Home » Tip of The Day » Duplicating LayersDuplicating Layers November 5, 2015. Posted in: Tip Of The Day. To create a copy of the layer that is active, press Ctrl (Mac: Command ) J. After CS6, this shortcut also can work to duplicate groups. If you have a selection, doing this will duplicate the contents of the selection in a new layer! « Previous Photoshop Tip: | Next Photoshop Tip: » Sign-up for the PTC Newsletter so that you'll never miss a tutorial!. Your Email Address: