Notion is a popular productivity app that allows you to create documents, wikis, notes, and more. It has a wide range of features that make it easy to organize information and collaborate with others.
One useful feature in Notion is the ability to duplicate existing pages. Copying a page can save you a lot of time when you want to reuse content or create similar pages. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about duplicating pages in Notion.
Table of Contents
Why Duplicate a Page?
Here are some of the most common reasons you may want to copy a page in Notion:
- Save time – Duplicating an existing page is much faster than creating a new one from scratch. You can reuse the structure, content, and formatting.
- Create templates – Save formatted pages as templates that you can duplicate for new projects. This works well for things like meeting notes, project plans, etc.
- Iterate on ideas – Duplicate a page and tweak it to easily create variations of documents and notes.
- Preserve original – When you duplicate a page, you get an exact copy. So you can experiment with changes without affecting the original.
How to Duplicate a Page
Duplicating a page in Notion is very easy to do. There are a couple of different methods you can use:
1. Duplicate from the Sidebar
This method lets you copy the page from Notion’s left sidebar:
- Click on the ellipsis (…) next to the page you want to duplicate.
- Select Duplicate from the menu.
- A copy of the page will now appear in your sidebar.
2. Use Keyboard Shortcuts
You can also use these handy keyboard shortcuts to duplicate pages:
- Mac: Cmd + D
- Windows: Ctrl + D
Simply select the page you want to copy and use the appropriate shortcut for your device. The duplicate will appear right below the original page.
Customizing the Duplicate
Once you’ve created a duplicate, you can customize it by:
- Renaming – Double click the page name in the sidebar to change it.
- Reorganizing – Drag and drop to move the duplicate to another location.
- Editing content – Click into any text blocks to edit the contents.
- Changing permissions – Adjust the sharing settings as needed.
Make all the changes you need to repurpose the duplicated page. The original will remain unaffected.
Tips for Effective Duplication
Here are some tips to use page duplication effectively:
- Store page templates in a Templates table to keep them organized.
- Duplicate an entire table instead of individual pages when relevant.
- Structure sections or chapters of long documents as nested sub-pages so they’re easier to reuse.
- Share templates publicly and allow duplicates to let others copy them.
- Use keyboard shortcuts to quickly duplicate pages while working.
Limitations to Be Aware Of
While duplicating pages can be very useful, there are a couple limitations to be aware of:
- Some page elements like synced blocks don’t fully carry over. The content will duplicate but not the link.
- Formulas, rollups, and other dynamic elements may need to be rebuilt.
- You can only duplicate pages you have editing access to.
So review your duplicates carefully to ensure everything carried over properly. Recreate any formulas or other connections as needed.
Other Notion Tips
Beyond just duplicating existing pages, there are lots of other ways to work efficiently in Notion:
- Templates – Save pages as templates to quickly insert their structure. Just hit
/templatewhen on a blank page. - Nested pages – Organize long pages by nesting sub-pages inside them from the sidebar.
- Linked databases – Connect databases through linked database fields for powerful views.
- Relationships – Relate pages to each other using linked references and inline embeds.
- Formulas – Create calculated fields in databases that auto-update based on other columns.
Notion has a wealth of features for organizing all types of content. Duplicating pages is just one tool that can save you time and effort while working in this versatile platform.
So next time you need to reuse an existing document, give page duplication a try!
