Duplicate Eloquent Models Cleanly with replicate()

Clone an existing Eloquent model instance into a new, unsaved model while resetting primary keys and timestamps.

When duplicating complex records (such as cloning an invoice, template, or draft post), copying individual attributes manually is error-prone.

The replicate() method creates a copy of an existing model instance, clearing primary keys and timestamp values automatically so it can be saved as a new database row.

Basic Cloning

use App\Models\Invoice;

$invoice = Invoice::find(1);

// Clones attributes into a new unsaved instance
$newInvoice = $invoice->replicate();
$newInvoice->invoice_number = 'INV-2026-002';
$newInvoice->save();

Excluding Specific Columns

Pass an array of attribute names to exclude them from the cloned model:

use App\Models\Post;

$post = Post::find(10);

// Duplicate the post, resetting view counts and publication status
$draft = $post->replicate([
    'slug',
    'views_count',
    'is_published',
    'published_at',
]);

$draft->title = 'Copy of ' . $post->title;
$draft->save();

Summary

• Clears the model primary key (id or custom key) and created_at / updated_at timestamps.
• Accepts an array of attribute exceptions to prevent sensitive or unique columns from copying.
• Returns a fresh, unsaved model instance ready for customization before calling save().