Compare Word Documents
newSee exactly what changed between two versions.
Load both documents to see the comparison.
About Compare Word Documents
Load two .docx, .txt or Markdown files and get an inline or side-by-side diff of their text. Paragraphs are matched first with a longest-common-subsequence algorithm, then each edited paragraph is compared word by word. Added, removed and edited paragraphs are highlighted; a moved paragraph shows as one deletion and one insertion.
Two files called contract-final.docx and contract-final-v2.docx, no tracked changes, and nobody willing to say what moved. Comparison answers it directly.
Load both and see what was added, removed and edited.
- Processed on your deviceEverything you open or type here is handled by this page and never uploaded anywhere.
- No queue, no limitsNothing waits on a server, so the only limit is your own hardware.
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How Compare Word Documents works in your browser
The text of both documents is extracted in reading order and split into paragraphs, and the longest run of paragraphs the two versions share is found. A paragraph present only in the original is a deletion, one present only in the revision is an insertion, and an edited paragraph is compared again word by word.
That second, word-level pass is what makes the inline view readable. A paragraph where one number changed highlights the number, not the whole paragraph — otherwise a legal review becomes rereading the document with extra colour.
Three limits are worth knowing before you rely on it. Moved text has no special representation: a clause relocated from section 3 to section 9 appears as a deletion in one place and an insertion in another, and noticing they are the same words is your job. And a comparison of text cannot see formatting, so a heading that quietly stopped being a heading reports as no change at all. And only the first 4,000 non-empty paragraphs of each file are compared.
When to use it
Finding out what the other side actually changed in a contract they returned. Checking a policy or terms document against the version you last approved. Reviewing an edited draft when the editor forgot to turn tracking on. Comparing two confidential drafts, where uploading either one is the thing you are trying to avoid.
Read more about this
Frequently asked questions
How does it decide what changed?
It matches paragraphs first, using a longest-common-subsequence diff, then compares each edited paragraph word by word, so a one-word edit highlights that word in the inline view. A paragraph that was mostly rewritten is shown as one removed paragraph and one added paragraph.
Does it compare formatting too?
No, it compares text. A paragraph restyled but not reworded shows as unchanged, which is usually what you want when reviewing edits.
Can I see the changes side by side?
Yes. Switch between a side-by-side view for reading two versions together and an inline view for seeing edits in context.