Creating copies of your Word documents can be essential for backup, version control, and editing purposes, ensuring data safety, tracking changes, maintaining data integrity, and strengthening compliance. Here are five easy methods to make a copy of a document in Microsoft Word, each explained step by step, along with two additional options.

Method 1: Copy and paste in File Explorer Method 2: Copy directly within the document Method 3: “Save as” under a specified new name Method 4: Open a copy in Word Start Page Method 5: Open a copy in File Explorer Additional Options: Quickly copy all open documents Duplicate specific parts of a document

Method 1: Copy and paste in File Explorer

Copying and pasting a document directly within File Explorer is a quick and straightforward way to duplicate a file. This method is particularly useful when you need to create multiple copies of a document or want to organize your files in different folders.

1. Navigate to the folder where your Word document to be copied is located.
2. Click on the document you want to copy.
3. Right-click the document and select Copy or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C.

   

4. Navigate to the desired location, right-click on the blank space, and select Paste, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V.

   

Method 2: Copy directly within the document

Kutools for Word is an excellent add-in that simplifies many tasks, including copying documents. This method is ideal for quickly duplicating the current document without leaving Word.

1. In the document you want to copy, navigate to the Kutools tab on the toolbar and click More > Copy Current File. The document will be copied instantly.

   

2. Navigate to the location where you want to paste the copied document - this could be in File Explorer, within a composing email message, or anywhere you need - and press Ctrl + V.

Method 3: “Save as” under a specified new name

If you’ve already opened your file to be copied, you can use the "Save As" function to quickly create a copy of the document.

1. In the document you want to copy, click on File > Save As.
2. In the name box, give the copy of the document a new name.
3. Click Save. Word will instantly open the copy of the document with the new name, and the original document will be closed.

   

Method 4: Open a copy in Word Start Page

Word's Start Page provides an option to create and open a copy of a recent document directly.

1. In any opened document, click on File > Open.
2. Right-click the document you want to make a copy, and select Open a copy.

   

3. In the copy of the document that opens, click Save, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S.
4. Enter a new name for the copy, and optionally choose a different location to save it.
5. Click Save. The copy will be saved immediately, and both the copy and the original document will remain open for editing.

   

Method 5: Open a copy in File Explorer

Opening a copy directly from File Explorer is another efficient way to duplicate a document.

1. Navigate to the folder where your Word document is saved.
2. Click on the document you want to copy.
3. Right-click the document, and select New. Tip: If you are using Windows 11, select Show more options > New.

   

4. In the copy of the document that opens, click Save, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S.
5. Enter a new name for the copy, and optionally choose a different location to save it.
6. Click Save. The copy will be saved immediately, and will remain open for editing.

   

Additional Option: Quickly copy all open documents

Kutools for Word offers a convenient tool called Copy All Open Files that allows you to quickly duplicate all open documents in Word with a single click.

1. In any open document, navigate to Kutools > More > Copy All Open Files.

   

2. With all open documents copied, go to the location where you want to paste the copied document - this could be in File Explorer, within a composing email message, or anywhere you need - and press Ctrl + V.

Additional Option: Duplicate specific parts of a document

For more granular control, you might want to duplicate specific sections or parts of a document. This can be done using the standard copy and paste functions within Word.

1. Select the section you will copy, and press Ctrl + C.
2. Place your cursor in the desired location within the same document or in another document, and press Ctrl + V to paste the copied content.

Above is all the relevant content related to making a copy of a Microsoft Word document. I hope you find the tutorial helpful. If you're looking to explore more Word tips and tricks, please click here to access our extensive collection of tutorials.

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