Photoshop CS6 script for true copy and paste of layers like Illustrator, not Ctrl+J duplicate?

[Cole Slow]

In Clip Studio and Illustrator CS6 too, there’s a very convenient copy and paste function like Ctrl+C copies selected layers and folders to a clipboard, and Ctrl+V pastes them exactly in place. This is especially useful if I forget to save the original image. For example, I can copy the current state of a layer or group of layers with Ctrl+C, then go back to an earlier point in my workflow and paste the layers I’ve been working on, almost like a time machine. Photoshop CS6 doesn’t have this. Does anyone know of a script that can achieve the same thing?

[creative explorer]

@Cole Slow instead try, "Paste Special" menu with a "Paste in Place" command that you can access via the menu: Edit > Paste Special > Paste in Place. You'll notice the keyboard shortcut for this is Ctrl Shift V. This command is exactly what you are looking for.

[Conrad_C]

Just making sure, the question is about copying and pasting entire layers and layer groups (folder), not just selected pixels?

If so, and if no script can be found, the problem might be that CS6 doesn't have the internal code to support it.

I say that because copying and pasting layers and layer groups is totally supported in recent versions of Photoshop, such as Photoshop 2025. I do it all the time. I’m not sure when they added it, it might have been after CS6. And (in the versions where copy/paste layers is supported) Paste in Place works just as well with copied layers/layer groups as it does with copied pixel selections, so there’s no problem holding onto layers/layer groups on the Clipboard and pasting them in the same position any time later.

So one answer to the question is to use the current version of Photoshop.

[Jeff Arola]

I believe the copy/paste of multiple layer/groups was first introduced in Photoshop CC 2018.

If no one can come up with a script, you could right click on the selected layers and use Duplicate Layers to a new or already open document, though you'd have to do this while the original document is still open.

[Stephen Marsh]

Scripts from later versions may fail in CS6. The challenge may be finding someone with CS6 to script this.

You could learn the CS6 scripting DOM and or install the ScriptingListener plugin to record CS6 action manager specific code of the manual steps performed.

As suggested by @Jeff Arola - with the layers and sets selected, use the Layer > Duplicate Layers menu command to a new document, then go back to your earlier history step in the original document, then duplicate the layers back again from the duplicate doc to the original doc. This has the advantage of bypassing the clipboard. This can be semi-automated via an action, or fully automated via a script.