How to copy friends meal in MyFitnessPal

Over 50% of MyFitnessPal users report that accountability from friends and family helps them stay on track with their health goals. Copying a friend's meal in MyFitnessPal is a fantastic feature for those who eat similar meals and want to save time while staying synchronized on their nutritional intake. This guide will walk you through the process, ensuring you can quickly and efficiently log shared meals.

Quick Summary

A step-by-step guide explaining how to copy a meal from a friend's diary in MyFitnessPal. It details the necessary privacy settings adjustments for both the app and website versions, allowing users to streamline the food logging process for shared meals.

Key Points

• Enable Diary Sharing: Your friend must set their diary sharing to 'Friends Only' or 'Public' for you to access their meal logs.

• Use the Friends Menu: Access your friend's profile via the 'Friends' menu to view their diary.

• Copy from the Diary: Tap the three dots under the desired meal in their diary and select 'Copy to Date' to transfer it to your log.

• Use Quick Tools on the Web: On the MyFitnessPal website, use the 'Quick Tools' function under a meal in your friend's diary to copy it.

• Save as Your Own Meal: After copying, save the meal to your personal 'My Meals' list for even quicker future logging.

• No Direct Recipe Sharing: Remember that you can only copy meals that have been logged to the diary, not recipes directly from a friend's recipe list.

Prerequisites: Friend's Privacy Settings

Before you can copy a friend's meal, they must first allow their diary to be visible to friends. If they have not done this, you will not be able to see or copy their entries. This is a crucial first step that must be completed by your friend.

How to adjust Diary Sharing settings on a mobile app

1. Open the MyFitnessPal app. Go to the 'More' menu, which is usually found in the bottom right corner.
2. Navigate to Privacy. Tap on 'Settings', then 'Privacy Center', and finally 'Sharing & Privacy'.
3. Adjust 'Diary Sharing'. Select 'Friends Only' from the options. This setting ensures that only people on their friend list can see their diary, making it possible for you to view and copy their meals. Your friend must save these changes for the settings to take effect.

How to adjust Diary Sharing settings on the website

1. Log in to the MyFitnessPal website. Navigate to the settings section.
2. Access Diary Settings. Click 'My Home', then 'Settings', and finally 'Diary Settings'.
3. Set Privacy to 'Friends Only'. Select 'Friends Only' or 'Public' (if comfortable) and click 'Save Changes'.

Step-by-step guide to copy a friend's meal (Mobile App)

Assuming your friend has adjusted their privacy settings, follow these steps to copy their meal into your diary:

1. Go to the 'Friends' menu. In the MyFitnessPal app, tap the 'More' menu and select 'Friends'.
2. Find your friend. Tap on your friend's name from your friends list.
3. Access their diary. Tap on the diary icon (which looks like a book) next to their name to view their food log.
4. Locate and copy the meal. Find the specific meal you want to copy. Tap the three dots (...) under the meal heading (e.g., 'Breakfast').
5. Select 'Copy to Date'. A pop-up menu will appear. Tap 'Copy to Date'.
6. Choose the destination. Select the date you want to copy the meal to and choose the appropriate meal slot (e.g., Lunch).

Step-by-step guide to copy a friend's meal (Website)

For those using the web version, the process is slightly different but just as straightforward:

1. Visit your friend's profile. Go to 'My Home' > 'Friends' and click on their name.
2. View their diary. Click the 'View Diary' link on their profile page.
3. Use 'Quick Tools'. Find the meal you want to copy. Click the 'Quick Tools' link located under the meal entry.
4. Copy the meal. A menu will appear. Choose either 'Copy to Today' or 'Copy to Date' and follow the prompts to complete the process.

Saving the meal for future use

After copying a friend's meal, you can save it as your own custom meal for even faster logging in the future. This is especially useful for meals you and your friend eat frequently.

How to save a meal on the mobile app

1. Go to your diary. After copying the meal, go to your food diary for the day.
2. Edit the meal entry. Tap the pencil icon next to the meal you want to save.
3. Select the items. Use the checkboxes to select all the items within the meal you want to save.
4. Tap the 'Save Meal' icon. This icon looks like a fork and knife with a plus symbol. Give your meal a name and save it.

