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How to Copy or Clone a Plan in the New Microsoft Planner

Maira Mehtab Sep 27, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users are attempting to duplicate or clone an existing plan in Microsoft Planner, but the necessary option is missing in the new interface, or it creates a linked copy that incorrectly synchronizes edits back to the original plan.

Product: Microsoft Planner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating an independent duplicate of an existing project plan to use as a baseline for a new project without modifying the original task structure.
Observed behavior: The "Copy plan" option is completely unavailable for some users in the new Planner interface. When a copy link is present, it often creates a shared view rather than an independent clone, causing edits in the copy to alter the original plan.

Before you start

Ensure you are logged into your Microsoft 365 account and have Owner or Member permissions for the Microsoft 365 Group associated with the plan you intend to duplicate.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the Classic Planner Web Interface

The new Planner interface in Teams often lacks the cloning feature, but accessing the classic web version can still provide the native 'Copy plan' functionality.

Microsoft is gradually rolling out features to the new Planner app. During this transition, the classic Planner web interface is the most reliable way to duplicate plans independently without linking tasks.

Open Planner on the Web

Navigate to tasks.office.com in your web browser and sign in with your Microsoft 365 credentials.

Access the Original Plan

Locate and open the specific project plan you want to clone from the Planner Hub.

Open the More Menu

Click the three horizontal dots (...) located at the top navigation bar of your plan.

Select Copy Plan

Choose 'Copy plan' from the dropdown menu. Select the target Microsoft 365 Group, rename the plan, choose which elements to include, and click 'Copy plan' to finalize the independent clone.

Feature Availability: If the 'Copy plan' option is grayed out or missing even on the web, your organization's IT administrator may have restricted group creation, or the feature update has temporarily disabled it for your tenant.

Solution 2

Export to Excel and Recreate Manually

If the copy feature is globally disabled for your account, exporting your plan to Excel acts as a backup and reference point to manually recreate the plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do edits in my copied plan affect the original plan in the new Planner?

This happens because the 'Copy' link in the new interface might only be creating a shared shortcut or linked view to the same underlying Microsoft 365 group plan, rather than an independent clone. To avoid this, use the classic web interface at tasks.office.com to duplicate the plan.

Can I copy individual tasks instead of the entire plan?

Yes, depending on your Planner interface version. In the classic web version, you can click the three dots on an individual task card and select 'Copy task' to duplicate it within the same plan or move it to a different bucket.

When will the independent 'Copy plan' feature be fully available in the new Planner?

Microsoft is actively rolling out updates to the consolidated new Planner interface in Teams. While there is no exact public timeline for all tenants, users are encouraged to submit feedback directly through the app to request the prioritization of independent plan cloning.

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