What is Duplicate Post plugin?
Yoast Duplicate Post is a free WordPress plugin for cloning posts, pages, and custom post types — creating an exact copy of an existing piece of content with a single click. Originally developed as a community plugin and later acquired and maintained by Yoast, it has over 4 million active installations and is widely regarded as the definitive content duplication tool for WordPress.
The plugin adds a “Clone” link (creates an immediate draft copy) and a “New Draft” link (opens the copy for editing before saving) to post lists and individual post edit screens. Cloning copies the post content, title, excerpt, featured image, taxonomies (categories, tags, custom taxonomies), custom fields, and post type — everything you need to create a template post that can be rapidly duplicated for repetitive content structures. Configurable exclusion lists allow omitting specific meta keys or taxonomies from the copy.
Yoast Duplicate Post’s unique “Rewrite & Republish” feature (available since version 4.0) is particularly valuable for content maintenance workflows: it creates a working copy of a published post, allows editing the draft version without affecting the live post, and then replaces the original with the updated version when ready. This is the WordPress-native equivalent of staging content for an already-published post — enabling safe editing workflows for live content without taking it offline. The plugin is completely free with no premium tier.
Need Help With Duplicate Post Setup, Troubleshooting, or Customization?
Need help with Duplicate Post? Whether you are dealing with errors, broken functionality, styling problems, plugin conflicts, or advanced customization, we can help you fix the issue and get the plugin working properly on your WordPress site.
Get Duplicate Post Expert HelpKey Features
- Clone posts, pages, and custom post types with one click
- Creates draft copy preserving all content, meta, taxonomies, featured image
- "New Draft" option opens copy immediately for editing
- "Rewrite & Republish" creates a parallel draft of a published post for safe editing
- Configurable exclusion of specific meta keys, taxonomies, or post elements from copies
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Simplest and most reliable post cloning implementation — one-click duplicate
- Rewrite & Republish feature enables safe draft-then-replace workflow for published content
- Configurable meta key exclusions prevent unwanted data (like Yoast SEO focus keywords) from copying
Cons
- Cloned posts use "Draft" status by default — must manually publish
- Does not copy attached media files (copies media references/URLs but not the physical files)
Free vs Premium
Completely free. No paid version.
Common Problems & Fixes
Duplicated posts are missing some custom field data from the original — specific meta fields are not copied. How do I include them?
Check the Duplicate Post settings (Settings → Duplicate Post → What to copy). The “Meta fields to exclude” list contains meta key patterns that are excluded from copies. If a specific field’s meta key is listed there (or matches a wildcard pattern), it will not be copied. Remove the field’s meta key from the exclusion list to include it in copies. Common exclusions include Yoast SEO fields (beginning with _yoast_) and WooCommerce-specific fields — review which exclusions apply to your situation.
The "Clone" option is not appearing in the post list for a specific custom post type — how do I enable duplication for it?
Go to Settings → Duplicate Post → Roles and permissions. In the “Enable for these post types” section, verify your custom post type is checked. If the post type does not appear in the list, it may be registered as non-public or without admin UI support — Duplicate Post only shows for post types that are accessible in the admin. Also check that your current user role has the capability configured in the “Who can duplicate” settings — by default, duplication may be restricted to Editor and above.
The Rewrite & Republish copy updated the wrong version — the original was replaced with an unfinished draft. How can I recover the original content?
WordPress saves post revisions by default. After an accidental Rewrite & Republish replacement, go to the now-updated post, scroll to the Revisions section (or check Screen Options to enable it), and click through revisions to find the previous published version. Click “Restore This Revision” to roll back. If revisions are disabled on your site (due to WP_POST_REVISIONS set to false or 0 in wp-config.php), the original content may not be recoverable without a full site backup. Enable post revisions on sites where content recovery is important.
Customization & Developer Notes
How do I use Duplicate Post to create a page template and rapidly produce similar pages?
Create one fully designed page with all the shared elements (layout, sections, placeholder content) and publish it as a “Template” (with a note in the title like “[TEMPLATE] Service Page”). When you need a new page of that type, go to the Pages list, find the template page, and click “New Draft.” Edit the cloned draft with the page-specific content and publish. The cloned page inherits all the original layout, Elementor sections, ACF fields, and settings — making new page creation significantly faster than starting from scratch.
How do I restrict Duplicate Post's Clone feature to Administrator users only?
Go to Settings → Duplicate Post → Roles and permissions. In the “Who can duplicate” section, uncheck all roles except Administrator. This ensures that only administrators see the Clone and New Draft links in post lists and edit screens. Editors, Authors, and Contributors will no longer see duplication options. For agency setups where clients have Editor access, this prevents accidental content duplication by less experienced users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Duplicate Post work with Elementor pages?
Yes — Duplicate Post correctly copies the Elementor data stored in post meta along with the post content. The cloned page contains the complete Elementor layout, sections, widgets, and settings from the original. After cloning, you can open the copy in the Elementor editor and make changes independently. This is one of the most common uses of Duplicate Post — creating Elementor page templates that can be rapidly cloned for new client pages.
Can I use Duplicate Post to copy WooCommerce products?
Yes — WooCommerce products are a custom post type that Duplicate Post can clone. Enable “Products” in the post types list in Duplicate Post settings. Cloned products copy price, description, attributes, categories, images, and custom fields. However, some WooCommerce-specific data (like product gallery images, variations with specific SKUs) may require manual review after cloning. WooCommerce also has a built-in “Duplicate” option on products — either approach works, but Duplicate Post’s bulk clone functionality handles multiple products more efficiently.
Can Duplicate Post break after updates?
Yes, that can happen, especially on older sites with many plugins. This usually happens when the plugin, theme, and add-ons are updated out of sequence. In most cases, testing on staging catches the issue before it reaches the live site. From experience, backups and changelog reviews save a lot of cleanup time.
What should I check before installing Duplicate Post?
Start by checking whether another plugin already does the same job. In most cases, overlap is what creates avoidable conflicts and performance issues. A common issue is installing a plugin because it looks convenient without checking the stack first. From experience, a short compatibility review avoids most of the pain later.