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How to Duplicate a Page, Post or CPT in WordPress

Have you ever come across a beautifully designed WordPress page and wished you could recreate it without starting from scratch? You’re not alone. Whether you’re a blogger replicating a proven layout, a web designer testing new ideas, or an entrepreneur building landing pages, knowing how to duplicate a WordPress page can save you time and effort.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about duplicating WordPress pages—why it’s useful, how to do it step-by-step, and what to watch out for along the way. We’ll explore manual methods, plugin-based shortcuts, best practices, and how to overcome common challenges. Ready? Let’s dive in.

Why Duplicate a Page?

You wouldn’t think much about duplicating a page until you actually need it. But once you see its value, you’ll wonder how you operated without it.

Common Scenarios for Duplicating Pages:

  • Testing New Designs: You’ve got a live page, but you’re brainstorming a new layout. Duplicating it gives you a sandbox to test design tweaks without breaking what’s working.
  • Creating Landing Pages: A successful design can work wonders for new marketing campaigns. Instead of starting from scratch, just duplicate and modify the original page.
  • Preserving Templates: Got a page template you love? Duplicate it so you don’t need to recreate sections like headers, footers, or menus each time.

I used to obsess over customizing every single page from scratch when I started on WordPress. Huge mistake. Duplicating pages not only saved me hours of time but also kept my designs consistent. Life-changing.

Method 1: Manual Duplication Steps

For WordPress purists out there, manual duplication might feel more natural. It’s a bit time-intensive, but hey, there’s something satisfying about rolling up your sleeves and getting it done yourself.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

  1. Copy Your Existing Page Content: Go to your WordPress dashboard, find the page you want to duplicate under the Pages section, and click “Edit.” Once you’re in the page editor, copy all the text and content blocks (Ctrl+C or Command+C).
  2. Create a New Page: From your WordPress dashboard, click “Add New” under the Pages section. Paste (Ctrl+V or Command+V) the copied content into this new page.
  3. Tweak the Title: Make sure to rename the page title to reflect its purpose. For example, if duplicating a “Contact Us” page for an internal prototype, change it to “Contact Us – Test.”
  4. Update the Permalink: WordPress will auto-generate a permalink based on the title. Ensure it’s clean and unique so it doesn’t interfere with the original page
  5. Create a NewSave Your Changes: Click “Save Draft,” “Publish,” or “Schedule” based on your goals.

While this method works, it can get tiresome if you have more than one or two pages to duplicate. Trust me, your coffee will grow cold before you’re done.

Method 2: Automating the Process with Plugins

Using a dedicated plugin makes duplicating pages laughably easy. Seriously, you’ll wonder why you didn’t use one sooner.

Duplicate Page and Post

Duplicate Page and Post:

The Duplicate Page and Post Plugin offers a simple yet efficient solution for cloning pages, posts, and custom post types with just one click. The duplicated content is automatically saved as a draft, ready for you to edit and publish. While it may lack some of the advanced features found in other plugins, its speed and ease of use make it a standout choice.

Key Features:

  • Quickly create a clone of any page, post, or custom post type (CPT).
  • Choose your preferred editor: Classic or Gutenberg.
  • Add a custom suffix to post titles for easy identification.
  • Customize the duplicate link button text to suit your needs.
  • Select the status of duplicated posts (e.g., draft, published).
  • Redirect to a specific page after duplicating content.

Whether you need to replicate content for testing, editing, or streamlining workflows, this plugin delivers simplicity and speed, making it an essential tool for content creators.

How to Use:

  1. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
  2. Create a new post or page, or choose an existing one.
  3. Navigate to the “All Pages” or “All Posts” section in your dashboard.
  4. Hover over any post or page, and you’ll see a “Click here to clone” button.
  5. Click the “Duplicate” link to create a copy of the post or page. The duplicate will be saved as a draft. Make your desired changes, then hit publish when ready!
Yoast Duplicate Post

Yoast Duplicate Post

The Description feature helps users optimize meta descriptions for duplicate posts or pages, improving SEO performance. It’s a simple yet effective tool to ensure consistent and successful search engine strategies.

