How to compare two Word documents

By EJ Archuleta, Licensed attorney · Updated 2026-10-12

To compare two Word documents in Word itself, open the Review tab, select Compare, then Compare again, and choose the original and the revised file. Word builds a third document that shows every difference as tracked changes, and it leaves both source files untouched. If you want a numbered redline you can share, or you don't have Word, a browser-based comparison tool like DocxDiff does the same job in under a minute with no account.

This guide covers both methods: the exact Word steps and settings, how to read the output, where comparisons usually go wrong, and how to check a redline before you rely on it.

Method 1: Compare documents in Microsoft Word

Step by step

1. Open Word. You don't need either document open first.
2. Go to Review, then select Compare in the Compare group and choose Compare... (the option that compares two versions, not Combine).
3. Under Original document, browse to the earlier version.
4. Under Revised document, browse to the later version.
5. Optionally, enter a name in Label changes with, such as the other side's firm or the author. That label appears on every change from the revised file.
6. Click More >> to open the settings (below), then click OK.

If either file already contains tracked changes, Word shows a message. Clicking Yes accepts those existing changes before the comparison runs. If those pending edits matter, save a copy first.

The settings worth knowing

• Comparison settings. Checkboxes control what Word looks at: insertions and deletions, moves, comments, formatting, case changes, white space, tables, headers and footers, footnotes and endnotes, text boxes and fields. Untick what you don't care about. Formatting is the usual one to switch off when you only want wording changes.
• Show changes at. Character level catches a single changed digit or comma. Word level marks the whole word, which reads more cleanly but can make "$7,500" to "$7,600" look like a full replacement.
• Show changes in. The default is New document, which is what you want. Choosing Original or Revised writes the changes into that file and modifies it.

Reading Word's output

With results in a new document, Word can show three panes: the compared document in the middle, with the original and revised versions alongside, all scrolling together. A Revisions pane lists every change.

In the compared document, insertions are typically underlined and colored, deletions are struck through, and formatting changes show up in the balloons or the Revisions list. Use Previous and Next on the Review ribbon to step through changes, and Accept or Reject to resolve them. For more on working with the markup itself, see how to redline in Word.

Common problems with Word Compare

Formatting noise. A reformatted document can produce hundreds of formatting marks that bury the three sentences that actually changed. Turn off the formatting option and compare again.

Moved text. Word recognizes a move only when a paragraph was relocated without any edits. Move a clause and change one word in it, and Word shows a full deletion in one place and a full insertion in another. The same happens in most tools that can't detect moves, so when you see a long deletion, check whether the same words reappear elsewhere.

Tables. Text that moves from a table into body text, or the reverse, appears as a deletion plus an insertion. Merged cells and added rows can also make a table comparison hard to read.

Renumbering. Insert a new Section 3 and every later section number can show as changed. Adding or deleting a footnote can renumber everything after it. These look like edits but aren't substantive.

Word-only output. Word Compare works between Word files and produces a Word file. It won't compare a PDF, and the result is an editable document full of tracked changes, not a fixed report you can cite by change number.

None of this makes Word Compare a poor tool. It's thorough, free if you already have Word, and the right choice when you need to accept or reject changes inside the document. The trade-offs are covered in more detail in the limits of Word Compare and Track Changes.

Method 2: Compare two Word documents in your browser with DocxDiff

DocxDiff produces a word-level redline of two .docx files: insertions in green, deletions struck through in red, each change numbered. The comparison runs in your browser, so the files aren't uploaded anywhere unless you sign in and save the comparison.

Step by step

1. Go to docxdiff.app. No sign-in needed.
2. Drop the earlier version into Original Document and the later version into Revised Document. You can also switch to Paste text if you only have the words, not the files.
3. Optionally tick Ignore capitalization or Ignore whitespace-only changes to remove noise.
4. Click Compare Documents.
5. Read the redline. Press j and k to jump between changes, or use the prev/next controls. Filter to only additions or only deletions, or hide unchanged text. Switch to side-by-side to see both versions in two columns.
6. Export an HTML report to share with your team or a Markdown report for your records. Or sign in with a free account to save the comparison and reopen it later.

