When using the Compare function the differences between two documents are outlined linkedin

Microsoft Word users can compare the different versions of their document by using the compare feature. You can use the Combine feature to combine revisions from different documents or revisions from other persons into a single document. The Compare feature will compare the difference between the two identical documents and review the changes made.

Compare two Word documents

When using the Compare function the differences between two documents are outlined linkedin

The Compare feature compares two versions of a Word document to see the differences between them:

  • Open Microsoft Word.
  • Click the Review tab and select the Compare button in the Compare group.
  • In the drop-down list, click the Compare feature.
  • A Compare Documents dialog box will pop up.

When using the Compare function the differences between two documents are outlined linkedin

Now, inside the Compare Document dialog box, you will select the Original document by clicking the drop-down arrow and click Browse or click the Folder to locate the document you want to compare in the Original Document section.

The Revised document is the document that is identical to the Original but has some changes.

Choose the Revised document from the Revised Document section by doing the same procedure and then click OK.

When using the Compare function the differences between two documents are outlined linkedin

Microsoft Word will open the document in a comparative interface, and the interface is consists of four sections.

The first section is called  Revisions. The Revision section shows the text list, which is deleted, inserted, or changed in the revised document.

The second section is called the Compared Document; this section highlights the area where changes are made in the Revised document.

The Revision section would be like a navigation bar for the Compared Document section.

Once you select a text or phrase from the revision section, it will automatically go to the location of the text you clicked.

In the Compared Document section, you will see a red line near some of the text.

To display what was added or deleted in the document.

Click the Review tab and the Display for Review button drop-down arrow, and select the All Markup option from the list.

The  All Markup option will showcase all the changes made to the original document.

The All Markup feature identifies all the changes made with a red color.

You will see two interfaces cascading each other on the left, the Original Document and the Revision Document; once you try to scroll down, you can see the difference between both of them.

I hope this helps; if you have questions, please comment below.

Read next: How to display and work with multiple windows in Word

The legal blackline option compares two documents and displays only what changed between them. The documents that are being compared are not changed. The legal blackline comparison is displayed by default in a new third document.

If you want to compare changes from a number of reviewers, do not select this option. Choose Combine revisions from multiple authors into a single document instead.

  1. Open the documents that you want to compare.

  2. On the Review tab, in the Compare group, click Compare.

    When using the Compare function the differences between two documents are outlined linkedin

  3. Click Compare two versions of a document (legal blackline).

  4. Under Original document, browse for the document that you want to use as the original document.

  5. Under Revised document, browse for the other document that you want to compare.

  6. Click More, and then select the settings for what you want to compare in the documents. Under Show changes, choose whether you want to show character or word level changes.

    If you do not want to display changes in a third document, choose which document you want the changes to appear in.

    Important: Any options that you select under More will be the default options for comparison the next time you compare documents.

  7. Click OK.

  8. If either version of the document has tracked changes, Microsoft Word displays a message box. Click Yes to accept the changes and compare the documents.

  9. Microsoft Office Word displays a new third document in which tracked changes in the original document are accepted, and changes in the revised document are shown as tracked changes.

    The source documents that are being compared are not changed.

View and compare documents side by side

Compare documents and merge changes

When using the Compare function the differences between two documents are outlined linkedin
When using the Compare function the differences between two documents are outlined linkedin
When using the Compare function the differences between two documents are outlined linkedin

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When using the Compare function the differences between two documents are outlined linkedin
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