Document Cloning and Duplication: Reusing Documents

Save time by cloning existing documents to create new versions with the same structure, fields, and recipients. This guide covers cloning documents, what gets copied, what doesn't, when to clone vs create templates, and managing cloned documents.

Prerequisites

Account: Active BreezeDoc account
Plan: Available on all plans (Free, Pro, Agency)
Document: Existing document to clone
Access: Document owner, editor, or viewer role (ability to view document)

What is Document Cloning?

Document cloning creates an exact copy of an existing document, including its PDF files, fields, and recipient structure. The cloned document is a new, independent document that you can modify and send separately. Key features:

Universal Availability – Available on all BreezeDoc plans (Free, Pro, Agency)
Complete Copy – Clones PDF files, fields, field positions, and recipient placeholders
Independent Document – Clone is a new document, not linked to original
Fast Duplication – Faster than recreating document from scratch
Preserves Structure – All field types, sizes, and positions are maintained
Fresh State – Clone starts as unsent draft (no signatures or completion status)

What Gets Cloned

Elements That Are Copied

Document Title – Title is copied with "(Clone)" suffix added
PDF Files – All uploaded PDF pages are duplicated
Fields – All fields (signatures, text, checkboxes, dates, dropdowns, initials) are copied
Field Properties – Field positions, sizes, required status, and settings are preserved
Recipient Structure – Recipient placeholders are created (Party 1, Party 2, etc.)
Send in Order Setting – Sequential signing configuration is maintained
Field Assignments – Field-to-party assignments are preserved

Elements That Are NOT Copied

❌ Recipient Email Addresses – Email fields are cleared (you must re-enter recipient emails)
❌ Signatures and Data – Any completed signatures or filled fields are removed
❌ Sent Status – Clone starts as unsent draft
❌ Completion Status – No completion date or status
❌ Activity History – No activity log from original document
❌ Expiration Date – Expiration date is cleared (you must set new expiration if needed)
❌ Document Timestamps – Clone has new created_at date

Why Clear Recipient Emails? This allows you to send the cloned document to different recipients without accidentally emailing the same people again.

How to Clone a Document

Step-by-Step: Clone a Document

Log in to your BreezeDoc account.
Go to Documents and find the document you want to clone.
Open the document (click to view details).
Look for the Clone button, Duplicate button, or Actions menu.
Click Clone or Duplicate Document.
BreezeDoc creates a new document with "(Clone)" appended to the title.
The clone opens automatically (or you're redirected to the documents list).
Edit the cloned document:
- Update the title (remove "(Clone)" if desired)
- Enter recipient email addresses
- Adjust fields if needed
- Set new expiration date (if applicable)
Click Send to send the cloned document to recipients.

Where to Find the Clone Button

The clone/duplicate button location varies by interface:

Document Detail Page: Top-right actions menu or toolbar
Documents List: Three-dot menu (⋮) in the document row
Document Editor: Actions dropdown or toolbar

Tip: Search for "Clone", "Duplicate", or "Copy" in the UI if you can't locate the button.

When to Clone Documents

Recurring Contracts with Same Structure

Monthly Service Agreements – Clone last month's contract for new month
Seasonal Contracts – Reuse Q4 contract structure for Q1
Subscription Renewals – Clone original agreement for renewals
Repeat Clients – Send similar contracts to returning customers

Creating Updated Versions

Price Changes – Clone contract and update pricing
Term Modifications – Clone and revise specific terms
Compliance Updates – Clone old version and update for new regulations
A/B Testing – Clone document and test different terms or wording

Re-Sending Expired or Incomplete Documents

Expired Deadlines – Clone expired document instead of extending deadline
Lost in Transit – Clone if recipient never received original
Cancelled Deals Revived – Clone old document when deal is back on
Incomplete Signatures – Clone partially signed document to restart process

Cloning vs Creating Templates

When to Use Cloning

One-Time Reuse – Need to reuse a document once or twice
Quick Duplication – Fastest way to replicate a specific document
Custom Documents – Document is unique and doesn't need to be a permanent template
Experimental – Testing a document structure before making it a template
No Template Permission – Free plan users who've reached template limits

