WordPress Basics

How to Duplicate a WordPress Page

Clone layouts quickly without breaking your site

If you want to Duplicate WordPress Page layouts without rebuilding them from scratch, WordPress gives you several safe ways to clone existing designs. By duplicating a page instead of starting over, you keep the same blocks, templates, and page builder layout while editing a new draft.

In this step by step tutorial, you will install a simple duplication plugin, clone pages from the Pages screen or the editor, and learn manual and code-based methods. By the end, you will be able to duplicate any important page without breaking your live layout or confusing search engines.

What You Need to Start

  • An existing WordPress site where you can log in as an Administrator or Editor.
  • Access to the WordPress Dashboard so you can manage Pages and Plugins.
  • At least one published page you want to clone, such as a homepage, service page, or landing page.
  • Optional but recommended a recent backup of your site before installing new plugins or editing code.
  • Optional a staging site where you can practice duplicating pages before changing your live site.

Step 1: Choose when to duplicate a page

Before you install anything, decide exactly which page you want to duplicate and why. This helps you avoid clutter and keeps your site structure clean.

  1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Pages » All Pages.
  3. Scan the list and decide which page you want to clone, such as your main Home page or a high converting Landing page.
  4. Hover over the page title and note whether it uses the block editor, a page builder layout, or a custom template in the Page Attributes box.

After this step, you should know which page you will duplicate and where it appears in your navigation so you can keep menus and URLs organized later.

Step 2: Install a duplicate page plugin

The easiest and safest way for most users is to use a duplication plugin that adds a Duplicate, Clone, or Copy to new draft link to your pages.

  1. In the WordPress Dashboard, navigate to Plugins » Add New.
  2. In the search field, type duplicate page.
  3. Locate a well reviewed duplication plugin that works with pages, then click Install Now.
  4. After installation completes, click Activate to enable the plugin on your site.
  5. If the plugin provides a settings page under Settings or Plugins, open it and confirm options such as default status for new duplicates (for example, Draft).
WordPress settings page displaying options for a duplicate post/page plugin, including editor, status, redirection, and suffix fields for cloning content.
Configure your duplicate page plugin settings, including default editor, post status, redirection, and suffix for cloned content.
If you are new to plugins, practice installing and activating them on a staging site first so you can test how duplication behaves with your theme and page builder before changing your live pages.

To confirm success, hover over any page title under Pages » All Pages. You should see at least one new action link such as Duplicate, Clone, or New Draft under the title.

Step 3: Duplicate a page from the Pages list

Once the plugin is active, you can clone pages directly from the main list. This is the fastest way to create copies of multiple layouts.

  1. Navigate to Pages » All Pages in your Dashboard.
  2. Hover your mouse over the page you want to copy. New options such as Duplicate, Clone, or Duplicate This will appear below the title.
  3. Click the new duplication link provided by your plugin.
  4. Wait for WordPress to refresh the list. A new page entry should appear with a similar title, often with “Copy” or “Draft” added.
  5. Click the title of the new duplicate to open it in the editor.
  6. Change the Title so it clearly describes the new page, then edit the Permalink or URL slug to something unique.
  7. Click Save Draft or Update to store your changes.
WordPress admin 'Pages' list showing 'Home' and 'Services' pages, essential for duplicating content within the dashboard.
View your existing pages in the WordPress admin dashboard before duplicating them.
Never leave two live pages with the same content and nearly identical URLs. Always update the title and slug on your duplicate before publishing to avoid confusing visitors and search engines.

After this step, you should see both the original page and its duplicate in the list, with the duplicate saved as a separate draft you can edit safely.

Step 4: Duplicate a page from the editor

Many duplication plugins also add a link inside the editor, which is helpful when you are already editing a page and decide to create a variant.

  1. Navigate to Pages » All Pages and click the title of the page you want to edit, or use the Edit link under the title.
  2. Once the editor opens, look in the sidebar panel where you see the Publish or Status & visibility settings.
  3. Check for a button or link labeled Duplicate, Clone, or Copy to new draft. In some plugins this may appear under the three dot Options menu in the top right corner.
  4. Click the duplication option. WordPress will create a new draft and usually redirect you to that cloned page automatically.
  5. Update the Title, URL, and any content blocks that need to change on the copy.
  6. Click Save Draft to keep the duplicate unpublished while you edit.

To verify success, look at the breadcrumb in the editor and the Title field. You should see your new page name, and the status should show as Draft, not published.

Step 5: Manually duplicate WordPress page without a plugin

If you cannot install plugins, you can still duplicate content by copying and pasting the page content. This works for both the Classic Editor and the block editor.

