diff --git a/gnucash/report/report-system/html-utilities.scm b/gnucash/report/report-system/html-utilities.scm
index e2b5d5934a..5f9ab1ebbb 100644
--- a/gnucash/report/report-system/html-utilities.scm
+++ b/gnucash/report/report-system/html-utilities.scm
@@ -870,18 +870,5 @@
           "<link rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text/css\" href=\"file:///~a\" />\n"
           (gnc-path-find-localized-html-file file)))
 
-;; function to sanitize strings prior to sending to html
-(define (gnc:html-string-sanitize str)
-  (with-output-to-string
-    (lambda ()
-      (string-for-each
-       (lambda (c)
-         (display
-          (case c
-            ((#\&) "&amp;")
-            ((#\<) "&lt;")
-            ((#\>) "&gt;")
-            (else c))))
-       str))))
 
 
diff --git a/gnucash/report/report-system/report-system.scm b/gnucash/report/report-system/report-system.scm
index 4c2dd8b925..ceee70e11b 100644
--- a/gnucash/report/report-system/report-system.scm
+++ b/gnucash/report/report-system/report-system.scm
@@ -122,7 +122,6 @@
 (export gnc:html-make-options-link)
 (export gnc:html-js-include)
 (export gnc:html-css-include)
-(export gnc:html-string-sanitize)
 
 ;; report.scm
 (export gnc:menuname-reports)
diff --git a/gnucash/report/report-system/test/test-html-utilities-srfi64.scm b/gnucash/report/report-system/test/test-html-utilities-srfi64.scm
index b973a44e95..c722a692b9 100644
--- a/gnucash/report/report-system/test/test-html-utilities-srfi64.scm
+++ b/gnucash/report/report-system/test/test-html-utilities-srfi64.scm
@@ -12,44 +12,9 @@
 (define (run-test)
   (test-runner-factory gnc:test-runner)
   (test-begin "test-html-utilities-srfi64.scm")
-  (test-gnc:html-string-sanitize)
   (test-gnc:assign-colors)
   (test-end "test-html-utilities-srfi64.scm"))
 
-(define (test-gnc:html-string-sanitize)
-  (test-begin "gnc:html-string-sanitize")
-  (test-equal "null test"
-              "abc"
-              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "abc"))
-
-  (test-equal "sanitize &copy;"
-              "&amp;copy;"
-              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "&copy;"))
-
-  (if (not (string=? (with-output-to-string (lambda () (display "🎃"))) "🎃"))
-      (test-skip 2))
-  (test-equal "emoji unchanged"
-              "🎃"
-              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "🎃"))
-
-  (test-equal "complex string"
-              "Smiley:\"🙂\" something"
-              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "Smiley:\"🙂\" something"))
-
-  (test-equal "sanitize <b>bold tags</b>"
-              "&lt;b&gt;bold tags&lt;/b&gt;"
-              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "<b>bold tags</b>"))
-
-  (test-equal "quotes are unchanged for html"
-              "\""
-              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "\""))
-
-  (test-equal "backslash is unchanged for html"
-              "\\"
-              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "\\"))
-
-  (test-end "gnc:html-string-sanitize"))
-
 (define (test-gnc:assign-colors)
   (test-begin "test-gnc:assign-colors")
   (test-equal "assign-colors can request many colors"
diff --git a/libgnucash/scm/test/test-libgnucash-scm-utilities.scm b/libgnucash/scm/test/test-libgnucash-scm-utilities.scm
index 50903c4315..2f5b1a2951 100644
--- a/libgnucash/scm/test/test-libgnucash-scm-utilities.scm
+++ b/libgnucash/scm/test/test-libgnucash-scm-utilities.scm
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
   (test-traverse-vec)
   (test-substring-replace)
   (test-sort-and-delete-duplicates)
+  (test-gnc:html-string-sanitize)
   (test-gnc:list-flatten)
   (test-begin "test-libgnucash-scm-utilities.scm"))
 
@@ -89,6 +90,40 @@
     (sort-and-delete-duplicates '(3 1 2) <))
   (test-end "sort-and-delete-duplicates"))
 
+(define (test-gnc:html-string-sanitize)
+  (test-begin "gnc:html-string-sanitize")
+  (test-equal "null test"
+              "abc"
+              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "abc"))
+
+  (test-equal "sanitize &copy;"
+              "&amp;copy;"
+              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "&copy;"))
+
+  (if (not (string=? (with-output-to-string (lambda () (display "🎃"))) "🎃"))
+      (test-skip 2))
+  (test-equal "emoji unchanged"
+              "🎃"
+              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "🎃"))
+
+  (test-equal "complex string"
+              "Smiley:\"🙂\" something"
+              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "Smiley:\"🙂\" something"))
+
+  (test-equal "sanitize <b>bold tags</b>"
+              "&lt;b&gt;bold tags&lt;/b&gt;"
+              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "<b>bold tags</b>"))
+
+  (test-equal "quotes are unchanged for html"
+              "\""
+              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "\""))
+
+  (test-equal "backslash is unchanged for html"
+              "\\"
+              (gnc:html-string-sanitize "\\"))
+
+  (test-end "gnc:html-string-sanitize"))
+
 (define (test-gnc:list-flatten)
   (test-equal "gnc:list-flatten null"
     '()
diff --git a/libgnucash/scm/utilities.scm b/libgnucash/scm/utilities.scm
index 574097558e..4bdc61ed85 100644
--- a/libgnucash/scm/utilities.scm
+++ b/libgnucash/scm/utilities.scm
@@ -172,6 +172,23 @@
    s1 s2 s3 0 (string-length s1) (max 0 (1- start))
    (and (positive? end-after) (+ (max 0 (1- start)) (1- end-after)))))
 
+;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
+;; function to sanitize strings. the resulting string can be safely
+;; added to html.
+;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
+(define-public (gnc:html-string-sanitize str)
+  (with-output-to-string
+    (lambda ()
+      (string-for-each
+       (lambda (c)
+         (display
+          (case c
+            ((#\&) "&amp;")
+            ((#\<) "&lt;")
+            ((#\>) "&gt;")
+            (else c))))
+       str))))
+
 ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
 ;; avoid using strftime, still broken in guile-2.2. see explanation at
 ;; https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-guile/2019-05/msg00003.html