When to Create Templates Instead

Frequent Reuse – Document will be used repeatedly (5+ times)
Standardization – Need consistent document structure across team
Team Collaboration – Multiple team members use the same document
Library Organization – Want documents organized in template library
Pre-filled Fields – Template can have default values for fields

Comparison: Clone vs Template

Cloning:
- ✅ Fast one-time duplication
- ✅ Creates independent document immediately
- ✅ Available on all plans
- ❌ Not reusable as template
- ❌ No central management
Templates:
- ✅ Reusable for unlimited documents
- ✅ Organized in template library
- ✅ Team sharing (Agency plan)
- ❌ Requires template creation step
- ❌ Free plan has template limits (unlimited templates available on all plans)

Best Practice: Clone once or twice, then convert to template if you need to reuse frequently.

Managing Cloned Documents

Naming Cloned Documents

BreezeDoc automatically appends "(Clone)" to the title. Best practices for renaming:

Remove "(Clone)": Edit title to remove suffix for cleaner naming
Add Date: "Service Agreement - January 2024" (for monthly contracts)
Add Recipient Name: "NDA - Acme Corp" (for per-client documents)
Version Number: "Contract v2.0" (for updated versions)
Purpose Indicator: "Q1 Partnership Agreement" (for time-based docs)

Organizing Cloned Documents

Consistent Naming: Use predictable naming conventions for easy searching
Folders/Tags: Use any available organization features (if BreezeDoc adds them)
Search Filters: Use search and filters to find related clones
Delete Old Clones: Archive or delete unused clones to reduce clutter

Tracking Clone Relationships

BreezeDoc doesn't automatically link clones to originals. To track relationships:

Naming Convention: Include reference to original ("Original Contract - Clone 1")
Notes: Add internal notes referencing the source document
External Tracking: Maintain spreadsheet tracking document relationships
Version Numbers: Use version numbering for updated clones

Editing Cloned Documents

Common Edits After Cloning

Update Title – Remove "(Clone)" and add descriptive name
Enter Recipient Emails – Fill in email addresses for new recipients
Update Field Values – If template has pre-filled text fields, update them
Adjust Expiration Date – Set new deadline appropriate for this instance
Modify Terms – Update pricing, dates, or other variable content
Add/Remove Fields – Adjust fields if structure needs to change
Update Redirect URL – Change custom redirect if needed (Pro/Agency)

Field Preservation

Cloned fields maintain all properties:

Positions: Fields remain in exact same locations
Sizes: Width and height are preserved
Required Status: Required/optional settings maintained
Party Assignment: Fields assigned to correct parties
Validation Rules: Any validation settings are copied

Tip: After cloning, review all fields to ensure they're still appropriate for the new use case.

Cloning Best Practices

Before Cloning

Verify Source Document: Ensure original is correct before cloning
Clean Up Original: Remove any test fields or errors from source
Update Original First: Make improvements to original before cloning
Consider Template: If cloning frequently, create a template instead

After Cloning

Rename Immediately: Change title from "Document Name (Clone)" to descriptive name
Update All Variables: Review and update dates, prices, names, etc.
Check Fields: Verify all fields are correct for new recipient
Test Send: Send to yourself first to verify everything works
Set Expiration: Don't forget to set new deadline if applicable

Organization and Maintenance

Delete Unused Clones: Remove draft clones you didn't end up sending
Consistent Naming: Use systematic naming for easier tracking
Document Source: Note which document was cloned in title or notes
Version Control: If cloning for versions, use clear version indicators

Efficiency Tips

Clone Before Sending: If you'll need to send multiple similar documents, clone the draft instead of cloning after sending
Batch Cloning: Clone once, then clone the clone for rapid multi-instance creation
Template Conversion: After 3-5 clones, convert to template for efficiency
Keep Master Copy: Maintain one "master" document that you always clone from

Common Cloning Scenarios

Monthly Recurring Contract

Clone previous month's service agreement.
Update title: "Service Agreement - March 2024".
Update dates in text fields (if any).
Keep same recipient (or update email if client changed).
Set new 30-day expiration date.
Send to client.

