Introduction

In SharePoint Online, managing data across multiple teams or projects often requires using lists with consistent structure and formatting. Instead of manually recreating each list, SharePoint provides a feature called “Create list from existing list”, which allows you to quickly generate a new empty list based on an existing one.

This feature copies the columns, views, and formatting from the source list, so you can maintain consistency and standardization across your site. The new list will be empty, allowing you to start fresh while keeping the same structure as the original list.

Step 1 — Go to the Site Where You Want the New List

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Step 2 — Open the “New List” Panel

  1. From the site’s home page or Site contents, click New → List.

  2. In the list creation panel, choose From existing list.

You’ll see three options:

Blank list

From existing list ← this is what we want

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Step 3 — Select the Existing List

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Step 4 — Create the list

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Step 5 — Done — New List Is Created!

Your new list will now appear under Site contents and has:

✅ All the original columns ✅ All the original views ✅ All the original list formatting

But it will NOT contain any items — it’s a blank copy of the structure.

❗ Things to Know

FeatureCopied?
Columns✅
Views✅
Column formatting✅
Items (data)❌
Permissions❌ (inherits site permissions)
Workflows/automations❌

If you want, I can also walk you through a quick Power Automate flow to copy the data from the original list into the new one — useful when you want a full copy including items.

Conclusion

⚠️ Note: This method does not copy list items or workflows; it only replicates the structure and formatting of the original list.