How to Duplicate or Copy a Card in Basecamp

You set up a card the way you like it. Title, notes, the right assignee, a due date, maybe a few comments laying out the steps. Then you need the same card again next week, or ten more like it for a recurring process. So you go looking for the option to copy it, and it isn’t there. The short, honest answer to “how do I do a Basecamp duplicate card” is that Basecamp has no native one-click way to duplicate or copy a card. There’s no right-click “Duplicate”, no clone button on the card itself.

That doesn’t mean you’re stuck recreating everything from memory. There are a few real workarounds depending on whether you need one card, a repeating card, or a whole reusable board. This post walks through each one and tells you which fits your situation.

Does Basecamp have a duplicate card button?

No. As of Basecamp 5, neither a card table card nor a to-do has a built-in duplicate or copy action. You can’t select a card and clone it, and you can’t copy a card from one column or project into another in a single click.

This trips people up because Basecamp does have a few things nearby that sound like they’d help:

• Card tables are real. Basecamp’s kanban-style tool with columns lives inside projects. But a card inside one has no duplicate option.
• Project templates are real. You can save a whole project as a template and spin up new projects from it. That copies card tables and to-do lists wholesale, but it works at the project level, not the single-card level.
• Move exists, but it’s not copy. You can drag a card between columns, and in some cases move work around, but moving relocates the original. It doesn’t leave a copy behind.

So the gap is specifically single-card or single-to-do duplication. Here’s how to work around it.

Workaround 1: Recreate the card by hand (copy the text)

For a one-off, this is the fastest path, and it’s less painful than it sounds if you copy the text instead of retyping it.

1. Open the card you want to duplicate.
2. Select the card’s notes or description and copy it (Cmd/Ctrl + C).
3. Create a new card in the same column or to-do.
4. Paste the text into the new card’s notes.
5. Re-add the assignee, due date, and any color or label by hand.

The catch worth knowing up front: copying the text brings over the body, but it does not carry the assignee, due date, comments, or attachments. Those are attached to the original card, not the text, so you set them again on the copy. For a single card that’s a minute of work. For twenty cards, it’s a slog, which is why the next two workarounds exist.

This same approach works for a to-do you want to recreate. Open the to-do, copy its notes, make a new to-do, paste. A Basecamp duplicate todo is the same manual move as a card.

Workaround 2: Use a project template for repeating work

If what you actually want is the same set of cards or lists every time you start a similar project, you don’t want to copy one card at a time. You want a template.

Basecamp lets you save a project as a template, including its card tables and to-do lists. When you create a new project from that template, the whole structure comes with it: the columns, the cards in them, the to-do lists, the items. It’s the closest thing Basecamp has to bulk card duplication, just scoped to a whole project rather than a single card.

To set one up:

1. Build a project the way you want every future one to look. Cards, lists, columns, all of it.
2. Save it as a template (Basecamp’s project menu has the option to create a template, or to save an existing project as one).
3. When you start similar work, create a new project from that template instead of from scratch.

This is the right tool when your repeating unit is a project (every client onboarding, every event, every sprint). It’s the wrong tool when your repeating unit is a single card inside a project you’re already in, because making a whole new project to get one card back is overkill. For a deeper walkthrough, see our guide on Basecamp templates and the card workarounds around them.

Workaround 3: Keep a “master” card or list to copy from

A middle ground that a lot of teams settle on: keep one reference card (or a small reference list) that holds your standard setup, and copy its text into a fresh card whenever you need a new one.

Say every new bug report should have the same five-line structure. Make one card called Bug template, write the structure into its notes, and leave it parked in a column. Each time a real bug comes in, you copy that card’s text into a new card and fill in the specifics. It’s still manual, but you never have to remember the format, and you’re copying from a known-good source instead of an old card that might have stale details.

This pairs well with card tables that already use a clear column setup. If you’re not deep into card tables yet, our complete guide to Basecamp card tables covers how columns and cards behave, and card table vs to-do list helps you decide which one your repeating work even belongs in.

What about recreating a card across projects?

Moving structure between projects is where people most want a copy button, and it’s where Basecamp is thinnest. There’s no native “copy this card to that project.” Your options are the same three above:

• One card: copy the text, make a new card in the other project, re-add the details.
• A whole set: if both projects should share the same structure, a project template is cleaner than copying cards one by one.
• An ongoing reference: keep a master card in each project that holds the standard format.

None of these is a true clone. They’re the honest set of tools Basecamp actually gives you.

Can Assistant for Basecamp copy a card?

Yes. Assistant for Basecamp is our Chrome extension, and it adds the copy action Basecamp leaves out: bulk copy and move actions for Card Table cards. Select one card or many, then copy or move them across columns, across Card Tables, and across projects. Instead of recreating a card by hand, you copy the one you already built to wherever you need it.

It goes further than single cards. Pick “Duplicate this table” from a card table’s options menu and Assistant clones the entire table: columns, every card, comments, attachments, original authors, and timestamps, with live progress you can pause and resume. The card table duplication page covers every mode: copy a table, copy a column, or move a column, within a project or across projects.

That’s the direct answer to “duplicate a card in Basecamp”: Basecamp won’t, but the extension will. And because Assistant also makes cards carry more, a copied card brings real structure with it. On cards and to-dos it adds custom fields with colored badges, tags, and reusable statuses, none of which Basecamp has natively, so your standard fields travel as proper fields rather than text you paste around.

You can also lean on automations that react to Basecamp events or a field change to set a field, attach a tag, assign people, or post a comment. Between copy-and-move and automations, most “I need this card again” work stops being manual.

It’s $29/month or $290/year for unlimited seats, only one admin pays, and there’s a 7-day free trial with no credit card. If copying and moving cards across your projects is what you came for, that’s exactly what it adds. The custom fields help doc is a good place to start.

The short version

Basecamp has no native duplicate or copy card button, on cards or to-dos. With native tools only: for one card, copy the text and re-add the assignee, due date, and comments by hand; for repeating work, save the whole project as a template; for a standard format, keep a master card you copy from. If you want to actually copy cards instead of rebuilding them, Assistant for Basecamp adds bulk copy and move actions across columns, tables, and projects, plus fields, tags, and statuses so each copy carries real structure.