Same Contract for Multiple Vendors

Create vendor agreement document.
Clone for each vendor (Vendor A, Vendor B, Vendor C).
Rename each clone: "Vendor Agreement - Acme Corp", "Vendor Agreement - BizCo".
Enter each vendor's email address.
Update any vendor-specific terms.
Send all clones to respective vendors.

Creating Updated Contract Version

Clone original contract.
Rename: "Service Agreement v2.0".
Update pricing or terms in the PDF or fields.
Keep recipient structure the same.
Send updated version to new clients going forward.
Keep original version for historical reference.

Re-Sending Expired Document

Find expired document in documents list.
Clone the expired document.
Rename to indicate new attempt: "NDA - Acme Corp (Renewed)".
Set new expiration date (e.g., 14 days from today).
Same recipient email (or update if changed).
Send the cloned document.

Troubleshooting

Issue: Cannot find the Clone button

Fix: Check the Actions menu (three dots ⋮) in the document detail page or documents list. Look for "Duplicate", "Copy", or "Clone" options. Try opening the document first, then looking for the button in the toolbar. Ensure you have view access to the document (can't clone documents you can't view). If still not visible, try refreshing the page or clearing browser cache. Clone feature is available on all plans, so it should be accessible.

Issue: Cloned document is missing some fields

Fix: This shouldn't happen – cloning copies all fields. If fields are missing, verify the original document has those fields. Check if fields are on different pages (scroll through all pages). Try cloning again – it may have been a temporary glitch. If issue persists, the original document may be corrupted – try creating a new document and re-adding fields. Contact support if fields consistently disappear after cloning.

Issue: Cloned document has wrong recipient emails

Fix: By design, BreezeDoc clears recipient email addresses during cloning (to prevent accidentally emailing wrong people). You must manually enter new recipient emails after cloning. Open the cloned document ➜ Recipients section ➜ enter email addresses ➜ Save. This is intentional behavior to ensure you consciously choose new recipients.

Issue: Cloning a template creates a document, not another template

Fix: This is expected behavior. Cloning a template creates a new document (not a new template). To create another template, use the "Save as Template" feature from the document editor. If you want a duplicate template, create document from original template, then save that document as a new template.

Issue: Cloned document shows completed status or signatures

Fix: This should not happen – cloning removes all signatures and completion data. If clone shows as completed or has signatures, there may be a bug. Verify you're looking at the clone (not the original) by checking the title for "(Clone)" suffix. Check the document's created_at date – clones should have a recent creation date. If clone truly has completion data, contact BreezeDoc support as this is a bug.

Issue: Need to clone a document I don't own (team document)

Fix: You can clone team documents if you have viewer, editor, or owner role. Open the team document ➜ Clone. The clone is created under your personal documents (not team documents) by default. If you want the clone to be a team document, you may need to share it with the team after cloning. Check team permissions if clone button is not visible.

FAQ

Q: Is document cloning available on the Free plan?

A: Yes! Document cloning is available on all BreezeDoc plans including Free, Pro, and Agency.

Q: Can I clone a document that someone else created?

A: You can clone documents you have access to view. For team documents, viewer, editor, and owner roles can clone. For personal documents, you can only clone your own documents unless they're shared with you.

Q: Does cloning count toward my monthly document limit?

A: Creating a clone counts as creating a new document. However, the clone is a draft until sent – sending the clone counts toward your monthly document limit (not the cloning action itself).

Q: Can I clone a document multiple times?

A: Yes, you can clone the same document as many times as needed. Each clone is an independent new document.

Q: What happens to the original document when I clone it?

A: Nothing. The original document remains unchanged and independent. Cloning creates a copy without affecting the source.

Q: Can I clone a partially signed document?

A: Yes, but the clone will NOT include the signatures – it starts as a fresh, unsent document with empty fields. Use cloning to restart a signing process with new recipients.

Need more help? Contact our support team – we are here to help!