> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abtestly.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Clone an experiment

> Duplicate an experiment as a fresh draft. Same setup, new salt, new key. Existing goals become shared.

Cloning an experiment gives you a fresh draft that starts identical to
the original, same variants, same targeting, same goals, with three
important differences.

## How to clone

From any experiment's detail page or from the row menu on the
experiments list, click **Clone** (or **Duplicate**). The dashboard
opens the new draft immediately so you can rename it and adjust before
starting.

## What is different in the clone

**New bucketing salt.** The clone gets its own random salt so
visitors are re-bucketed independently. A visitor who saw Variant B in
the original does not automatically see Variant B in the clone, they
are re-assigned from scratch.

**New experiment key code.** The `ABTESTLY_EXP_KEY` is regenerated so
`abtestly.activate('key')`, `onApply('key', …)`, and any code that
targets the original by key does not accidentally target the clone
too.

**Fresh status.** The clone starts as **Draft**, regardless of the
original's state.

## What carries over

* Every variant's JS, CSS, and weights.
* Traffic allocation and split.
* Locations and Audiences (references, not copies, see below).
* Activation mode and target selector.
* Goals attached (as shared references, see below).
* Schedule fields (start, end, max days) as **cleared**, so the clone
  is not immediately scheduled.

## Goals become shared

If the original had inline goals, goals defined only for that
experiment, cloning promotes them into the site's goal library and
attaches both experiments to the shared reference. The dashboard shows
a toast telling you this happened.

Editing the shared goal changes it for both experiments. If you want
one to diverge, **Clone to edit** the goal from the library, then
attach the copy to the experiment you want to differ.

## Mutual exclusion groups do not copy

If the original was a member of an
[exclusion group](/targeting/exclusion-groups), the clone is **not**
added to the group. Exclusion group membership is a deliberate,
intentional decision, cloning does not silently expand a group.

Add the clone to the group manually if that is what you want.

## When to clone

* **You want to run the "same test" on a different Audience.** Clone,
  swap the Audience, ship.
* **You want to re-run a paused winner on more traffic.** Clone the
  winner, bump allocation, ship.
* **You want to iterate a losing test with tweaks.** Clone, edit the
  variant, ship. The old data stays with the original.

## When *not* to clone

Cloning does not carry the original's data. If you want the results
page to keep counting the original's exposures under the tweaked
variant, do not clone, either **Reset data** on the original after
editing, or leave the original alone and read its results as-is.