  1. Open the original page by going to Pages » All Pages and clicking Edit under the page title.
  2. In the editor, switch to the code view so you copy all the block or HTML structure. In the block editor, click the three dot Options menu and choose Code editor. In the Classic Editor, click the Text tab.
  3. Click inside the editor, press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (Mac) to select all content, then press Ctrl + C or Cmd + C to copy.
  4. Navigate to Pages » Add New.
  5. Switch the new page to the same editor mode (code or text), click inside the main content area, and paste with Ctrl + V or Cmd + V.
  6. Enter a new Title, adjust the Permalink, choose the same Template under Page Attributes if needed, and click Save Draft.
Manual duplication is ideal when you only need a one time copy or when your hosting plan does not allow new plugins. Always double check that page builder shortcodes and layout options pasted correctly before publishing.

To confirm success, preview the new page with the Preview button and compare it to the original in a separate browser tab.

Step 6: Advanced duplicate WordPress page with PHP

Developers or power users can create a helper function to programmatically clone pages. This is useful when you need reusable templates or want to trigger duplication from custom admin actions.

Only edit PHP files if you are comfortable restoring your site from a backup. Always work in a child theme or a site specific plugin so theme updates do not remove your custom code.
  1. Create or open a child theme, or prepare a small site specific plugin where you can safely add custom functions.
  2. Use SFTP or your hosting file manager to open the child theme functions.php file, or your custom plugin’s main PHP file.
  3. Add the following function, which duplicates a page as a new draft when you pass an existing page ID:
/**
 * Programmatically duplicate a page as a new draft.
 *
 * @param int $original_id The ID of the page to clone.
 * @return int New page ID or 0 on failure.
 */
function wph_duplicate_page_programmatically( $original_id ) {
    $post = get_post( $original_id );

    if ( ! $post || 'page' !== $post->post_type ) {
        return 0;
    }

    $new_post = array(
        'post_title'   => $post->post_title . ' Copy',
        'post_content' => $post->post_content,
        'post_status'  => 'draft',
        'post_type'    => 'page',
        'post_parent'  => $post->post_parent,
    );

    return wp_insert_post( $new_post );
}
  1. Save the file and clear any caches provided by your host or caching plugin.
  2. Call the function from a custom admin page, a WP-CLI command, or temporary debug code such as wph_duplicate_page_programmatically( 123 ); where 123 is the ID of the page you want to clone.

To confirm this method works, go to Pages » All Pages and check for a new draft titled with “Copy” appended to the original page title.

Conclusion You Are Ready to Go

You have learned several reliable ways to duplicate a WordPress page without breaking your layout or confusing visitors. You can now quickly clone pages from the Pages list, duplicate while editing inside the editor, or fall back to manual copy and paste when plugins are not allowed.

For more advanced needs, you also saw how to duplicate pages with a PHP helper so developers can build template like workflows. Use these techniques to create consistent layouts faster while still keeping titles, URLs, and navigation organized.

Further Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

Will duplicated WordPress pages hurt my SEO

Duplicating a WordPress page only hurts SEO if you publish multiple pages with the same content and very similar URLs. To avoid problems, always change the title, URL slug, and any location specific content on the copy. Keep only one main version indexed and use duplicates as drafts, A/B tests, or localized variations with clearly different messaging.

Does duplicating a page also copy menus and widgets

When you duplicate a page, WordPress copies the page content and basic settings, not your menus or widget areas. Navigation menus are controlled under Appearance » Menus or the block based navigation editor, so you must manually add the new page there. Widgets and sidebars usually stay the same because they are global, not tied to a single page.

Can I duplicate pages that use a page builder

Yes, most duplication plugins work well with popular page builders because they clone the entire content field, including shortcodes and block markup. After duplicating, open the copy in your page builder and confirm that all rows, sections, and modules appear correctly. Always test a few pages on a staging site if your builder uses many dynamic elements.

What if I do not see a Duplicate link under my pages

If you do not see a Duplicate or Clone link, first confirm that your duplication plugin is installed and activated under Plugins » Installed Plugins. Next, check the plugin’s settings to ensure duplication is enabled for the page post type. If your user role is limited, you may need Editor or Administrator access to use duplication tools.

Can I duplicate a WordPress page on WordPress.com

On many WordPress.com plans, you may not be able to install custom plugins, but you can still duplicate pages by manually copying content. Use the code or text view to copy all blocks, create a new page, and paste the layout. Check your specific WordPress.com plan documentation to see whether built in duplication tools are available for your account level.

Does the PHP duplication function copy featured images and custom fields

The simple PHP example in this guide copies only the title, content, status, type, and parent page. If you need to copy featured images or custom fields, extend the function to also duplicate post meta and thumbnail IDs. This usually involves using functions like get_post_meta, update_post_meta, and set_post_thumbnail for the new page after it is created.

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