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How to Duplicate a Post or Page in WordPress

How to Duplicate Posts or Pages in WordPress

Although you can copy and paste the contents of a page or post in WordPress, there’s much more to it. Tags, categories, metadata, permalink, structure, featured image and video, SEO settings, and other unique settings would have to be copied and pasted one by one. That’s way more work than it needs to be. So, why get exhausted doing the same thing repeatedly when alternatives only require one click per post or page? With that said, you should also know that the first 2 methods don’t require installing a WordPress plugin, while the last 3 do. Now, let’s get into how to duplicate a post or page in WordPress.

Important: Duplicating a post or page has many uses, but it can also be dangerous. If you forget to delete even a part of it and it remains public, crawlers will index it and mark it as duplicate content. That can seriously hurt your rating and SEO. Use tools such as Siteliner to double-check.

1. Built-in way to duplicate a post or page in WordPress (Gutenberg only)

We recommend this method if you only have a few posts or pages to clone, or if you do it occasionally. You’ll quickly see that the method isn’t complete. It doesn’t copy metadata, taxonomies, permalink, featured image/video – not even the title. With that acknowledged, open the post or page you want to make a copy of. Then, follow these instructions to duplicate a post or page in WordPress:

  1. Click on the 3-dot menu on the top right side (next to the cogwheel icon).
  2. From the drop-down menu, select Copy all content.
  3. You’ll get a confirmation saying All content copied.
  4. Open a new post/page draft.
  5. Either right-click and select Paste or press Ctrl (Control) + V on your keyboard.

2. Adding a cloning function to WordPress using a code snippet

This method is light on the resources but might scare some website owners. Even though you must edit some of your WordPress files directly, the process is quite easy if followed to a tee. Afterward, a Duplicate option will appear when you hover over posts or pages, just like with using a plugin. As always, it’s recommended that you install a child theme in WordPress, not edit the main WordPress theme installation. That’s because you won’t lose this feature when you update your theme. First, copy the duplicate page or post code snippet. Then, follow one of these 2 methods to add it to functions.php:

Uploading via FTP

Access your WordPress website via FTP, then follow these steps:

  1. Find functions.php inside of the root/wp-content/themes/theme-name folder.
  2. Right-click on it, and select View/Edit.
  3. Once it opens in a text editor on your computer, paste the code at the end of the document.
  4. Save changes and the file will be uploaded and replace the old one.

Editing via WordPress Admin Section

If you don’t like using FTP, no problem. Here’s what to do after you access WordPress Admin Section:

  1. Expand the main WordPress menu on the left-hand side.
  2. Click on Appearance, then select Theme Editor.
  3. Once the page opens, click on functions.php under Theme Files > Theme Functions in the top right corner.
  4. Paste the code at the end of the document.
  5. Click on the Update File button.

3. Using a Duplicate Post WordPress plugin

This is the first method that includes installing a WordPress plugin. It’s also the safest and easiest way to do it when method 1 isn’t available or effective enough. Follow these steps to duplicate a post or page in WordPress via Duplicate Post:

  1. Download Yoast Duplicate Post and install it via FTP.
  2. Alternatively, search for it inside the Plugins section of the WordPress Dashboard.
  3. In the main WordPress menu on the left side, click on Posts > All Posts or Pages > All Pages.
  4. Hover over the post or page you want to duplicate.
  5. Click on Clone, and a new post will be created with the same title.
  6. Click on New Draft, and a new, nameless draft will be created while preserving all settings. You’ll also be taken to the Post Editor, so be aware of that.

Additional configuration (Optional)

The beauty of this plugin is the sheer number of customizations. This includes excluding certain fields or taxonomies, adding prefixes and suffixes to a duplicated page or post, forbidding certain user roles in the Admin Dashboard to use it, etc. To do that, click on Settings in the left-hand side menu in WordPress, then on Duplicate Post. Don’t forget to click on Save Changes after you’re done.

4. Migrating posts or pages to another WordPress website?

This solution also applies to website rebranding or redesign of the current one. Yes, you can use Duplicate Post or the two methods above. However, that’d be labor intensive and a waste of time. There are much better solutions, some of which can be used as a content backup plugin for WordPress. Here’s how to make a copy of posts or pages with Duplicator:

  1. Install Duplicator.
  2. Click on the Duplicator option in the main WordPress menu on the left.
  3. Click on Packages then the Create New button.
  4. Give a name to your package, and choose a location where it will be stored.
  5. Under archive, put a checkmark in the boxes in front of wp_posts and wp_postmeta.
  6. Don’t worry that you can’t see wp_pages or wp_pagemeta. That’s because they don’t exist. Pages and page settings are inside the 2 files above and distinguished by post_type so they’ll be copied too.

5. Using WooCommerce to duplicate a post or page in WordPress

If you run an eCommerce website, you need to maintain consistency between product/service pages. And, since WooCommerce is one of the best eCommerce plugins, you’re most likely using it already. What you might not have noticed is the Duplicate option. It appears when you hover over individual products in the Products section of your WordPress Dashboard. Obviously, you should only use this method if you’re using the plugin already. To keep your website light on the resources and loading quickly, don’t install WooCommerce for this purpose only.