Everyone knows that Word is a multifunctional text editor. Many of its features go far beyond the scope of text editing. This article will talk about how to compare two Word files in the program itself. This procedure is quite simple, but few people know about it at all. It can come in handy in different cases, for example, when there are two files on the computer: your work and its draft. In order not to make a mistake and not send a draft to the customer, it is best to use a comparison of two files.
Step 1: preparatory phase
It is noteworthy that after you compare the two files, they will remain unchanged, and all inconsistencies will be shown in another (new) document, which will open automatically. But first things first. First, let's figure out what to do first before comparing two Word files.
The first thing to do is prepare. Before you compare two Word files, you must open them. Therefore, find them on your computer and double-click on them.
Now you need to open the tool we need in one of the files. It is located in the "Review" tab in the "Comparison" tool group. The Compare tool is called, so click on it and select the item of the same name from the drop-down menu.
So, you are in place, now you can go directly to how to compare two Word files for differences or coincidences.
Step 2: choosing documents to compare
A window called "Compare Versions" is now open in front of you. As you can see, there are two areas in it: “Source document” and “Modified document”. Accordingly, in the first you should place the original document, and in the second - its revised version.
To select a document, you need to click on the folder icon next to the drop-down list. After clicking, the explorer opens, in which you need to pave the path to the desired file. Once this is done, repeat the steps for the second file.
So we selected the necessary documents for comparison, but do not rush to click the "OK" button to begin the analysis process. In order to get the desired result, it will be better to set the necessary parameters. We’ll talk about how to do this now.
Step 3: set the necessary parameters for comparison
So, before comparing two Word files, it would be wiser to set the parameters on which the analysis will be based. This will detect the inconsistencies that you want to find.
To open the options menu, you need to click on the "More" button, all in the same "Version Comparison" window.
In the menu that has expanded, you can observe a bunch of settings. Now let's pay attention to the "Comparison options" group. In it you need to select those elements that will be compared in two documents. By the way, the fewer checkmarks are installed, the faster the comparison process will go. Therefore, if you are looking for changes in formatting, it would be wise to highlight only this item, while others remove.
In the group "Show changes", choose what exactly to look for them: in signs or words. Also, do not forget to indicate in which of the documents to show the result. In the source, a modified file or a new one.
After you set all the parameters you need, you can safely click the "OK" button to start the analysis process. It does not last very long, even if all the comparison points have been selected.
Step 4: checking the result
As a result, they will show you the result. Depending on your choice, it will be demonstrated in one of two documents or in a new, third.
Places that do not match will be marked with a red line. Which is very convenient - by clicking on the line, you will be shown the difference. It will be crossed out by a red line.
By the way, if you did not know how to compare two Word files for coincidence, then, unfortunately, this will not work in the program. However, you can use special services for this purpose.