OmniDocHow to compare the differences between two documents in Word: built-in comparison steps
Use Word's built-in comparison function to mark the additions, deletions, and modifications of the two documents into a new document. This article explains what to confirm before starting, how to set comparison items, how to check the results one by one, and how to process PDFs and scanned documents.
Key points of this article
- When comparing, you need to specify the original document and the revised document. If the order of the two is reversed, the addition and deletion marks will be reversed.
- When format comparison is not needed, the format option should be canceled in the comparison settings to prevent font changes from covering up text differences.
- Word comparison only processes editable documents, PDF needs to be converted first, and scanned documents need to be OCRed first.
- The comparison will generate a new document, and the original file remains unchanged. You can save it after the verification is completed.
If you have two Word documents on hand, one is the first draft of the contract, and the other is the revised version of the other party, or two saved versions of the same paper, the troublesome part is often not the modification itself, but finding out what has been changed. It's easy to miss a comma or a number by looking at the pages page by page. How to compare the differences between two documents in Word? Directly use the comparison function that comes with Word, which will mark the differences between the two documents in a new document.
This article is written for people who need to check text changes, such as people who review contracts, students who revise papers, and editors who review manuscripts. After reading, you will know what to confirm before starting, what steps to follow, how to check the comparison results, and what to do when encountering PDF or scanned documents.
How to compare the differences between two documents in Word? One sentence conclusion
Directly use the comparison function of Word to select the earlier version as the original document and the newer version as the revised document. The generated results will display the new and deleted content with revision marks. This is straightforward when the files are all editable Word documents. The table below gives suggestions based on your situation.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| Both copies are .docx, and the content is basically the same. I want to find out the changes. | Use Word's built-in comparison features | The results show additions and deletions with revision marks, with clear locations. |
| There are many changes in the format of the two copies, but you only care about the text | Deselect the "Format" option before comparing | Prevent changes in fonts and paragraph spacing from overwhelming text differences |
| One of them is a PDF | Convert to a Word document first, or use a desktop client to compare two PDFs | Word is more oriented towards editable documents, PDF needs to be processed first |
| One of them is a scanned copy | First do OCR to recognize text, and then compare | The text in the picture cannot be directly compared |
| I just want to see the difference between two paragraphs of text | Paste the two paragraphs into two documents and compare them sentence by sentence | When the range is small, manual comparison is faster than full comparison |
Before you start: Confirm these points first
1. Determine which document is the original document and which document is the revised document. When comparing, Word uses the original document as the benchmark, marking new content in the revised document as insertion and missing content as deletion. Usually the earlier version is set as the original document. If the direction is reversed, all the marks will be reversed, making it easy to misjudge during verification.
- 2. Make sure that both documents can be opened and edited properly. * if the file has an open or edit password set, or if you do not have edit permission, Word may not be able to complete the comparison. In this case, permission should be obtained from the provider of the file before making a comparison.
- 3. Save the new contents of the two documents. comparison reads files on disk, and changes that are not saved will not participate in the comparison. If there are any unsaved changes in the open document, save it before you operate.
- 4. Decide what to compare. * there are usually options in comparison settings, such as format, case, space, header, footer, footnote and endnote. For example, if you only care about the content of the text, cancel the formatting option; if you revise the formal layout, you will retain the formatting comparison. The closer the options are set to your purpose, the easier it will be to read the results.
- 5. Confirm the file type. * Word's comparison function only deals with text documents such as .docx or .doc. PDF and scanned parts need to be converted or identified first, otherwise the comparison results will be missing content or cannot be compared at all.
# steps to compare two documents in Word
- Open Word, open any document or create a new blank document as the starting point of the operation.
two. Switch to the tab related to document review in the top ribbon, find the compare command, and select the compare function.
- In the pop-up dialog box, select the earlier version of the file in the "original document" column.
- Select a newer version of the file in the revised document column.
- Expand more options in the dialog box and check the items to be compared according to the judgment in the first part, such as format, case, space, header and footer.
- Click OK. Word generates a new document with a revision mark showing the difference, and the file name is usually marked with the words "compare results".
- Open the review pane and view the revisions one by one, or use the previous and next navigation buttons to check.
- When you need to save, use "Save as" to generate a new file, do not overwrite the original file, so that you can trace it back at any time.
# check item by item after completion
After the comparison results are generated, do not accept them directly. The following suggestions are checked one by one.
| Check item | What do you think? | What if there's a problem? |
|---|---|---|
| Direction of addition and deletion | Find a change you know and make sure the insertion and deletion are in the same position as expected. | When the direction is reversed, exchange the original document and the revised document, and recompare |
| Format interference | Whether there are a large number of formatting changes such as fonts and paragraph spacing in the revision list | Recompare after canceling the formatting option |
| Tables, footnotes, headers and footers | Check to see if these areas are marked one by one | Check the corresponding options in the comparison settings if necessary, and compare again |
| Numbers and proper nouns | Check the amount, date, name and clause number one by one | Use the search function of Word to check again in the two original texts |
| Is the result complete? | Compare the number of pages and approximate paragraphs of the two documents to see if the comparison results cover the full text. | When the file is long, it will be split by chapter and compared separately. |
If it is the scanned text obtained by OCR, the recognition result may be wrong, and the "difference" may be mixed with recognition error. In this case, the important content needs to go back to the original sentence-by-sentence check, not just rely on the comparison results.
# Core comparison: how to choose the three comparison methods
| Method | An appropriate situation | Major limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Word built-in comparison | Both Word documents are editable, so you need to quickly see the additions and deletions. | Invalid for scanned parts and PDF, format options need to be adjusted manually |
| Manual step-by-step control | The space is very short, or just want to check a few key points. | When the document is long, it is easy to miss and take more time. |
| PDF comparison | Both documents are PDF and need to compare layout or text | You need to use tools that support PDF comparisons, such as the PDF editor for OmniDoc desktop clients (download address: download.omnidoc.top) |
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. If the format of the two Word documents is different, will the comparison result be very messy?
Yes. Differences in font, paragraph spacing, and paging position are marked as changes. First cancel the formatting option, only compare the text content, the result will be much more refreshing.
2. Can Word compare two PDF directly?
The built-in comparison function of Word is mainly targeted at Word documents. PDF can be converted to an Word document first, and there may be a deviation in the layout after the conversion. You should check the conversion results before comparison. You can also use tools that support PDF comparison to compare directly.
3. How does the scanned version of PDF compare?
First OCR the scanned parts to get selectable and editable text, and then convert them to Word documents for comparison. There may be typos in the identification results, and important numbers and terms should be checked back to the original.
4. Can the comparative amendments be accepted or rejected directly?
Sure. The revision function of Word supports acceptance or rejection one by one, or all revisions can be processed at once. It is recommended to save another copy before processing and keep the previous version.
# Summary
The key to how Word compares the differences between two documents lies in three things: distinguish the original document from the revised document, set the comparison items as needed, and check the results one by one. When the text content is two Word documents, it is easier to directly use the built-in; if you encounter PDF or scanned parts, convert or identify them first, and then compare them.
