Troubleshooting Yoast Duplicate Post: Why Permissions Won't Save and How to Fix It

Many WordPress users rely on the Yoast Duplicate Post plugin to streamline their content creation workflow. However, a common and frustrating issue occurs when the plugin's permission settings refuse to save. You check the boxes for the desired roles, click "Save Changes," see the confirmation message, but upon reloading the page, all your selections have reverted. This guide will explain why this happens and walk you through the most effective solutions.

Why Are My Duplicate Post Permission Settings Not Saving?

Based on community reports and troubleshooting threads, this problem can stem from several different causes. The most common culprits are:

• Plugin or Theme Conflicts: Another plugin, especially those managing user roles (like Advanced Access Manager or User Role Editor) or multilingual content (like Polylang), can interfere with how Duplicate Post saves its settings.
• Missing User Capabilities: On WordPress Multisite installations, a regular Administrator may lack the necessary user capability (edit_users) to change these settings, a privilege typically reserved for Super Admins.
• Custom Role Requirements: For a custom user role to appear in the "Roles allowed to copy" list, it must have the edit_posts capability (or the equivalent custom capability for custom post types). Furthermore, the role must explicitly be granted the copy_posts capability to function properly.
• Database Issues: In rare cases, the option that stores these settings (duplicate_post_copy_user_level) in the database could become corrupted.

How to Fix Permission Saving Issues in Yoast Duplicate Post

Follow these troubleshooting steps to identify and resolve the problem.

Step 1: Perform a Conflict Check

This is the most critical step. A conflict with another plugin or your theme is the most likely cause.

1. Deactivate all other plugins except for Yoast Duplicate Post.
2. Switch your theme to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
3. Now try to change and save the permission settings again. If they save correctly, you know a conflict exists.
4. Reactivate your plugins one by one, checking the Duplicate Post settings after each activation. When the settings stop saving, you've found the conflicting plugin.
5. If the issue persists with only Duplicate Post and a default theme active, move to the next step.

Step 2: Check User Capabilities (Especially for Multisite)

If you are running a WordPress Multisite network, a regular Administrator role cannot save these settings by default. The capability required (edit_users) is typically only given to Super Admins.

Solution: You must be logged in as a Super Admin to modify the permissions on a Multisite installation.

Step 3: Verify Custom Role Capabilities

If a custom role is not appearing in the list or cannot save settings, you need to verify its capabilities using a plugin like User Role Editor.

1. Ensure the custom role has the edit_posts capability (or the specific edit_{post_type} capability for your custom post type).
2. Explicitly grant the custom role the copy_posts capability. This is the core capability that the Duplicate Post plugin uses.

Step 4: Review the Database (Advanced)

For users comfortable with database management tools like phpMyAdmin, you can check if the duplicate_post_copy_user_level option exists in your wp_options table (the prefix may be different for your site). Its presence indicates the settings are stored, and its value should change when you save new permissions. If this option is missing or corrupted, it could cause issues, though this is rare.

Conclusion

The inability to save permissions in Yoast Duplicate Post is almost always due to an external conflict or a user capability issue. Methodically working through a conflict check is the fastest way to identify the problem. For Multisite users, remember that only Super Admins can adjust these settings. For those using custom roles, always double-check that the necessary edit_posts and copy_posts capabilities are assigned.