Guides / Text comparison

How to Compare Two Texts for Differences

When two drafts of a document look almost the same, a line-by-line comparison shows exactly what changed. It is faster and more reliable than reading both versions side by side.

What a diff shows

A diff compares two texts line by line and marks each line as added, removed or unchanged. The method finds the longest run of matching lines, then treats everything else as a change. That is why a moved paragraph shows up as a removal and an addition.

Steps to compare

1. Copy the older version into the Original box.
2. Copy the newer version into the New version box.
3. Press Compare. Lines starting with a plus sign were added, lines with a minus sign were removed, and lines with two spaces are unchanged.

Tips for better results

• Remove formatting before you compare, because bullet symbols and smart quotes can make identical lines look different.
• Compare one section at a time when the texts are very long.
• Check the counts at the top. A large number of changes may mean the wrong versions were pasted.

Try it yourself

The Text Diff Checker runs in your browser. The text you paste is not saved or sent anywhere.