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Duplicate widgets and keep copies in sync

Copy a widget so the copies stay in sync, even on other desks, or make an independent copy that goes its own way.

All plansUpdated

You can copy a widget in two ways:

  • A synced copy shares its content, title and colour with the original. Change one and every copy follows, even copies on other desks.
  • An independent copy is a snapshot of the widget as it is now. After that, the original and the copy never affect each other.

Synced copies let one brief, checklist or status note live on every desk that needs it, without copying changes by hand.

Before you start

  • Every plan includes this.
  • Most of these actions are in the widget's right-click menu. Right-click the widget's title bar, the strip along its top, and open Advanced. The exceptions are Bring a synced widget…, which is in the tool rail's Add widget menu, and the copy button on the toolbar that appears when you select widgets.

What stays in sync

  • Content, title and colour are shared by every copy. Edit the text, rename it or recolour it, and the other copies change too.
  • Position and size belong to each copy. Moving or resizing one copy leaves the others where they are.
  • Copies on the same desk update straight away. Copies on other desks show the change when you open that desk.
  • Archiving or deleting one copy leaves the other copies in place, with their content.
  • A synced copy shows a small link icon before its name in the title bar. Point at it for a reminder of what is shared.

Duplicate a widget on the same desk

  1. Right-click the widget's title bar.
  2. Choose Advanced, then one of:
    • Duplicate (keep synced) for a synced copy.
    • Duplicate (independent copy) for a copy of its own.

The copy appears just below and to the right of the original, at the same size and colour. With Duplicate (keep synced), the original becomes a synced copy too, and both show the link icon.

Duplicate (independent copy) always makes an independent copy, even of a widget that is already synced.

A Section widget Coming soon has its own right-click menu on its coloured name tag. Its Duplicate (empty) adds a new, empty section with the same colour; the widgets inside stay in the original.

Put a synced copy on another desk

There are three ways to get a copy of a widget onto a different desk.

Bring a synced widget onto this desk

Use this when the copy should go on a desk you already have.

  1. Open the desk where you want the copy.
  2. Point at the tool rail on the right of the desk to open it, then click Add widget.
  3. At the bottom of the menu, under From elsewhere, click Bring a synced widget…. If you have typed in the menu's search box, clear it to see this option.
  4. In Bring a synced widget, click the desk to copy from. A desk in a room shows the room's name on the right. Type in Search tasks… to find a desk by name.
  5. Under Pick a widget from and the desk's name, click the widget you want.

The synced copy lands on your desk straight away. To choose a different desk before picking, click the back arrow. To close without bringing anything, press Esc or click outside the window.

  • The list also shows tasks. A task with no widgets of its own shows No bringable widgets on that task.
  • Some widgets are not listed: sections, widgets inside a section, and widgets pinned to the screen.
  • A widget marked already synced has copies somewhere. The new copy joins them, so every copy stays in step.
  • If Add widget is missing from the tool rail, the rail may have been dragged to the top or bottom edge, where it becomes a compact strip without that button. Double-click an empty part of the rail to put it back on the right. See The tool rail on the right of a desk.

Copy a widget onto a new desk

Right-click the widget's title bar and choose Advanced > Make this a Desk... or Advanced > Duplicate into another Room / Desk.... Both open the Make this a desk dialog. Choose As a new desk, pick a room, leave Copy this widget into the new desk ticked, and choose Keep in sync (live) or Independent copy (point-in-time). The copy goes onto a new desk in that room. See Turn a widget into its own desk.

Gather widgets from several desks into a new desk

Assemble a desk in Brain searches your workspace for widgets, lets you collect the ones you want, and opens a new desk that holds them all. Keep synced across desks is ticked to start with, so the widgets arrive as synced copies; untick it for independent copies. See Assemble a desk Coming soon.

Make a synced copy independent

  1. Right-click the title bar of the copy you want to separate.
  2. Choose Advanced > Unlink from synced copies.

That copy keeps its current content and stops following the others. Its link icon disappears. Unlink from synced copies appears only on widgets that are synced.

Unlinking changes only the copy you right-clicked. Any other copies stay synced with each other. To separate every copy, unlink each one.

Duplicate several widgets at once

  1. Select the widgets: hold Shift and click each one, or hold Shift and drag across an empty part of the canvas to draw a box around them.
  2. A small toolbar appears above the selection, showing how many are selected.
  3. Click the copy icon beside Group. Its tooltip reads Duplicate all selected.

Each widget gets an independent copy, placed slightly below and to the right of the original. The new copies become the selection, so you can drag them into place together. Widgets inside a section and widgets pinned to the screen are not part of a selection. See Select, move and arrange widgets.

Good ways to use synced copies

  • One brief on every desk for a project. Keep the goals or the client brief on each desk that works on it, and edit it once.
  • A shared checklist. Put the same launch checklist on the planning desk and the delivery desk, so both see the same state.
  • A status note. A sticky with this week's focus, synced onto each desk you open.
  • A starting point, not a link. Use an independent copy when a desk should start from a widget and then change it, such as a template.

Common questions

How can I tell which widgets are synced?

A synced copy shows a small link icon in its title bar, before its name. Point at the icon for a reminder of what is shared.

What happens to the copies if I delete the original?

They stay where they are, with their content. Deleting or archiving one copy never removes the others.

Do synced copies stay synced when I branch a desk from its history?

No. A desk you branch from Desk history gets independent copies of its widgets.

Can I put an independent copy on a desk I already have?

Yes. Open that desk and use Bring a synced widget… as above, then right-click the new copy and choose Advanced > Unlink from synced copies. If the original has no other copies, unlink it too, so neither shows the link icon.

I do not see Advanced in the right-click menu

If the widget is one of several selected widgets, the right-click menu shows actions for the whole selection. Press Esc or click an empty part of the canvas to clear the selection, then right-click the one widget again.

Still need help? Contact support at [email protected].