How-To

How to Make a Copy of a Word Document

By Adam Davidson

Published January 29, 2024

Making backup copies of your documents can help keep them safe. Here’s how to make a copy of a Word document.

You’ve spent weeks working on a Word document, and then the worst happens. Your laptop dies, you can’t fix it, and your file is lost forever. You’re left to regret that you didn’t make a backup copy of your Word document.

The good news is that making a copy of your Word files is easy to do. There are numerous ways you can do so, both on Windows and Mac. If you want to reduce the risk of losing all your hard work, then here’s how to duplicate a Word document.

How to Make a Copy of a Word Document in File Explorer on Windows

If you’re using Windows, you can quickly duplicate your Word document in File Explorer by copying and pasting the document. The new document will be an exact copy of the original but with a slightly amended file name that you can edit to anything you wish.

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the Word document you want to copy.
2. Select the document and press Ctrl+C to copy it.
3. Alternatively, right-click the document and click the Copy icon.
   
4. Press Ctrl+V or right-click and click the Paste icon.
   
5. A copy of the Word document will appear with “copy” added to the file name.
   
6. To rename the copy, click it once, pause for a moment, then click it again. You can now edit the file name.

How to Make a Copy of a Word Document in Finder on Mac

If you’re using a Mac, you can make a copy of a Word document in Finder by copying and pasting the existing file. This will create a copy of the Word document with a slightly altered file name that you can then edit to whatever you choose.

1. Open Finder and locate the Word document you want to copy.
2. Select the document and click Cmd+A to copy it.
3. Press Cmd+V and a copy of your document will appear in Finder, with a number added to the file name.
4. Alternatively, right-click the Word document and select Duplicate.
   
5. A new copy of the Word document will be created, with the word “copy” added to the file name.
   
6. To rename your new copy, click the file once, wait a moment, then click it again. You can now type the new name for the file.

How to Open a Copy of a Word Document on Windows

On Windows, there are a couple of ways you can open a new version of a Word document from within the app. This opens a duplicate of your Word document which you can then edit and save under a different file name, leaving the original unchanged.

1. Open Word and click the File menu.
   
2. Select Open.
   
3. Click Recent if it’s not already selected.
   
4. Right-click on the file you want to copy and select Open a Copy.
   
5. If the file is not in your Recents folder, click Browse.
   
6. Navigate to the location of the file and select it.
7. At the bottom of the window, click the Open drop-down and select Open a Copy.
   
8. A new copy of your file will open in Word.
9. You can make any changes you want to the file. When you’re done, click the File menu.
   
10. Click Save or Save As.
    
11. Give your new copy a name and save it to whatever location you want.

How to Duplicate a Word Document on Windows

An easy way to make a copy of a Word document when you’re using the app is to save a copy of the document you’re working on as a copy. This will create a new file identical to the current one.

1. Open the Word document that you want to make a copy of.
2. Click File.
   
3. In the left-hand menu, select Save As or Save a Copy. The option that you see will depend on whether your original document is saved locally or in OneDrive.
   
4. Give the copy and name and select where you want to save it, then click the Save button.
   
5. A copy of your Word document is now saved.
6. The open document in Word will now be the new copy. You can make any changes you want, and the original document will remain unchanged.

How to Duplicate Your Word Document on Mac

You can save a copy of a document when using the Word app on Mac. This will save a new version of the document, leaving the original as it is. You can then make any changes you wish to the new copy.

1. Open the Word document you want to make a copy of.
2. Click the File menu.
   
3. Select Save As or Save a Copy; the options will change depending on whether the file you’re copying is saved locally or on OneDrive.
   
4. Give your copy a name and location and click Save.
5. You can now work on the new copy of the document. The original will remain unchanged.

How to Open a New Copy of a Word Document on Windows

In File Explorer on Windows, it’s also possible to create a new Word document based on a current one. This creates a new document that’s an exact replica of the original, which you can then save to create your new copy.

1. Open File Explorer in Windows and navigate to the location of the Word document you want to copy.
2. Right-click the Word document.
3. Click Show More Options.
   
4. Select New.
   
5. A new Word document will open that is a copy of the file you selected.
6. To save the new copy, click File > Save As or Save a Copy and give your new copy and name.
   
7. You can now save the file to any location you want.

How to Replicate a Word Document in Word Online

If you’re using Word Online, you can choose to save a copy of your Word document online, or you can download a copy to your computer. Both methods will leave the original document untouched.

1. Sign in to Word online and open the document you want to copy.
2. Click the File menu.
   
3. Select Save as.
   
4. To save a copy online, select Save As.
   
5. Select a location to save your file.
6. Give your copy a unique name and click Save.
7. To download a copy of the Word document to your computer, select Download a Copy.
   
8. Click the Download a Copy button.
   
9. Your file is downloaded in your browser.

How to Make a Duplicate of a Word Document in OneDrive

If you’re working with Word documents in OneDrive, you can make a copy of your Word document within OneDrive. This creates a new copy that you can save within OneDrive.

1. Sign in to the OneDrive web app in your browser and navigate to the Word file you want to copy.
2. Right-click the file and select Copy To.
   
3. Select the location where you want the file to be copied and click Copy Here.
   
4. If you copy to a different location, the file will maintain the same file name. If you copy to the same location as the original file, the file name will be amended to show that it is a copy of the original.

How to Make a Copy of a Word Document on Mobile

If you’re using the Word app on mobile, you can also make copies of your Word documents. You can save a copy locally on your phone or to a cloud account.

1. Launch the Word app on your phone and open the Word document you want to copy.
2. In the top-right of the screen, tap the Three Dots icon.
   
3. Select Save a Copy.
   
4. Choose to save the copy on your phone or to a linked cloud storage account such as OneDrive.
5. A copy of your file is saved, with the original left untouched.

Making Copies of Word Documents

As you can see, there is a wide range of methods for duplicating your Word document. The method that you use will depend on the operating system you’re using, but you’ll still have plenty of options to choose from.

Making copies of Word documents can be a useful thing to do if you want to reduce the risk of losing your files. For example, if a Word document is stored on your hard drive and your hard drive dies, the file is lost. If you’ve saved a copy in another location, you can still access the file. Having copies of files both locally and in the cloud is often a sensible option.

Replicating your Word document can also be helpful if you’re planning to make significant changes to a document. If you decide that you’re not happy with the changes, you’ll have the original copy available to fall back on.