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How to Copy a Microsoft Planner Plan Without Linking Members

Steve K Sep 30, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to copy an entire Microsoft Planner plan and add new members exclusively to the copied plan, without having them associated with the original plan.

How to Copy a Microsoft Planner Plan Without Linking Members

Product: Microsoft Planner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Duplicating an existing project plan for a new team or a different group of users.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Planner currently lacks a feature to copy an entire plan while keeping member additions isolated to the new plan; members often end up associated with the original plan.

Before you start

Keep in mind that Microsoft Planner does not currently support duplicating an entire plan to a completely isolated new group natively. You will need sufficient permissions to create new plans and manually edit tasks across both the source and destination plans.

Solution 1Recommended

Copy Tasks Individually to a New Plan

Since copying the entire plan ties the group members together, the most effective workaround is to create a brand new plan and copy tasks over one by one.

By copying tasks individually rather than duplicating the entire plan, the copied tasks become completely independent. The new plan will have its own Microsoft 365 Group, meaning any members you add will not be linked back to your original plan.

Create a new plan

Navigate to the Planner hub and click 'New plan'. Name your new plan and assign it to a new or different Microsoft 365 Group.

Add specific members

Add the desired members exclusively to this newly created plan. They will not be granted access to your original plan.

Select a task to copy

Go back to your original plan. Click the three dots (...) in the upper-right corner of the task card you want to duplicate, and select 'Copy task'.

Choose the destination

In the 'Plan name' dropdown menu within the copy dialog, select your newly created plan and confirm the action. Repeat this process for all necessary tasks.

Manual Effort Required: This workaround can be time-consuming for large plans. Additionally, task attachments, comments, and specific details may not carry over and will need to be recreated manually in the new tasks.

Solution 2

Submit a Feature Request via the Microsoft Feedback Portal

As this is a known product limitation in Microsoft Planner, submitting feedback helps Microsoft prioritize the development of an isolated plan copy feature.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I copy an entire plan in Microsoft Planner to a new group?

Yes, you can copy an entire plan to an existing Microsoft 365 Group or create a new group during the copying process. However, due to how Microsoft 365 Groups sync, managing membership across these copied plans often leads to unintended member associations with the original group.

Will copied tasks in Planner retain their attachments and comments?

When you copy tasks individually to a new plan as a workaround, elements like file attachments, task history, and comments are typically not carried over. You will need to manually re-add these details to the destination task.

Why does Planner add members to the original plan when copying?

Microsoft Planner plans are tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 Groups. When you duplicate a plan without properly isolating the underlying group settings, or if you add users directly to the linked group, membership affects both plans. A feature for a purely isolated plan duplicate is currently unavailable.

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