How to Duplicate a Selection in Edit Mode in Blender?

To duplicate a selection in Edit Mode in Blender, select the elements you want to copy and press Shift+D.

When working in Blender's Edit Mode (accessed by pressing Tab after selecting an object), you often need to duplicate specific parts of your mesh, such as vertices, edges, or faces. This is a fundamental operation for modeling.

Steps to Duplicate a Selection

Here's how you can easily duplicate selected mesh elements:

1. Enter Edit Mode: Select the object you want to edit in Object Mode, then press Tab to switch to Edit Mode.
2. Select Elements: Use the appropriate selection mode (Vertex, Edge, or Face, typically toggled with 1, 2, 3 on the number row) to select the vertices, edges, or faces you wish to duplicate. You can use tools like box select (B), circle select (C), or paint select (W) for multiple elements, or hold Shift while clicking to add to your selection.
3. Duplicate: With your elements selected, press the shortcut Shift+D.

Immediately after pressing Shift+D, a duplicate of your selection is created and will be attached to your cursor, allowing you to move it.

Moving and Placing the Duplicate

Once duplicated:

• You can move the duplicate freely with your mouse.
• Click the left mouse button (LMB) to place the duplicate at the current cursor location.
• Right-click the mouse button (RMB) or press Esc to cancel the move and leave the duplicate exactly on top of the original.

Making Multiple Copies

As stated in the reference, your new duplicate is selected. This is very convenient. If you need multiple copies of the same original selection, you don't need to re-select the original elements each time.

• After duplicating once with Shift+D and placing the first duplicate, simply press Shift+D again to duplicate the already selected duplicate.
• Repeat Shift+D as many times as needed to create multiple copies quickly. The copy of the copy is the same as the original.

Alternative Selection Method: Vertex Groups

While Shift+D handles the duplication itself, sometimes you might want to quickly select a specific set of vertices repeatedly for various operations (not just duplication). The reference suggests a useful method for this:

• In Edit Mode, with your desired vertices (or parts) selected, go to the Mesh Properties tab in the Properties editor (the green triangle icon).
• Under Vertex Groups, click the + button to create a new group.
• Click the Assign button to add the currently selected vertices to this group.
• Give the group a descriptive name by double-clicking it.

Later, you can quickly select these same vertices by choosing the group in the list and clicking the Select button. This doesn't duplicate, but it makes re-selecting the original set for future duplications or other edits much faster.