Compare Two Documents in Word: A Clear Step-by-Step Guide

To compare two documents in Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, open Word and choose Review > Compare > Compare. Select the original and revised files, choose what changes to include, and click OK; Word creates a separate comparison document with the differences marked for review. The originals remain unchanged, so you can inspect the results before deciding what to keep.

What Word’s Compare feature does

Word’s Compare command is designed to find differences between two versions of a document, such as an earlier draft and an edited copy. It checks the document content and displays additions, deletions, and other selected changes in a new document. The comparison is presented using revision marks, much like tracked changes, so a reviewer can move through the differences and accept or reject them.

This is different from opening both files and scanning them side by side. Word aligns the text and reports changes in context, which can make even a long contract, report, or manuscript easier to review. The result is a comparison—not a verdict about which version is correct. For example, if one file changes a delivery date from June 10 to June 16, Word can show that edit, but a person still has to confirm which date is accurate.

Compare is also distinct from Track Changes. Track Changes records edits made while the feature is on. Compare looks back at two saved versions and identifies how they differ, even if neither version was originally edited with Track Changes enabled.

Prepare the two files first

Before comparing, identify which file is the earlier version and which is the later or edited version. Word asks you to assign each role, and the labels affect how the comparison is described. Choosing the files in the wrong order will not destroy anything, but it can make additions and deletions confusing to interpret.

Keep the two source files available and, if the documents are important, save backup copies before you begin. The comparison normally appears in a third document, but preserving the originals is a useful safeguard if you later make changes while reviewing. It also helps to close duplicate copies of the same document so you do not accidentally select the wrong file in the dialog.

Use versions that represent the same document and have enough shared text for Word to align them sensibly. If one file is a complete rewrite, a translation, or a rearranged collection of sections, the comparison can still show differences, but it may mark large passages as changed rather than pairing them in the way a human editor would.

Compare documents in Word on Windows

In the Microsoft 365 desktop app for Windows, follow these steps:

Open Word. You do not have to open either source file first, although doing so can make it easier to recognize the versions.
Select Review > Compare > Compare on the ribbon. If the ribbon is simplified or the window is narrow, expand the Review tab or look for the Compare command in its menu.
In the Compare Documents dialog, use the folder buttons to choose the Original document and the Revised document. Check the filenames carefully before continuing.
Enter names in the labels fields if you want the revision marks to identify the authors or versions clearly. For instance, you might use Earlier draft and Edited draft, or the names of the two reviewers.
Select More if you want to adjust which kinds of changes Word checks or how it displays the comparison. The available settings are explained below.
Choose where to show changes. For a standard review, select a new document so the result is separate from both source files.
Click OK. Word opens the comparison result, where you can inspect marked differences and use the Review tools to work through them.

The dialog may look slightly different after an Office update, but the Review tab and Compare command are the relevant places to start. If Compare is not visible, make sure you are using the desktop Word application rather than Word in a browser.

Choose what Word compares

The expanded comparison settings let you decide which differences matter for your review. Common choices include text changes, formatting, comments, moves, and changes involving items such as tables, headers, footnotes, or text boxes. The exact options shown can depend on the Word version. For a straightforward content review, compare the text and any other elements that are important to the document’s purpose. If you are checking layout or styling, include formatting too.

You can also choose whether Word groups changes at the character or word level. Character-level marking can make a small edit obvious—for example, changing 2025 to 2026—but may produce more marks within a sentence. Word-level marking can be easier to read when a phrase or sentence has been replaced. There is no universally best setting: use the level that makes the type of edit easiest to assess.

Another setting controls where the comparison appears: in a new document, the original document, or the revised document. A new document is usually the clearest and safest choice because you can review the result without mixing it into either source. Showing changes in one of the source files can be useful in a particular editing workflow, but it is easier to confuse the comparison marks with the document’s own content or revisions.

Read and review the comparison result

Word displays the differences as revision marks. Added text and deleted text are marked differently, and the Reviewing Pane can provide a list of changes. The display can vary with your markup settings and version, so do not rely on color alone to understand a change. Select a marked passage or inspect it in the Reviewing Pane to see what was inserted or removed.

