Post Duplicator plugin review and common issues

The Post Duplicator modal uses JavaScript. If it does not open: (1) check browser DevTools Console for JavaScript errors; (2) a JavaScript conflict with another plugin or theme may prevent the modal from initializing — temporarily deactivate other plugins to test; (3) clear browser cache and try again; (4) verify Post Duplicator is updated to the latest version; (5) try a different browser to rule out browser-specific issues.

In Post Duplicator → Settings → Post Types Configuration, enable the additional post types you want to appear in the conversion dropdown. For example, to allow converting Posts to Pages, add “Pages” to the available destination types for “Posts.” After saving settings, open the duplication modal for a Post and the Post Type dropdown should include “Pages” as a conversion target.

Post Duplicator’s Smart Defaults configuration controls the default author for duplicates. In Settings → Smart Defaults, configure “Author” to “Original Author” rather than “Current User” or a specific user. When bulk duplicating, the modal for each post should pre-fill the author field with the original author. Verify the Smart Defaults are saved and test with a single post duplication first to confirm the author field behavior.

Select a WooCommerce product in the products list that you want to use as a template. In the row actions, click “Duplicate” to open the Post Duplicator modal. In the modal, find the “Multiple Clones” setting and set it to 10. Configure the title pattern (e.g., “Test Product {number}”) if the plugin supports title incrementing, or use a generic title and rename individually. Click Duplicate. Post Duplicator creates 10 draft copies of the product simultaneously, saving significant time compared to creating each test product individually.

In Post Duplicator → Settings → Permission Control, configure role-based access. Disable duplication capability for the “Contributor” role. Contributor role users will no longer see the Duplicate option in the posts list or editor toolbar. Editors, Authors with appropriate capabilities, and Administrators retain duplication access. This is useful for multi-author sites where content creation workflow should not include self-service content duplication for junior contributors.

Post Duplicator focuses on feature-rich duplication (cross-type, bulk, multiple clones, modal interface) for content management workflows. Yoast’s Duplicate Post has a unique “Rewrite & Republish” feature that allows editing a published post as a working draft and then publishing the edited version to atomically replace the original — without the original going offline during editing. For standard duplication use cases, Post Duplicator is more capable. For the specific “edit without taking offline” workflow, Yoast’s Rewrite & Republish is unmatched.

Yes — Post Duplicator works with WooCommerce products (custom post type “product”). Standard product data (price, description, categories, tags, featured image, and meta fields) copies correctly. Complex product data like product variations (which use a separate “product_variation” post type as child posts) may not be fully duplicated — each variation is a separate post that would need individual duplication or WooCommerce’s own native “Duplicate” product feature for complete variable product cloning.

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.

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.