PublishedSnapshotServiceOptions.cs" />