SharePoint Online has no built-in way to copy a list with its items to a different site. These five steps use Clone Master to do it in minutes:
- Connect ShareMaster to your Microsoft 365 tenant.
- Open Clone Master and select the source site and list.
- Set the destination site (same tenant or a different Microsoft 365 tenant).
- Configure what to copy: items, attachments, views, column settings.
- Run the copy and verify the result in the destination site.
The sections below cover each step in detail, along with what copies cleanly and what requires a manual check after the job completes.
Why the Native SharePoint Options Fall Short
SharePoint Online offers three approaches that look relevant but each has a significant gap for this task.
Save as template captures the list schema: columns, views, content types. It does not include existing items. It works for deploying a blank structure across sites; it does not help when you need to move live data.
Export to Excel gives you the data in a spreadsheet but strips the list structure, attachments, and metadata that has no Excel equivalent. Reimporting requires recreating the list from scratch and remapping every column by hand.
Move to / Copy to is designed for files and folders in document libraries. It is not available for list items at all.
PnP PowerShell can copy list items programmatically, but scripting the schema transfer, attachment handling, and metadata preservation is a significant project. Clone Master automates all of it through a guided interface with no script writing required.
How to Copy a SharePoint List Using Clone Master
Step 1: Connect to your tenant
Open ShareMaster and select Clone Master from the left navigation. Click Connect and sign in with a Microsoft 365 account that holds site collection administrator rights on both the source and destination sites. If you are copying across Microsoft 365 tenants, you will authenticate to the destination tenant separately when you set the destination in step 3.
Step 2: Select the source site and list
Enter the URL of the source SharePoint Online site. Clone Master loads the full site structure. Expand the Lists node, select the list you want to copy, and review the summary: column count, item count, and number of saved views.
Step 3: Choose the destination site
Enter the destination site URL. This can be any modern SharePoint Online site: a team site, communication site, hub site, or a site in a completely different Microsoft 365 tenant. For cross-tenant copies, Clone Master will prompt you to sign in to the destination tenant before the job starts.
Step 4: Configure copy options
The options panel lets you control exactly what the copy includes:
- Items: copy all list items with their metadata values.
- Attachments: copy files attached to individual list items.
- Views: recreate saved views from the source list at the destination.
- Schema only: copy columns and settings without any items, for template deployment across multiple sites.
Step 5: Run the copy and verify
Click Copy. Clone Master processes items in batches and displays a live progress indicator showing items copied, skipped, and failed. When the job completes, open the destination site in a browser, navigate to the new list, and spot-check a sample of items to confirm metadata values arrived intact.
What Copies and What Needs a Manual Check
| Element | Copied automatically | Requires review after copy |
|---|---|---|
| Column definitions | Yes | |
| Item metadata values | Yes | |
| Item attachments | Yes (when enabled) | |
| Saved views | Yes | |
| Created and Modified dates | Yes | |
| Lookup column definitions | Yes | |
| Lookup column values | Partial | Verify values if the referenced list differs at the destination |
| Power Automate flows | No | Recreate flows at the destination manually |
| Item-level permissions | No | Reapply unique item permissions if required |
| List-level permissions | No | The new list inherits the destination site permissions |
Common Scenarios for List Copying
This operation comes up more often than you might expect. Three scenarios account for most requests:
Template list deployment. A project-tracking list built in one team site needs to be replicated across thirty divisional sites. Using schema-only copy, you deploy the structure once and send it everywhere. Items are not copied; each team starts fresh with the same columns and views.
Site restructuring. A flat site collection is being reorganised into hub-and-spoke structure. Several lists that lived on the root site need to move to dedicated team sites without losing historical item data. Clone Master handles the item transfer while preserving dates and metadata.
Cross-tenant merger. Two organisations are merging their Microsoft 365 environments. Task lists, register lists, and reference data lists need to arrive at the destination tenant intact. A full site migration handles the main content; individual list copies cover specific tables that live on shared hub sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I copy a SharePoint list to a different Microsoft 365 tenant?
Yes. Clone Master authenticates to both tenants independently. You enter the source site, set the destination site in the second tenant, authenticate when prompted, and run the copy in a single job. Both ends must be SharePoint Online.
What happens to lookup columns when copying a list?
The lookup column definition copies across, but the stored values depend on the referenced list at the destination. If the referenced list exists at the destination and contains items with matching IDs, values resolve correctly. In most cross-site copies the referenced list is different, so lookup values should be verified and remapped if necessary.
Can I copy just the list structure without its items?
Yes. Choose Schema only in the copy options. This transfers all columns, content types, and views without including any list items. It is the fastest path for deploying a standardised list across multiple sites.
Does the copy preserve the original created and modified dates?
Yes. Clone Master preserves the Created and Modified metadata on each item, so the history at the destination reflects when items were originally created rather than the date of the copy operation.
For larger migrations involving full sites rather than individual lists, see how to migrate a SharePoint site to another tenant or the guide to cross-tenant document library migration.