To compare two Word documents, open the desktop Word app and choose Review > Compare > Compare. Select the earlier file as the Original document and the later file as the Revised document, then choose OK. Word creates a comparison with the differences marked so you can review what changed. Save that result under a new name if you need to keep it.
Prepare the two files
Identify which version is the baseline and which is the edited copy. File names such as “proposal-v1” and “proposal-v2” help, but open each file if the dates or names are ambiguous. Save a copy of anything you may need to preserve, especially when several people have edited the document. If either file already contains tracked changes, Word may ask you to accept those changes before it compares the files. Consider whether you need that existing review history before proceeding.
Compare the documents step by step
- Open Word and select Review on the ribbon.
- Choose Compare, then Compare again from the menu. Some versions label the command Compare Documents.
- Under Original document, browse to the earlier version. Under Revised document, choose the newer version. Swap them if you want the additions and deletions described from the opposite direction.
- Choose More if you need to adjust what Word compares. You can include or exclude items such as formatting and comments and choose whether the comparison is at the word or character level.
- Keep Show changes in: New document for a separate result, then select OK.
Word displays a new comparison document with revisions marked, often alongside panes showing the source documents and a list of changes. The exact pane layout varies with your window size and Word version. The source files remain available, but save the comparison document if you want to return to its marked changes later.
Review the result without losing track
Read the marked document rather than relying only on the number of revisions. Use the Review tab’s next and previous change controls to move through differences. Check paragraphs, tables, headers, footers, and any formatting that matters to the final file. If you want a clean finished copy, resolve the changes in the comparison result and save it as a separate file. Do not assume that a comparison automatically updates either source document.
If the display is overwhelming, change the markup view or rerun the comparison with fewer options. For example, excluding formatting can make wording changes easier to spot. Compare at the character level when punctuation or small spelling edits matter; word-level changes are often easier to read for broader editing. Verify any important change against the originals, particularly when a table has moved or a section has been reorganized.
Compare, Combine, or version history?
Compare shows how one version differs from another. Combine, also under Review > Compare, is designed for merging revisions from reviewers into one document. If the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and you only need an earlier saved state, Word version history may be a better starting point. Simply viewing two files side by side helps with a visual check, but it does not create marked revisions.
Compare only checks two files against each other; to look for text that matches online sources, see how to check a Word document for plagiarism.
View two documents side by side
If you would rather read both versions yourself than get a marked-up result, open them in side-by-side windows.
- Open both documents in desktop Word.
- In either document, select View > View Side by Side. The command is in the Window group; if you don’t see it, select Window on the View tab first.
- Select Synchronous Scrolling in the same group so both files move together as you scroll.
- When you’re done, select View Side by Side again to return to separate windows.
This view doesn’t mark any differences, so it suits short files or a quick visual check. Use Compare when you need every change flagged.
If you only need to read two documents next to each other in a browser, see how to view two pages side by side in Word Online.
If the command or result is confusing
- Compare is missing: Make sure the file is open in the desktop Word app. Word for the web does not expose every desktop comparison control.
- The changes look reversed: Check which file you selected as Original and Revised, then run Compare again.
- There are too many formatting marks: Open More in the Compare dialog and turn off formatting for a text-focused pass.
- You need both reviewers’ edits in one file: Use Combine and inspect the merged revisions before accepting them.
On a Mac, the Review tab also provides a document comparison command, although labels and layout may differ. Whichever app you use, confirm the two selected files and review the resulting third document before treating it as final.
Sources
- Microsoft Support: Compare document differences
- Microsoft Support: Combine document revisions
- Microsoft Support: Compare versions on Mac
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com