For example, suppose the original says, The committee will meet on Tuesday, and the revised file says, The committee will meet on Thursday. Word can show Tuesday as removed and Thursday as added. The comparison tells you what changed; it does not know whether Tuesday or Thursday is the intended meeting date. Check the surrounding context or confirm with the document owner before accepting the revision.

Use the controls on the Review tab to move between changes and to accept or reject them. You can decide on each change individually or use the available menu options to accept or reject a larger set. Be careful with commands that apply broadly: accepting all changes may preserve edits you have not checked, while rejecting all changes may discard useful work. Save the comparison under a new name if you want to keep an audit-friendly record of your review.

Common problems and how to fix them

Word reports many changes that look unrelated. Confirm that you selected the correct original and revised files. A large difference in section order, formatting, or content can make the result busy. Compare related versions rather than a draft and a substantially rewritten document.
Formatting marks overwhelm the text edits. Open the Compare dialog’s additional settings and turn off formatting comparison if visual styling is not part of the review. You can run another comparison with formatting included if you need to check it separately.
A comment or layout change is missing. Reopen Compare and review its settings. The option to compare an item may be unchecked, or the content may be stored in a feature Word handles differently. Also check that you chose the correct two files.
The result is hard to read. Adjust the markup display and open the Reviewing Pane. Try a different change-display level, such as word-level rather than character-level, where available. Zooming in or switching to a print-oriented view can also make dense markups easier to inspect.
The Compare command is unavailable. Check that the file is open in the Word desktop app and that the Review tab is visible. Word for the web does not provide the same full desktop comparison workflow; open the file in the desktop app to use Compare.

If a file is password-protected, damaged, or in an older format, Word may ask you to resolve that issue before it can compare the contents. Make a copy before converting a file, and verify that the converted version still contains the expected text, tables, and other elements.

Windows, Mac, and Word for the web

The steps above refer to Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows. In Word for Mac, use the Review tab and look for Compare or Compare Documents; the wording and dialog layout can differ slightly from Windows. The overall process is similar: choose the two versions, set the comparison options, and review the resulting marked document. Keyboard shortcuts are not needed for this task, and ribbon labels are more dependable than a shortcut when versions differ.

Word for the web can open and edit documents and display revision marks, but its browser interface does not include the same full Compare command as the desktop app. If you are working in a browser, choose the option to open the file in the desktop application, then use Review > Compare there. This distinction matters if a tutorial shows a desktop ribbon that is not present on your screen.

Compare versus other review methods

Use Compare when you have two separate saved files and want Word to identify their differences. Use Track Changes when you want Word to record edits as people make them in a shared or ongoing document. They can complement each other: compare two versions to create a marked result, then use the review controls to decide which detected edits to retain.

For a very short document, reading the two versions side by side may be faster, especially if the change is obvious. For a lengthy document, automated comparison is often more practical, but it still needs human review. A visual file-comparison tool may be better for a PDF or a document whose page layout is the main concern; Word’s Compare feature is primarily useful for reviewing changes within Word documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does comparing documents change the original files?
No. Word creates a comparison result, generally in a new document, and leaves the selected source files as they were. Save the result separately if you want to keep it.

Can Word compare two documents without Track Changes?
Yes. Compare can identify differences between saved versions even if Track Changes was off while the edits were made. Track Changes is for recording edits as they happen; Compare checks two existing versions.

Can I compare documents in Word online?
The full Compare command is not available in the same way in Word for the web. Open the files in the Word desktop app and use Review > Compare.

Can I compare more than two documents at once?
The Compare command compares a pair of documents at a time. To review several versions, compare them in pairs and label or save each result clearly so you know which versions it represents.

Why does Word show formatting as a change?
Word can include formatting differences when that comparison option is enabled. Turn off formatting in the additional comparison settings if you only want to focus on text, or leave it enabled when style and layout changes are part of the review.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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