Map Cloning
Clone your maps or public maps created by other users. Cloning creates an independent copy that you can modify without affecting the original.
Why Clone a Map?
- Create backups before making major edits
- Replicate structure for similar projects (e.g., city guides for different cities)
- Experiment with different configurations without affecting the original
- Start from someone else's public map and customize it for your needs
How to Clone a Map
Cloning From Your Dashboard
- Go to your dashboard
- Find the map you want to clone
- Click the three-dot menu (...) on the map card
- Select "Clone Map"
- Wait for the cloning process to complete
- You'll be redirected to your new cloned map
Cloning a Public Map
- Browse the Explore page or open any public map
- Click the Clone button (if available)
- The map is copied to your account
- You can now edit it freely
Note: Only public maps can be cloned by other users. You can only clone your own private maps.
What Gets Cloned
When you clone a map, the following are copied:
Map Metadata:
- Title (with " (Clone)" appended)
- Description
- Country and city
- Slug (with "-clone-" and random ID appended)
- Map boundaries (southwest/northeast coordinates)
- Center point coordinates
- Zoom level
- Map style (streets/satellite/light/dark)
Locations:
- Location names
- Descriptions
- Latitude/longitude coordinates
- Category assignments (if categories exist)
- Hidden status
- Images
- Order
Categories:
- Category names
- Category colors
Privacy:
- Clones default to private regardless of the original map's visibility
- You must manually make the clone public if desired
What's NOT Cloned
These are never copied to clones:
- Views, likes, and engagement metrics (start at zero)
- Share links and embed codes (new ones are generated)
- Access tokens
- Analytics data
- Map ownership (you become the owner)
After Cloning
Your clone appears in your dashboard immediately. You'll typically want to:
- Rename it - Remove " (Clone)" suffix and give it a proper name
- Update the description - Modify for the new context
- Edit locations - Add, remove, or modify locations as needed
- Change privacy settings - Make public if desired
- Update the slug - Change from the auto-generated "-clone-" slug
Best Practices
Clone Before Major Changes
About to do bulk operations or major edits?
- Clone first as a backup
- Experiment on the clone
- Keep original untouched until you're happy with changes
- Delete the clone or the original once satisfied
Descriptive Naming
Instead of keeping "My Map (Clone)":
- "Seattle Restaurants 2026"
- "Austin Guide - Summer Edition"
- "Backup - Before Redesign (Jan 2026)"
Regular Backups
For important maps:
- Clone before major edits
- Keep dated backups: "My Map - Backup 2026-01-17"
- Delete old backups after confirming changes work
Respecting Public Map Creators
When cloning someone else's public map:
- Give credit if you share your clone publicly
- Make significant changes - don't just republish as-is
- Use as inspiration rather than copying exactly
Permissions & Limits
Who Can Clone
- Your own maps: You can clone any of your own maps (public or private)
- Public maps: Anyone can clone public maps
- Private maps: Only the owner can clone private maps
Subscription Limits
Free Plan:
- Maximum 10 maps total (including clones)
- Cloning counts toward your map limit
Pro Plan:
- Unlimited maps
- Unlimited cloning
What's NOT Available
Mapiry cloning does NOT support:
- Clone customization options - No UI to choose what to clone (everything is cloned)
- Selective location cloning - Can't filter which locations to clone
- Templates - No template system for reusable map structures
- Batch cloning - Can't create multiple clones at once
- Map families - No grouping of related maps
- Sync across clones - Clones are independent (no master/linked maps)
- Template export/import - No JSON/YAML template files
- Template library - No community templates
- Version control - No automatic versioning or restore
- Template variables - No placeholder customization
- Cross-account cloning - No team sharing features
- Clone attribution display - Doesn't show "Cloned from @username" on the map
- Disable cloning setting - Can't prevent others from cloning your public maps
Troubleshooting
Clone button not showing
- Make sure you're logged in
- Verify the map is public (or that you're the owner)
- Try refreshing the page
Clone failed
- Check your internet connection
- Verify you haven't exceeded your map limit (Free: 10 maps max)
- Try again in a few moments
- Contact support if the issue persists
Clone is missing locations
- This is a known issue with the current cloning implementation Note: There may be a bug with the cloning feature that could affect some maps. If you experience issues, please contact support.
- Try cloning again, or manually recreate the locations
Can't find my clone
- Check your dashboard (look for maps with "(Clone)" in the title)
- Use the search function
- Sort by "Recently Created"
- Verify the clone actually completed
What's Next?
- Creating Maps - Learn how to create maps from scratch
- Bulk Operations - Import multiple locations at once
- Map Discovery - Browse public maps to clone