How to Make a Duplicate of a Word Document on Mac

How to duplicate a Word document on a Mac:

1. Select the document and press the Command + D keys. Alternatively, open the File menu and select the Duplicate option.
2. Right-click on the document and select Duplicate.
3. Press and hold the Option/Alt key and drag the Word document to the folder you want to save it in.

Why you might need to make a copy of a Word document on a Mac

There are many reasons for creating a copy of your Word document on a MacBook device. These include managing different versions of the same document to track changes or edits without overwriting the original document. Another reason is backing up important documents, which protects your work from loss or corruption. Finally, creating Word document copies helps you produce templates for new projects, eliminating the need to create new documents for similar content each time.

1. Version сontrol

We like to duplicate a Word document to help track changes when it goes through multiple edits to avoid overwriting the original.

2. Backups and data protection

Data loss is a constant risk when working with files. Making Word document duplicates is a smart way to prevent it. Having a duplicate on hand gives you the peace of mind of editing your files and projects, knowing that you’re covered if subsequent versions become lost or corrupted.

3. Template use

Working with a live document that requires multiple changes or edits makes it challenging to keep the original content intact. By storing a master copy, you can maintain your work’s integrity and easily create a duplicate Word document on your Mac or multiple variations instead of manually editing the original each time.

A note from our experts:

 

It’s no secret that saving multiple documents on your Mac can create both a file management and space issue. But manually finding duplicate files on a Mac can be a nuisance and can take all day. For these reasons, we use MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder to bring order to duplicate documents (and other files) on a Mac by deleting all redundant copies that are taking up space.

 

Here’s how to delete Word document copies using MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your MacBook Pro, Air, or other Apple desktop device.
2. Select Duplicates Finder in the left sidebar and hit the Start Scan button.
3. MacKeeper will show you the files it found. Make sure you’ve selected the Duplicates option and click the Remove Selected button at the bottom of the window.

Ways to duplicate a Word file on Mac

There are multiple ways to duplicate a file on a Mac. See the methods we use below—from Finder to Terminal.

Four methods to make copies of Word documents on a Mac:

1. Duplicate a Word file via Finder
2. Use the File menu in Microsoft Word
3. Use keyboard shortcuts or right-click
4. Use Terminal to make a copy of a Word document

1. Duplicate a Word file via Finder

We’ve found Finder to be one of the simpler ways to save a Word document to different locations using copy and paste on a MacBook. Please note that when you duplicate Word files via Finder, the new copies will have the word “copy” in the file name.

Here’s how to copy a Word document to a new location using Mac’s Finder:

1. Choose the document you want to copy in Finder, right-click on it, and select Copy.
2. Open a new folder location and use the Command + V shortcut to save the file there.

A tip from the MacKeeper team:

 

Having trouble copying and pasting files? We left the hints for you in the devoted piece—find out why your copy and paste isn’t working on a Mac.

2. Use the File menu in Microsoft Word

If we already have a Word document open, it only makes sense for us to duplicate it from there. This method is straightforward and only takes a few clicks.

Check out the process of duplicating a Word document from the Microsoft Word app:

1. With the Microsoft Word document opened, click on File > Save As (or Save a Copy, depending on which version of Microsoft Word you have).
2. Name your document and press the Save button.

3. Use keyboard shortcuts or right-click

When we want a quicker way to duplicate Word or docx documents in Finder, we use a keyboard shortcut or select Duplicate instead of Copy. Want to learn how to do the same?

Here are the steps to create Word document copies using a keyboard shortcut or the Duplicate option in Finder:

1. Locate the document in Finder.
2. Use the Command + D shortcut to quickly duplicate it.
3. Alternatively, right-click on the file and choose the Duplicate option. This will immediately make a copy of the Word document on your Mac and save it with a similar name and a number for reference purposes.

4. Use Terminal to make a copy of a Word document

When all else fails, we turn to Mac’s Terminal app to help us duplicate a Word document. This app is very complex, so we typically advise against using it unless you’re an advanced user and are confident navigating it.

A heads up from us: The Terminal command provided below will save your copy in Finder’s Documents folder.

Follow the steps below carefully to create Word document duplicates in Mac’s Terminal app:

1. Open Terminal via Finder or Mac’s Spotlight search.
2. Type the command cp ~/Desktop/MyFile.docx ~/Documents and press Enter: Don’t forget to replace the file path with the correct one for your Word document.

Duplicate Word documents effortlessly on a Mac

Creating a copy of a Word doc on a Mac is one of the easiest things you can do. Your options include duplicating a Word file via Finder, using the File menu in Microsoft Word, going the keyboard shortcuts or right-click route, and using Terminal.

Storing duplicates can cause a storage and organization nightmare on your Mac. Stay ahead of it by getting rid of copies you no longer need. MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder automates the process, saving you hours of manual work. Use it to remove all duplicate files with the click of a button.

If you enjoyed this guide, check out how to recover an unsaved Word document on Mac and how to fix Microsoft crashing on Mac, along with more helpful articles on the MacKeeper blog.