One powerful feature of Lingo is the ability to place assets in multiple kits. We often call this a reference or instance of the asset. A single asset in the library, placed into one or more kits. Most of the time this is the recommended approach so that any changes you make to the asset – renaming, edit tags, or update the file – will be reflected everywhere the asset is used. In some cases however, you may want to create a completely new copy of an Asset in your Library with its own metadata.

When to duplicate vs. reference

Reference the same Asset when:

You want the Asset to appear in multiple Kits
Changes should reflect everywhere
You're organizing the same content for different audiences

Duplicate when:

You need different metadata for different contexts
You want to modify one version without affecting others
You're creating variations of an Asset (e.g. different colors, sizes, or edits)

How to duplicate Assets in a Kit

Drag and drop (fastest)

While editing a Kit, hold Option and drag an Asset to a new position. The Asset is duplicated at the drop point, and a new independent Asset is added to your Library.

To duplicate with reference instead, hold Option + Command (Mac) or Option + Ctrl (Windows) while dragging. This creates another content block for the same Library Asset.

Duplicate action

Select one or more Assets in a Kit
Open the action menu
Choose Duplicate to create a new independent Asset, or Duplicate with reference to add another instance of the same Asset

"Copy to... action

Select the Asset in a Kit
Open the action menu and select Copy to...
Select Duplicate or Reference from the dropdown at the top of the modal
Choose which Kit you want to create the duplicate in
Confirm the duplication

Duplicating from the Library

You cannot currently duplicate an asset in the library but you can add it to kits by selecting "Add to" from the action menu.

What gets duplicated

When you duplicate an Asset (not referenced):

Copied: The file itself, name, notes
Copied: Tags and custom field values
Not copied: Kit placements (the duplicate will only exist in the Kits you put it in)
Not copied: View/download analytics (starts fresh)

Duplicating multiple Assets at once

You can use any of the duplication methods above with multiple assets selected.

Managing duplicates

After duplicating, you'll likely want to:

Rename: Change the name to distinguish it from the original
Replace the file or edit the color
Update metadata: Modify tags or custom fields for the new context
Add to Kits: Place the duplicate where it's needed

Storage considerations

Duplicated Assets count toward your storage quota since they're separate files. If storage is a concern, consider whether you truly need a duplicate or if referencing the same Asset would work. Duplicating with reference never uses extra storage.