How to make a copy of a document in Google Docs on Mac: browser steps

What you need before you start

Google Docs does not come as an app you install on a Mac for this job. You work in a web browser, and the File menu inside the document does the copying. The steps here work in the browser you already use on your Mac. Check the requirements first, so you do not stall halfway through.

• A Google account with access to the document.
• A web browser on your Mac. Google Docs runs in the browser, not in a standalone app.
• An access level that allows copying. The owner can restrict this, so check your role.
• Enough free Google storage for the new copy, because a copy counts toward your quota.

Make a copy in Google Docs on Mac from the File menu

This is the route most people use. Open the document, then look at the menu bar inside the Google Docs page, just below the document name. Do not use the File menu at the very top of your Mac screen. That menu belongs to your browser, and it will not show Make a copy.

Click File, then Make a copy. Google opens a small dialog with a name field, a location picker and a comments option. The name field starts with Copy of followed by the original name. Change it before you click OK, so you can tell the copy apart later.

Google's help page covers the name, location and comments options. The option to share the copy with the same people comes from Workona, a third-party guide. Your dialog may label things a little differently, so read each field before you click OK.

Make a copy from Google Drive without opening the document

Use this route when you already know which file you want. Go to drive.google.com/home in your browser and find the file in the list. Right-click the file, or click the three-dot menu on its row, then choose Make a copy. The same dialog opens with the same fields.

Copy a document someone shared with you

You can copy a file that someone shared with you, if the owner allows copying for your access level. The copy belongs to you. Google's storage help says the copy uses your storage quota, not the owner's. The original still counts toward the owner's quota.

Keep an eye on your own storage when you copy large shared files. If a team makes many copies of one long report, the space adds up quickly. Check your storage in Drive before you start a batch.

Decide what happens to comments and suggestions

The option called Copy comments and suggestions surprises people. When it is on, the comments and suggestions in the original come along to the new file. When you also tick the sub-option for resolved items, the closed threads come along too. Turn the option off when you want a clean starting point.

When to keep comments and when to leave them out

• Keep them when a reviewer is partway through and you want their notes in the new file.
• Keep resolved items only when the history matters, such as a review trail you must preserve.
• Leave them out for a template, a new client draft, or any file that goes to people who should not see internal notes.

Why Make a copy is missing or greyed out

Sometimes the option is not there. Google's help pages list no error message for this, so the cause below comes from secondary sources. The likely cause is a restriction the owner set. The owner opens the Share menu, clicks Settings, and checks the options under People who can download, copy, print, and access.

If the file sits in a shared folder, the folder's permissions take priority over the file's download settings. In that case the owner has to change the folder, not only the file. Changing the file alone will not fix it.

Keyboard shortcuts for Google Docs on Mac

Google's Mac shortcut page lists no shortcut for Make a copy. You can still keep your hands on the keyboard for most of the route. Press Control, Option and F together to open the File menu. Then use the trackpad to pick Make a copy.

• ⌃⌥F opens the File menu in Google Docs.
• ⌘C copies selected text from the original.
• ⌘V pastes it into another document.
• ⌘⇧V pastes without formatting, which keeps your new file clean.
• ⌥/ opens the tool finder, a search box for menus and tools.
• ⌘/ shows the full shortcut list inside Google Docs.

Work on the copy offline on Mac

Offline access has its own rules. Google's offline help says offline Google Docs needs Chrome or Microsoft Edge. Safari is not on that list. You turn on offline access in Drive settings, then add the Google Docs Offline extension.

Set this up while you have a stable connection, not at the airport. Then test it by turning off Wi-Fi and opening the copy. A setup you have never tested is a setup that fails at the worst moment.

Mistakes people make when they copy a Google Doc

• Editing the original by mistake. Read the file name in the top left before you type.
• Saving the copy to the wrong folder. Pick the location before you click OK, not after.
• Sending old comments to a new group. Untick Copy comments and suggestions for a clean file.
• Sharing the copy with the same people without checking. Read the sharing before you send the link.
• Assuming every shared file can be copied. The owner decides, and folder rules can override the file.

Where Lazur fits in when you copy a doc

Lazur is a voice assistant that lives in the notch on your Mac. Hold ⌥ ⌘, which is Option and Command together, to ask about anything on screen. Lazur answers out loud. Ask where Make a copy is, and Lazur draws a circle and a label around it.

Lazur does not click for you. It shows you where things are, or it guides you one click at a time and waits for each click. You still choose the name, the folder and the comment setting.

Next steps after you make the copy

Rename the copy if you skipped that step, then check the folder and sharing. If you want to add a header or page numbers to the copy, the guides are ready: how to add a header and footer in Google Docs on Mac and how to add page numbers in Google Docs on Mac.

If you write by voice, the voice typing guide walks through the setup on Mac. For more on the app page, see AI assistant for Google Docs on Mac.