Many a time there is a need to work on a document, while not wanting to disturb the original content.
For instance, one may want to try writing some sentences differently just to see whether they make better sense, else revert to the original.
Or, there may be a need to try to arrange some photos in the document in a different sequence from the original, compare the results, and keep the version that looks better. Of course, there may be countless other reasons for wanting to duplicate a document.
There are two ways to duplicate a Word document.
One of them is to treat the Word document as any other file and make a copy of it using Windows’ File Explorer. The other way is to use Word itself to make a copy.
2 Methods to Duplicate a Word Document
- Using File Explorer to make a copy of the Word document
- Using Word to make a copy of the Word document
Let’s start.
Method #1: Using File Explorer to Make a Copy of the Word Document
Step #1: Open File Explorer
In Windows, click on the Start icon on the left of the taskbar to open the Start menu.
On the left side of the Start menu, click on the Documents icon to open File Explorer.
Step #2: Navigate to the folder containing the Word document
Navigate to the folder that contains the Word document that you wish to copy.
Step #3: Make a copy of the Word document
Right-click on the Word document to open a list of options. Click on Copy. The list of options will close. File Explorer now holds a copy of the document in its clipboard.
Navigate to the folder where you want to store the copy in the clipboard. Right-click on an empty space within File Explorer to open another list of options.
Click on Paste. The options will close and File Explorer will make a copy of your Word document and mark it as Copy for proper identification.
Method #2: Using Word to Make a Copy of the Word Document
Step #1: Locate the Word document
Open Word and click on Open on the left side. Check if your document appears in the list of Recent documents. If it does not appear, click on Browse and navigate to the folder containing the Word document.
Step #2: Open a Copy of the Word document
Right-click on the Word document to open a list of options. Click on Open a copy.
Word will open the document. Note that Word has opened only a copy and not the original document, as Word is not showing the original document’s name.
Step #3: Save a Copy of the Word Document
Click on the File tab in the Menu bar on top to open the File menu. Click on Save As on the left side.
In the Save As menu on the right, click on Browse to open File Explorer.
Navigate to the folder where you wish to save the copy. Enter a proper name for the file within the box File name, and click on Save. Your Word document is now saved as a copy with the name of your choice.
Conclusion
Whatever may be the reasons for making a copy of a Word document, you have a choice of two methods to accomplish the task. We have explained both methods to make it easier for you. If you want to duplicate a particular page in word, then check out this tutorial.