How to save a meal on the website

1. View your food diary. Find the meal you have just copied.
2. Click 'Quick Tools'. Under the meal entry, click 'Quick Tools'.
3. Choose 'Remember Meal'. Give your meal a name and save it.

Comparison: Copying vs. Creating a New Recipe

Feature	Copying a Meal from a Friend	Creating a New Recipe
Process	Quick, simple. Requires friend's privacy settings to be set to 'Friends Only'.	More involved, requires manual entry or web import.
Time Saving	Significant. Instant logging of multiple items.	Can be time-consuming for initial setup, but saves time later.
Flexibility	Limited. Can only copy what is already logged.	High. Allows for detailed customization of ingredients and serving sizes.
Use Case	Best for shared meals where ingredients and proportions are identical.	Best for complex, homemade dishes or when a friend's portion differs from yours.

Conclusion

Copying a friend's meal in MyFitnessPal is a simple yet powerful feature that can streamline your food logging, especially when you share meals. The process is straightforward across both the mobile app and website, provided your friend has their diary sharing settings configured correctly. For regular shared meals, consider saving the copied entry as a custom meal to save even more time. While copying is excellent for identical meals, remember the option to create your own recipe for more complex or varied dishes.

MyFitnessPal Help. “Can I copy meals from my friends?”. August 6, 2025. https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032274452-Can-I-copy-meals-from-my-friends

How to copy friends meal in MyFitnessPal FAQ

Q: Why can't I see my friend's diary to copy their meal? A: Your friend likely has their diary sharing settings set to 'Locked' or 'Private'. They will need to change this to 'Friends Only' or 'Public' for you to be able to view and copy their meals.

Q: Can I copy a single food item from a friend's meal? A: When copying a meal, you copy the entire entry. However, once it's in your diary, you can edit it to remove any items you didn't eat or adjust the serving sizes accordingly. You can also save a specific meal as your own if you regularly share only part of a meal.

Q: Is there a way to copy a meal from a friend who isn't on MyFitnessPal? A: No, you can only copy meals from your MyFitnessPal friends whose diary sharing settings permit it. For non-app users, you'll have to get the meal information and log it manually.

Q: Can I copy a recipe directly from a friend's recipe list? A: No, MyFitnessPal does not currently allow for directly copying a recipe from another user's recipe list. You must copy the meal once it has been logged to their food diary.

Q: Can my friend copy my meals too? A: Yes, if your diary sharing is also set to 'Friends Only' or 'Public', your friends will be able to view and copy meals from your diary using the same process.

Q: What is the benefit of saving a copied meal as my own? A: Saving a copied meal makes it a permanent part of your personal food library under 'My Meals'. This saves you from having to navigate to your friend's diary each time you eat the same meal, making future logging even quicker.

Q: How do I remove a copied meal if I made a mistake? A: Just like any other entry, you can simply delete the meal from your food diary. On the mobile app, you can swipe left on the meal to delete it, or use the edit function to remove specific items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I copy meals from a friend's diary on the MyFitnessPal app?

Yes, you can copy a friend's meal from their diary on the MyFitnessPal app, provided they have set their diary sharing to 'Friends Only' or 'Public'.

What is the first step to enable meal copying from a friend?

The first step is for your friend to go to their settings and change their 'Diary Sharing' option to 'Friends Only'.

Can I copy a meal if my friend has a private diary?

No, if your friend's diary is set to 'Private' or 'Locked', you will not be able to view or copy their meal entries.

How do I save a copied meal for future use?

After copying the meal to your own diary, you can edit the entry and use the 'Save Meal' or 'Remember Meal' function to add it to your list of custom meals for quick logging later.

Is it possible to copy a recipe from a friend's recipe list directly?

No, MyFitnessPal does not currently have a feature to directly copy recipes from another user's recipe list. You must copy it from their daily food diary after they have logged it as a meal.

Can I copy a friend's meal on the MyFitnessPal website?

Yes, the process can also be done on the MyFitnessPal website by navigating to your friend's diary and using the 'Quick Tools' feature under the desired meal.

What if I only want to copy part of a friend's meal?

You can copy the entire meal and then go into your own food diary to edit the entry. From there, you can remove any food items you didn't eat or adjust the serving sizes accordingly.