How to compare 2 documents

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.

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

Comparing two Word Documents
Looking for an easier way to compare Word Documents?
Why Copyleaks is Better than Diff Checker?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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 Documents

Microsoft 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.

Open Word
Open one of the Word Documents you want to compare
Click Review in the menu
Find and Click Compare under Tools

Under Original Document, select the original word file (or one of the word files)
Under Revised Document, select the document you wish to compare to the document selected above

Select a label for the changes (optional)

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?

You can now compare two text documents by using the online text compare application. The content that you want to compare can be in different formats, and you get to see the highlighted difference in results within seconds. Now you will know exactly what has been poorly paraphrased and even worse, what has been copied between two texts.

We have a wide range of services that covers all types of content. You can compare almost any kind of document with the help of our text comparison tool. The document types that are supported by our diff checker include raw text, URLs, and files. You need to select the text files you want to compare, and the detailed result will be shown to you immediately. The report contains all types of similarities that are found by our text compare tool.

With our innovative text compare tool, comparing two documents together to detect similarities is very easy. Choose the text you would like to compare. You can select a document that is saved as a file. In the case of a raw file, you can copy-paste the text, on the other hand, in case of online content you just had to insert a URL for comparison purposes. Once you have selected the texts that you want to compare, you can choose the Compare icon and the two documents that need to be compared.

Compare text file types: The following file types are supported by our Text compare tool; HTML, TXT, PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, XML, PPT, PPTX, ODT, CHM, EPUB, ODP, PPSX.
Compare images with textual content using OCR: jpg, jpeg, png, BMP, gif.
To compare text files, you can upload files from these platforms: Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive.

Compare
PDF Files

Compare
Word Documents

Compare
Multiple Files

The compare text window provides you with the option to select any text file or URL. You can also copy-paste plain text directly on the compare panel to check two sets of text for similarities. You have the option to upload the file from Google Drive, Dropbox, and also One Drive. We have built a reliable compare tool to ensure that every type of document is covered, so you don't have to worry about changing the document type for conducting an online comparison using the Copyleaks comparison tool.

If you are confused about how to use our tool to compare documents, we have created a step-by-step method that will help you to get your documents compared in no time.

Open the Text Compare tool and upload a document in each pane. The documents that you are uploading will be compared against each other for similarities.
Once the upload process is completed, initiate the comparing process by selecting compare.
You will be given an accurate report regarding similarity level, including identical, similar, and related meaning.
For your convenience and future reference, you can download the PDF report of the comparison result.

We have worked hard to create a comparison tool that will serve multiple purposes. From duplicate content to plagiarism, everything is covered by our text compare tool. With the help of side by side comparison, our diff checker helps you in ascertaining the reason behind the similarity. After identifying the similarities you can rectify them, as necessary. The unique features of our comparison tool are enlisted below:

Why Copyleaks is Better than Diff Checker?

Compared to standard diff checkers, our text compare tool is designed to accommodate multiple text file types and different formats of pictures. The efficiency of our tool is evident from the detailed PDF reports that are provided.

Copyleaks, text compare tool, is not limited to finding the same text but is also adept at seeking out text that is similar in meaning. We have made it our prime goal to ensure that whenever you compare and whatever you compare, you get the best possible result.