Features:

  • Effortlessly clone posts or pages for quick duplication.
  • Create editable drafts with just a click.
  • Bulk duplicate multiple posts or pages.
  • Customize cloning settings for specific roles or post types.
  • Supports front-end cloning using a template tag.

How to Use:

  1. On the ‘Edit Posts’/’Edit Pages’ screen, click ‘Clone’ to duplicate a post/page and return to the list.
  2. For bulk duplication, select multiple items and choose ‘Clone’ in the ‘Bulk Actions’ dropdown.
  3. Use the ‘New Draft’ link under the post/page title to create an editable copy.
  4. In the post edit screen, click ‘Copy to a new draft’ near “Cancel”/”Move to trash” or in the admin bar.
  5. While viewing a post as a logged-in user, click ‘Copy to a new draft’ in the admin bar.

Steps 3, 4, and 5 take you directly to the new draft’s edit page, where you can make changes and publish the updated version. You can also customize cloning options via plugin settings to suit your needs.

Duplicate Page

Duplicate Page

Duplicate posts, pages, and custom posts effortlessly with a single click. Easily replicate content while maintaining your chosen settings (draft, private, public, or pending).

Key Features in Pro Edition:

  • User Roles: Control which user roles can access the Duplicate Page feature.
  • Post Types: Filter to display the duplicate link for specific post types.
  • Clone Link Location: Choose where the clone link appears.
  • Status: Set the status of duplicated posts.
  • Redirection: Redirect users after clicking the clone link.
  • Clone Link Title: Customize the title of the duplicate link.
  • Post Prefix/Suffix: Add prefixes or suffixes to duplicated posts.
  • Editor Options: Access additional filters and advanced features.

How to Use

  1. Activate the Duplicate Page plugin.
  2. Go to the “Duplicate Page Settings” menu under the Settings tab and adjust your preferences.
  3. Create a new post/page or select an existing one.
  4. Click the “Duplicate This” link to create a copy.
  5. The duplicated post/page will be saved as a draft, published, pending, or private based on your settings.

Explore More Plugins

There’s a whole world of plugins available on WordPress.org! You can find countless other plugins that work in a very similar way to this plugins.

Check the “Compatibility” section of each plugin before installing to ensure it works with your WordPress version. With so many plugins available, take the time to find what works best for your needs.

Pro Tip

Best Practices for Page Duplication

Whether manual or automated, a few best practices can keep your process (and pages!) running smoothly.

  • Maintain a Clean Permalink Structure:
  • Avoid URLs like “/contact-us-3/”—that’s a recipe for confusion! Instead, create meaningful, easy-to-read permalinks (e.g., “/new-contact-us/”).
  • Manage Metadata:
  • If you’re duplicating pages meant for SEO purposes, make sure to update meta descriptions, keywords, and tags. You don’t want duplicate meta fields cannibalizing search rankings.
  • Preview Before Publishing:
  • Always preview your duplicated page after making edits. Broken links or unaligned sections often sneak in during duplication, and nobody has time for an awkward landing page.

Potential Issues and Solutions

Duplicating pages isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. Here are a few hiccups you might face—and how to dodge them.

  • Broken Internal Links:
  • When duplicating a page with links pointing to other parts of your site, those links might break or point to outdated URLs. Double-check and update links manually.
  • Content Overlap:
  • Accidentally publishing your duplicate without updating content? Yikes. Use “Preview” liberally to avoid situations where you’ve got multiple pages with the same content.
  • Outdated Plugins:
  • Not all plugins stay up-to-date. Before installing a duplication plugin, skim through the reviews and check its last update date.

A quick anecdote here—I once rushed and published a duplicated sales page without fixing the title. My inbox was flooded with confused queries from readers. Lesson learned!

Make Duplicating Pages Work for You

Duplicating a page in WordPress doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Whether you’re manually copying content or using plugins to save time, it’s about finding a method that works for your goals.

Now it’s your turn. Try duplicating a page with the steps above and share your results! Need more tips or have questions? Drop a comment—we’re here to help make your WordPress game strong.

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