diff --git a/packages/app-core/src/ui/App/ViewMenu.tsx b/packages/app-core/src/ui/App/ViewMenu.tsx
index 28c5d575ee..87800aace0 100644
--- a/packages/app-core/src/ui/App/ViewMenu.tsx
+++ b/packages/app-core/src/ui/App/ViewMenu.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   usePopupState,
 } from 'material-ui-popup-state/hooks'
 import { observer } from 'mobx-react'
+import { getSnapshot } from 'mobx-state-tree'
 
 import type { IBaseViewModel } from '@jbrowse/core/pluggableElementTypes/models'
 import type { AbstractSessionModel } from '@jbrowse/core/util'
@@ -108,6 +109,13 @@ const ViewMenu = observer(function ({
                 },
               ]
             : []),
+          {
+            label: 'Copy view',
+            onClick: () => {
+              const { id, ...rest } = getSnapshot(model)
+              session.addView(model.type, rest)
+            },
+          },
           ...model.menuItems(),
         ]}
         popupState={popupState}
diff --git a/packages/app-core/src/ui/App/ViewPanel.tsx b/packages/app-core/src/ui/App/ViewPanel.tsx
index c10cdd7e44..02c46c1b29 100644
--- a/packages/app-core/src/ui/App/ViewPanel.tsx
+++ b/packages/app-core/src/ui/App/ViewPanel.tsx
@@ -51,9 +51,7 @@ const ViewPanel = observer(function ({
             <ReactComponent model={view} session={session} />
           </Suspense>
         </ErrorBoundary>
-      ) : (
-        false
-      )}
+      ) : null}
     </ViewContainer>
   )
 })
diff --git a/packages/core/pluggableElementTypes/models/BaseViewModel.ts b/packages/core/pluggableElementTypes/models/BaseViewModel.ts
index ef12710158..6e3c80ed3c 100644
--- a/packages/core/pluggableElementTypes/models/BaseViewModel.ts
+++ b/packages/core/pluggableElementTypes/models/BaseViewModel.ts
@@ -74,7 +74,9 @@ const BaseViewModel = types
 
 export default BaseViewModel
 
-export type IBaseViewModel = Instance<typeof BaseViewModel>
+// the base view does not have type but any derived type needs to add type, so
+// just add it here
+export type IBaseViewModel = Instance<typeof BaseViewModel> & { type: string }
 
 export const BaseViewModelWithDisplayedRegions = BaseViewModel.props({
   displayedRegions: types.array(Region),