How to duplicate a Confluence space
Confluence Cloud has no "duplicate space" button. There are three ways to get most of the way there and one to get all of it. This page covers all four honestly, including when you do not need an app.
The short answer
| What you need | Use |
|---|---|
| A copy of one page and everything under it | Native Copy page tree. Free, built in, works well |
| A reusable starting point for new spaces | Native space templates or a blueprint |
| A whole space, with its permissions and working internal links | An app. Confluence cannot do this at any plan level |
Option 1: Copy a page tree (free, built in)
Confluence Cloud can duplicate a page together with all of its children. Open the page, use the ••• menu, choose Copy, then select Include child pages and pick a destination.
What it carries: the pages, the hierarchy below that page, attachments, labels and page restrictions.
What it does not:
- Internal links are not repointed. Links in the copied pages still open the originals. This is the single most common surprise, and it is tracked as an open request at CONFCLOUD-73312.
- Page comments.
- Version history. Copied pages start at version 1.
- Anything above the page you started from, and nothing about the space itself: no space, no space permissions, no space settings.
If your space is really one tree under one parent page, and you do not care about links pointing back at the original, stop here. The native feature is free and it does the job. No app is worth paying for to replace something built in.
Option 2: Space templates (free, built in)
If what you actually want is a consistent starting point for new spaces rather than a copy of a specific one, Confluence's space templates and blueprints are the right tool. Create a space from a template and you get a predefined structure every time.
The limit: a template is a starting point, not a copy. It will not reproduce an existing space's content, its attachments or its permissions.
Option 3: Copy space permissions (Premium only)
Confluence Premium can apply one space's permission set to another space. If you have Premium and only need permissions matched, this covers it.
The limits: Premium plans only, and it moves permissions, not content. You still need one of the other options for the pages.
Option 4: Copy the whole space with an app
The gap none of the above closes is the whole-space one: creating a new space, filling it with everything, repointing the internal links so the copy refers to itself, and carrying the space permissions on any plan.
Atlassian has tracked this request as CONFCLOUD-3191 since 2005. It has over 880 votes and remains open, and Atlassian's own comment on it directs customers to the Marketplace.
What to check before you buy any app for this, because these are the things that go wrong and the things customers write reviews about:
- Does it repoint internal links? A copy whose links still open the original is the commonest complaint in this category.
- What happens if it stops halfway? Large spaces take a while. Ask whether it resumes, and what state it leaves behind if it cannot.
- Does it tell you what it will do before it does it? You should be able to see the page count and what will be skipped before anything is written.
- Can it delete? An app that copies does not need delete permission. Check what it asks for.
- Where does your content go? Apps built on Atlassian Forge run on Atlassian's own infrastructure and can carry the Runs on Atlassian badge, which means content does not leave your site.
Clone Space for Confluence is our answer to those five questions: it repoints links, resumes by itself, shows a free report before writing anything, holds no delete permission at all, and runs entirely on Atlassian. It is free for up to ten users.
What about Confluence Data Center?
Data Center is different, and this trips people up when they search. Confluence Data Center has had a native Copy Space since version 8.3, under Space tools. If you are on Data Center, use it; you do not need anything else.
The feature has never come to Cloud, which is why the Cloud request is still open. If you are migrating from Data Center to Cloud, this is one of the capabilities you lose on arrival, and it catches teams out mid-migration.
Frequently asked
Can I copy a space to a different Confluence site?
Not with a page-tree copy. Atlassian has cross-site copy capability for organisation admins in limited form. For a like-for-like copy within one site, use one of the options above.
Will copying a space copy the comments?
No, by any method. Confluence does not expose page comments for copying.
Will the copy keep version history?
No. Copied pages start at version 1 whichever method you use, because Confluence does not expose page history for copying.
How long does copying a large space take?
It depends on page count and attachment size. What matters more is what happens if it is interrupted part way, which is worth checking before you start on a space of any size.