How to compare two documents
- Add the old version on the left and the new version on the right. Open a .docx, .txt or .md file, drop one onto its box, or paste the text. You can mix them, say a Word file against text from an email.
- Choose Compare. Added words show in green and removed words in red, inside the paragraphs they belong to. A small ¶ marks a paragraph break that was added or removed.
- Step through the changes with the arrows, or press N and P. Changed paragraphs only hides the paragraphs that stayed the same.
- Download the report as a web page with the same colours, or as plain text with removed words in [-brackets-] and added words in {+braces+}.
Your files stay on your device
Your browser opens both versions and works out the differences on your own computer or phone. When you check a returned contract or an edited essay here, neither draft passes through Oppermind, and closing the tab clears them and the comparison. This page counts visits without cookies unless you’ve turned analytics off, and sets analytics cookies only if you allow them, as our privacy policy explains.
Questions
Are my documents uploaded?
No. The comparison runs in your browser on your device, and neither version is sent to Oppermind’s servers.
Does it compare formatting?
No, it compares words. A change to bold, fonts, colours, spacing, layout or pictures won’t show up. Words are split at spaces, so a changed comma marks the whole word it sits on. Table text is compared cell by cell as plain paragraphs. Headers, footers, footnotes, comments and text boxes are left out.
What happens to tracked changes in a .docx?
The document is read as if every tracked change had been accepted. Text marked as deleted is left out and text marked as inserted is kept. Accept or reject the changes in your editor first if you want to compare a different state.
How does it decide what changed?
It finds the smallest set of added and removed words that turns the old version into the new one, treating each paragraph break as a change too. When two long documents have little in common, it matches whole paragraphs first to stay quick, which can show a few more changes than strictly needed. A result with no changes means the words it compared match, not that the two documents are identical or have the same effect. Read anything that matters, such as a contract, in full before you rely on the comparison.
Which files can I compare?
Word .docx files, .txt and .md files, or text you paste in, in any mix. An old .doc file needs saving as .docx first, and a password-protected document needs a copy saved without the password.
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