How to duplicate a product in Shopify (and avoid SEO mistakes)

If you have to upload 50 t-shirts that are identical except for the print, uploading each item from scratch is a waste of time and money.

Shopify's "Duplicate" feature is your best productivity ally. It lets you clone an existing product with all its variations, photos, and settings in just one click.

But beware: with great power comes great responsibility . If you duplicate indiscriminately, you can disrupt your inventory (duplicate SKUs) and upset Google (duplicate content). In this tutorial, we'll teach you how to do it like a pro.

How to duplicate a product step by step

The technical process is very simple:

1. Go to your admin panel and enter Products .
2. Click on the product you want to use as a "template" or base.
3. At the top right, you'll see a button that says Duplicate .
4. A pop-up window will open asking you what details you want to copy.

Which options should I select?

• Title: Change it now. By default it will say "Copy of [Original Name]".
• Images: If it's the same product in a different color, uncheck it. If it's the same product with a different name, check it.
• Inventory (SKU): PAY ATTENTION HERE! Shopify will ask if you want to copy the SKUs and quantities.

⚠️ The 3 Traps of Duplication (Read before saving)

2. The danger of SEO (Duplicate Content)

Google penalizes websites with identical pages. If you duplicate a t-shirt and only change the title, but leave the 500-word description identical, Google won't know which one to rank.

Solution: Make sure to rewrite at least the first paragraph of the description and change the Meta Title and URL (Handle) in the SEO section at the bottom of the page.

3. The "Active" state

When duplicating, you have the option to set the status to "Active" or "Draft." We recommend always leaving it in Draft . This way, you can calmly edit the SKU, photos, and SEO before publishing it and having customers (or Google) see it half-finished.

Pro Tip: Duplicate Variants within a Product

Sometimes you don't want to create a new product, but add a new variant (e.g., size XXL) that is the same as XL.

1. Within the product details, scroll down to the Variants section.
2. Select an existing variant and click on the three dots (...) or "Actions".
3. Choose Duplicate .
4. Change the option name and SKU. Done!

Frequently Asked Questions about Duplicating Products

Can I duplicate products in bulk?

Shopify natively allows duplication one at a time. To duplicate 100 products at once, the best approach is to use the Export to CSV function, copy and paste the rows into Excel, modifying the Handles and Names, and then import them again.

Are the Metafields being duplicated?

Yes. If you have custom fields (e.g., "Size Guide" or "Washing Instructions" in Metafields), when you duplicate the product, this data is copied. This saves a lot of time with complex product data sheets.

What about reviews?

Reviews are NOT duplicated. And that makes sense: the reviews are for the original product. The new product will start with 0 stars.