How to Make a Duplicate Copy of a Word File

There are times when it's useful to have a duplicate copy of a Word file. You may want to work on a copy of a document but keep the original unchanged. Or, you may want to store a copy of a file on your computer from a flash drive or memory stick without removing it from the device. There are various ways to create a duplicate Word document. Your choice will depend on what specifically you want to do with the final document.

If you just want to create another copy of a document, you can use the "Save As" feature in Word. If you aren't working in Word or want to save a file from an external device, it may be easier to use the Windows File Explorer tool.

These options create an exact duplicate of your file that you can store anywhere on your computer. You can also set up a duplicate copy of the document as a template. Word stores this for you in its original format, allowing you to open and create new copies without changing the information in the document itself.

Open the document you want to copy. Select "File" from the top menu and then "Save As." In the Save As window, select "Computer." If you see the folder into which you want to save the duplicate listed on the screen, select it.

If not, choose "Browse" and find the folder you want to use. If you're creating a copy in the same folder as the original document, give it a new name in the "File name" field. You don't have to change the file's name when saving to a different folder unless you want to. Select "Save."

From your Windows home screen, type "file explorer" to open the search tool. Select "File Explorer" from the list of results. Find the folder containing the document you want to copy, select the document and right-click on its name. Select "Copy."

Go to the folder in which you want to store the duplicate document and open it. Right-click in the window and select "Paste." If you put the duplicate in the same folder as the original document, it will have the same file name with "copy" added to it.

Open the document you want to set up as a template. Select "File" and then "Save As." In the Save As window, open "Computer" then "Browse." Give your template a name in the "File name" field. Select the arrow on the "Save as type" box, select "Word template" then "Save."

The duplicate template goes into Word's custom office templates folder. In the future, when you want to create a new document from the template, go to "File" and then "New." Select "Personal," find the template in the list and open it. You can then amend it and save it as a new document. This is particularly useful if you need to share a general layout or framework with a larger community of individuals.