> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.encord.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Copy Ontologies

Copying an ontology allows you to make changes to the structure without affecting the projects that the original ontology is attached to.

```python theme={"dark"}

from encord import EncordUserClient

user_client: EncordUserClient = EncordUserClient.create_with_ssh_private_key(
    "<your_private_key>"
)

ontology = user_client.get_ontology("<ontology_hash>")
new_ontology = user_client.create_ontology(
    "copy ontology",
    description="<my ontology description>",
    structure=ontology.structure,
)
```