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How to Duplicate a Menu in WordPress

Use the Site Editor’s Duplicate action for block themes. Classic and hybrid themes use a different workflow: create a new menu, or consider a plugin for a complex copy.
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To duplicate a menu in WordPress, first check which editing workflow your theme supports. With a block theme, go to Appearance > Editor > Navigation, select the menu, open its Actions menu, and choose Duplicate. With a classic or hybrid theme, use Appearance > Menus to build a separate menu, or consider a plugin if you need to clone a complex menu’s structure.

First, identify your theme’s menu editor

The available controls depend on the active theme. WordPress.org says the Site Editor’s navigation screen is available only when a block theme is installed and activated. See the Site Editor navigation guide and the Site Editor overview.

If you see Appearance > Editor, open it and look for Navigation. If you instead see Appearance > Menus, you are likely working with a classic or hybrid theme. WordPress.org notes that Appearance > Menus was included by default through WordPress 5.9; from WordPress 6.0 onward, block themes manage navigation through the Navigation block. The classic screen may still be available with classic or hybrid themes, or through plugins. Read the Appearance Menus Screen documentation.

Duplicate a menu with a block theme

  1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Editor > Navigation.
  2. Find the menu you want to copy and select it.
  3. Open the Actions control beside the menu name and choose Duplicate.
  4. Rename or edit the copy as needed, then save your changes.
  5. If the copy needs to appear on the site, connect it to the appropriate Navigation block, save the template or template part, and preview the result.

The duplicate action creates another menu; it does not, by itself, place that menu on the front end. A Navigation block displays a selected menu, and a site can have multiple menus. For details, see WordPress.org’s Navigation block guide.

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Make the copied menu visible on the site

In a block theme, open the template or template part where the menu should appear. Add a Navigation block or select the existing one, choose the copied menu in its settings, then save and preview the site. WordPress.org explains this connection in its Site Editor navigation documentation.

Creating a menu and displaying it are separate tasks. If the wrong menu appears, check which menu the Navigation block is set to display before changing the menu’s items.

Classic or hybrid themes: create a separate menu

The documented core workflow in Appearance > Menus is to create a new menu and add its items. WordPress.org’s guide does not document a built-in duplicate button on this screen, so expect to recreate the menu rather than click a core clone command.

  1. Go to Appearance > Menus and choose the option to create a new menu.
  2. Give the menu a distinct name so you can identify it later.
  3. Add the pages, categories, or custom links you want from the available panels.
  4. Arrange the items and any parent-child hierarchy, then save the menu.
  5. If the theme offers display locations, assign the menu to the intended location and preview the site.

Available item types and display locations can vary with the theme and installed plugins. The WordPress.org menu-screen guide describes creating menus, adding items, arranging them, and assigning locations where supported.

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When to consider a plugin for a classic menu

If manually rebuilding a complex classic menu would be error-prone, the WordPress.org directory lists Duplicate Menu, by Jon Christopher. Its listing describes making another copy of an existing core menu and recreating its relationships to retain the structure. This is a third-party plugin, not a WordPress core feature.

Before installing it, review the live listing for compatibility with your WordPress version and setup. The listing does not establish compatibility for every version or theme. For a business-critical menu, test the result on a staging site or make a backup first.

Choose the route that fits

Your setup or need Approach
Block theme; you want a quick copy Use the duplicate action in Appearance > Editor > Navigation.
Classic or hybrid theme; a simple copy is sufficient Create a new menu in Appearance > Menus and add the desired items.
Classic menu with complex structure Consider the Duplicate Menu plugin, after checking its current compatibility and testing safely.
The copied menu exists but is not displayed Connect it to the intended Navigation block or, where supported, a theme display location.

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