Why the numbering helps

Every change carries a number, so you can write "see change 14" in an email or on a call and everyone lands on the same edit. That's harder with a Word document full of tracked changes, where each reader's view depends on their markup settings.

When each method fits best

The text vs. formatting caveat

DocxDiff compares text at the word level. It doesn't flag a heading that changed from bold to italic, a font swap, or a style change, and it doesn't read Word's tracked-change history or comments. That's usually what you want for a contract or a draft, because substantive changes live in the words. If formatting itself matters, such as a court filing with strict styling rules, run Word Compare with formatting turned on as well.

Comparing a Word document to a PDF

A common case: you negotiated in Word, and the signed version came back as a PDF. Word Compare can't take a PDF directly. You'd have to convert it to Word first, and conversion often introduces layout noise.

DocxDiff Pro ($12/month) compares PDFs directly, with page-accurate redlines, moved-text detection and a page view that puts original and revised pages side by side. A PDF exported from Word has a text layer and is read in your browser. A scanned or signed PDF is just page images, so its text has to be recognized first. Pro offers OCR for this, and the file leaves your device only if you explicitly approve it.

OCR is good but not perfect. Watch for these misreads:

• Look-alike characters: 1 and l, 0 and O, rn read as m.
• Numbers and punctuation: a dropped decimal point or comma in a dollar figure.
• Stamps, handwriting and signatures, which may come through as stray characters.

When the redline flags a tiny change in a scanned page, check the original image before treating it as a real edit.

Before you trust any redline: a quick checklist

Confirm the versions. Most bad redlines come from comparing the wrong drafts. Check file names, dates and your document management or email history. The "original" should be the last version both sides agreed to, not your own working copy.

Know what was compared. In Word, check which boxes were ticked: headers and footers, footnotes and text boxes can be excluded. In any tool, if a key term lives in a footer, footnote or text box, confirm by eye that it appears in the redline.

Review in this order:

• Substantive changes to obligations, rights and conditions
• Every number, dollar amount, percentage and date
• Defined terms, including whether a definition changed while its uses didn't
• Cross-references, especially after sections were added or renumbered
• Anything that looks like a deletion and reinsertion, which may be a move with an edit inside it

Clean the file before you send it. A Word comparison document is full of tracked changes and may carry comments, author names and other metadata. Accept or reject everything, delete comments, then run File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document to find and remove what's left. Better still, send an exported report or a PDF, not the live comparison file. Practices vary by firm and by deal, so follow your own team's procedures.

This guide is general information about software, not legal advice. For questions about what a change means for your agreement, talk to a qualified attorney.

Try it

Have two versions ready? Drop them into DocxDiff and get a numbered redline in seconds. It's free, needs no account, and the comparison stays in your browser. For pasted passages instead of files, see how to compare text online.

Frequently asked questions

Can I compare two Word documents for free?

Yes. Word's built-in Compare is included with Word. If you don't have Word, DocxDiff compares .docx files free in your browser, with unlimited comparisons and no account required.

Does DocxDiff create a Word document with tracked changes?

No. It produces a redline you read in the browser and export as an HTML or Markdown report (Pro adds annotated PDF exports). If you need tracked changes inside a .docx to accept or reject, use Word Compare.

Why does Word show changes I didn't make?

Usually it's formatting differences, renumbered paragraphs or footnotes, or existing tracked changes Word accepted before comparing. Turn off formatting in the comparison settings, accept or reject pending changes yourself first, and compare again.

Are my documents uploaded when I use DocxDiff?

Not unless you choose to. Signed-out comparisons run entirely in your browser. Files are stored only if you sign in and save a comparison, or if you approve cloud OCR for a scanned PDF on Pro.

Can I compare a Word document against a PDF?

Not in Word without converting the PDF first. DocxDiff Pro compares PDFs directly, including scanned pages through OCR you approve. Double-check small flagged changes on scanned pages, since OCR can misread characters.

Does DocxDiff catch formatting changes like bold or font size?

No. It compares the words, not their formatting. Run Word Compare with formatting enabled if styling changes matter for your document.