There are many reasons that you may need to compare two Microsoft Word Documents. Maybe you have ended up with two different versions of the same document due to simultaneously editing, or you work in the legal profession and are required to create a legal backline document.  For whatever reason, you have two or more Word Documents and don’t have the time (or the sanity) to manually compare them. In this post we will walk you through the best way to compare two Microsoft Word Documents, saving you a whole heap of time and frustration. It’s as easy as a click of a button! Comparing two Word DocumentsMicrosoft Word does have a built-in document comparison tool called ‘Compare’. The tool allows you to compare two Word Documents at once, highlighting any changes or differences between the two, leaving you to edit, approve and accept the changes. You may not want to merge the documents together if you are reviewing a contract and simply need to see what was changed between the two versions you can review this by following the first few steps below and not making any further changes. If you would like to merge the documents, follow the steps below and continue moving your approved changes across into a ‘Master File’. Before saving this as a new version.
Microsoft Word will now merge the two documents and highlight all changes on the revised document file. The original Copy will be shown, untouched. A third version will appear, this is your ‘Master Version’ and the file that will reflect any of the changes you accept or reject from the revised document. Looking for an easier way to compare Word Documents?You’re not alone, although Microsoft’s Word Compare is very assessable (already exists in your version of Microsoft Word) it’s clunky and not very user friendly. It’s overwhelming to see three versions of your document on the same screen, referring between the original document and revised document to see what changed. Because so many of us face this problem every day, there are now some pretty amazing, purpose-built tools out there to make comparing Word Documents a whole lot easier. Introducing Simul Docs, a tool built with easy document comparison, collaboration and version control in mind. It’s a simple, user-friendly tool that works seamlessly with your current version of Microsoft Word. Simply drag and drop your two documents into Simul and press ‘compare’ in the click of a button Simul will merge the two files and highlight any difference for you to accept or decline. Simul will also manage the version control side of things for you because sometimes you do need to refer back to an older version or you are required by law to keep these versions saved. By dropping a document into Simul, Simul will automatically give the document a version number such as 0.0.1. Then saving all future versions, in order without you even asking. When you compare two files and merge (optional) the together Simul would have not only saved the original and revised documents as separate versions but also give the new file a trackable number so you won’t save over a thing. If you are a legal professional, or someone that is often required to compare files using a purpose-built tool such as Simul Docs can save you a lot of valuable time. With the bonus of built-in version control and so much more, Simul was built to help you collaborate better. Did we mention they offer a free trial?
If you’re on a collaborative team of workers, or you’re simply dealing with several revisions of your own work, it’s important to be able to track incremental changes. In Microsoft Word, the ability to compare every difference in two nearly-identical documents is built in to the Compare tool. Here’s how to use it. First, open Word and any document file. (It can be one of the ones you’re comparing, another document entirely, or simply a blank project.) Click the “Review” tab at the top of the screen to open the ribbon menu, then click the “Compare” button—it will be near the right side of the menu. Click “Compare” again if another menu opens. Then in the new window, select your two documents: the “Original” (or earlier) document, and the “Revised” (or later) document. If you don’t see either in the dropdown menu, click the folder icon on the right to browse to the document using your file browser. Under “Label changes with,” you can set a note to help you keep track of which difference belongs to which document. Here I’m going to label mine “later” since it’s the latest revision of the manuscript. You can only add a tag to the revised document, but you can switch between them with the double-arrow icon. Click the “More” button to see advanced option. Most of these are self-explanatory, and all options are enabled by default. Note the “Show changes at” option, which shows individual changes either one character at a time (very slow) or one word at a time. Click “OK.” Word will open up a complicated-looking selection of panes in a single document. From left to right, you have an itemized list of changes, a full view of the “Revised” document with red marks on the left margin indicating changes, and a double pane showing the original and revised documents stacked. Scrolling with your mouse wheel will scroll all three of the primary panes at once, but you can use the scroll bars on the right of each to scroll the individual panes to each.
The Best Tech Newsletter Anywhere Join 425,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of features, articles, news, and trivia. By submitting your email, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Revisions pane is the most useful here. It shows each change, what was removed, and what was added, in order from the top of the document to the bottom. It’s a fantastic way to see the differences in the text and formatting at a glance. Clicking on any of the entries in the Revisions pane will instantly scroll the other panes to the relevant position. Neat! Once you’ve used the Revisions tab to find the specific revision, you can right-click on the relevant text in the center pane. Click “Accept” or “Reject” (followed by the corresponding action) to keep or revert the change, respectively. You can save this compared document as a separate file that won’t affect either of the documents you’re currently viewing. Just click File>Save as, and save it like any other Word document. Note that the Compare feature isn’t available if either document has password protection or its changes are protected in Word. You can change this setting in the individual documents by clicking Review>Track Changes. |
When using the compare function in word
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