How to duplicate SharePoint lists without breaking structure

Duplicating a SharePoint list might seem like a straightforward process. But preserving structure, permissions, and metadata requires more than a simple “copy.”

Whether you’re reorganizing your site, migrating tenants, or cleaning up data, we’ll explore how to duplicate a SharePoint list. And since Microsoft Lists uses the same platform, those steps generally apply to Microsoft 365 team sites, too.

Let’s explore why list duplication is more complicated than it seems, what to prepare beforehand, and how to copy a SharePoint list effectively.

What’s a SharePoint list?

A SharePoint list is a lightweight, user-friendly database that lets you store, manage, and visualize data in the context of a SharePoint site. Each list is a structured collection of items (rows) defined by columns (fields). You can customize rows and fields with views and integrate other tools for additional functionality. 

Duplication and its benefits

When you duplicate a SharePoint list’s content, the goal is usually to replicate the entire schema, including the columns, content types, views, and format. Permissions, workflows, and integrations typically need additional steps or a dedicated migration tool; they’re not automatically carried over by built-in list creation features.

Duplication at this level provides several benefits:

• Rapid replication of list structures across sites and teams
• Safe sandboxing or testing without affecting the live list
• Template creation for use across sites
• Consistent content migration across environments

You’ll find three methods to copy a SharePoint list to another site: manual, automated and third-party.

What are the prerequisites for copying lists?

Successfully duplicating a SharePoint list requires a bit of preparation, as skipping steps can lead to broken views, missing columns, and orphaned workflows. Here’s what to do before you start the duplication: 

• Make sure you have the appropriate permissions on  both the source and destination sites. 
• Confirm that all columns, fields, and content types in the source list are valid and active. 
• Check for dependencies on other lists, workflows, or managed metadata.
• Pause or complete open workflows or processes in the source list. 
• Back up or export important data before starting.
• Confirm you can access both sites and authenticate with the required admin/site permissions.

Common challenges when duplicating SharePoint lists

Even with careful preparation, duplicating lists can create problems. IT admins sometimes find that a quick copy becomes a complicated process—especially when the goal is to duplicate everything, including metadata and permissions. These common challenges may pop up when trying to copy items or fully replicate a list across a SharePoint site.

Columns and content types not carrying over

Duplicate SharePoint lists are often missing an element or two. You might find:

• Required columns missing
• Lookup fields broken
• Content types not applied
• Custom formatting lost

The result? A list that looks similar but doesn’t function the same way.

Missing permissions and views

Even if you copy the structure correctly, access settings and custom views may not transfer over to the new SharePoint site. This may cause major access issues for users expecting the same visibility as before. Views tied to custom columns can also disappear or fail to load properly in the new environment.

Templates or feature limitations

 In SharePoint Online, the classic Save list as template option can be unavailable when custom script is blocked on the site, because “Save list as template” is one of the settings removed from List Settings in that configuration.

Methods of SharePoint list duplication

With the prerequisites and challenges in mind, let’s learn the different ways to duplicate a SharePoint list.

Create a new list from an existing list

In SharePoint Online (or Microsoft Lists), choose New > List > From existing list and pick your source list. SharePoint will create a new version with the same columns, views, and formatting.

Step by step:

1. Go to the site where you want the new list
2. Choose New > List
3. Choose From existing list
4. Select the site, then the list you’re duplicating
5. Provide a name for the new list
6. Review the new list and adjust settings or permissions

Pros:

• Quick, built-in option
• Duplicates the overall structure of a list

Cons:

• Does not copy items by default
• List-level permissions and workflows must be recreated

Best for: When you need a faithful schema copy and plan to manually add content or attach workflows later

Export/import with Excel

If you’re still learning how to duplicate or copy list data without using PowerShell or scripts, you can export the SharePoint list to Excel using the Edit in grid view to copy the content. From there, you’ll either import or paste that data into a new SharePoint list.

Step by step:

1. In the source list, select Export to Excel or open in Edit in grid view
2. Create a new list via From existing list or blank
3. Map the columns in the new list to those in the export
4. Use Excel or grid view to paste the items from the export
5. Manually fix any lookup or data type mismatches

Pros:

• No scripting or third-party tools required
• Lets you copy items and basic structure

Cons:

• Manual matching required—time-consuming for larger lists
• Workflows, permissions, and lookup relationships don’t transfer

Best for: Small lists, sandbox environments, or test copies

PowerShell commands

Admins familiar with automation may prefer this method, which lets them fully control the duplication process. You can use the PnP PowerShell module to automate list creation, match columns between lists, copy items, and preserve metadata.

Step by step:

1. Connect to your tenant or SharePoint site via Connect-PnPOnline
2. Run Get-PnPList on the source to capture schema
3. Get-PnPList and Add-PnPList to re-create list structure
4. Use Get-PnPListItem and Add-PnPListItem to add items to the new list.
5. By default, Add-PnPListItem sets the Created time to the current date/time and sets the Author to the current authenticated user running the command. Preserving original system fields (Created/Created By/Modified/Modified By) is not the default behavior and may require additional handling, with results depending on the scenario and permissions.
6. Reapply permissions, workflows, and content types as needed

Pros:

• Enables full control over structure, data, and metadata preservation
• Works across sites, site collections, or tenants

Cons:

• Requires PowerShell experience and administrative access
• Manual scripting can be time-consuming and error-prone

Best for: Admins managing multiple environments who need a repeatable, automated way to duplicate lists while keeping the original data and metadata

Third-party tools 

The most reliable way to duplicate SharePoint lists—including its structure, items, metadata, and dependencies—is to use a third-party tool like ShareGate Migrate. 

ShareGate’s Copy structure and content feature lets you copy lists between sites or environments in just a few clicks while preserving important properties and automatically handling dependencies. 

Pros:

• Copies list structure and content (columns, content types, views, items)
• Preserves metadata such as authors, timestamps, and other list-level properties (when permissions allow)
• Preserves list permissions during the copy
  Automatically detects and migrates dependencies (e.g., lookup lists, referenced columns)
• Provides a detailed migration report with warnings/errors for validation
• Allows advanced options to control how dependencies and items are handled

Cons:

• Requires a paid license
• Does not preserve workflow history and workflow task lists

Best for: Large-scale migrations across SharePoint sites where IT admins need an out-of-the-box solution that automatically preserves important metadata properties like permissions, timestamps, and authors.

Simplify the duplication process with ShareGate

When duplicating a SharePoint list, the goal is usually to preserve its  structure, content, and metadata, including permissions so the new list functions as well as the original. Achieving this level of accuracy can be challenging with built-in tools alone, but using the right migration approach helps you avoid the common issues that come with manual or partial copies.

If you’re doing a large-scale migration or cross-site duplication, ShareGate Migrate makes the process quick, reliable, and hassle-free. 

With ShareGate Migrate’s Copy structure and content feature, you can quickly recreate a SharePoint list or library without losing what makes it work. ShareGate brings over the list’s structure, columns, content types, views, and list configuration—allowing you to choose to include items, attachments, version history, and permissions. On top of that, ShareGate keeps copied lists behaving the way you expect by including related elements like lookup lists, site columns, and managed metadata.

Make large-scale duplication easy with ShareGate—request a demo today.