Reusing & duplicating items
Reuse an item across the tree or into another project with a synchronized copy, or make an independent duplicate.
When you need the same record in more than one place, you have two distinct options — and the difference matters. Reuse creates a copy that stays connected to its source, so a change in one can propagate to the other. Duplicate creates an independent copy that goes its own way. Choose deliberately.
Reuse an item
Reuse is for sharing a record — a common requirement, a standard test, a shared component — across structures or projects without retyping it, while keeping the copies in step.
Before you start Know where the item should also appear, and whether you want the copy to stay synchronized with the source.
- Right-click the item you want to reuse and choose Reuse…
- Choose what travels with it: Stay here reuses the item alone; Downstream only brings its child items; Upstream only brings its parents. This controls how much of the surrounding structure comes along.
- Pick the destination — a folder or item in this project, or, for a shared record, another project.
- Decide whether the copy is synchronized with the source. A synchronized copy stays linked, so updates can be reflected in both places; an unsynchronized copy is a one-time placement.
- Confirm.
Result The item appears at the destination. If you kept it synchronized, both copies are marked as linked, and you can see the relationship on the item's reuse panel.
Note Reusing into another project requires access to that project. Synchronized reuse is how a single source of truth — a regulatory clause, a platform requirement, a reusable test — is shared across projects without drifting out of sync.
Duplicate an item
Duplicate is for starting from an existing record without any ongoing connection — a template-like starting point you’ll then edit freely.
- Right-click the item and choose Duplicate.
- Confirm the location for the copy.
- Edit the new item as needed — it's fully independent of the original.
Result A new, separate item is created. Changes to it do not affect the original, and changes to the original do not affect it.
Tip If you find yourself duplicating the same item again and again, it's usually a sign you want a synchronized reuse instead — or an item or document template. See Item & document templates.
Next
To rearrange what you’ve created, see Moving, renaming & deleting items.