How to Compare Two Versions of the Same Word File

You need to see what changed between two drafts of the same document. Word has a built-in Compare feature that does this automatically. It merges both files and shows insertions, deletions, and formatting changes in a new document. This article explains how to use the Compare tool, what prerequisites you need, and what to do if the results look wrong.

What the Compare Feature Does and What You Need Before Using It

The Compare tool in Word is part of the Review tab. It takes two versions of the same document and produces a third document that shows the differences between them. The output looks exactly like a document with Track Changes turned on. Inserted text appears underlined in red. Deleted text appears strikethrough in red. Formatting changes appear as tracked formatting marks.

Before you run a comparison, you need two files. They must be saved as separate .docx files on your local drive or a network location. The files should be based on the same original document. If they were created from scratch independently, the comparison will still work but the results may be cluttered with false differences.

Word does not require you to have Track Changes enabled in either file. The Compare tool works regardless of whether the files have tracked changes already. If the original file contains tracked changes, Word asks whether you want to accept all changes before comparing. Accepting them produces cleaner results.

Steps to Compare Two Versions of a Word Document

The following steps work in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016. The menu paths are identical across these versions.

1. Open the original document
   Open the older version of your file in Word. The Compare tool can be launched from either file, but starting with the original is easier to track.
2. Go to Review > Compare > Compare
   Click the Review tab on the ribbon. In the Compare group, click the Compare button. From the dropdown, select Compare. This opens the Compare Documents dialog.
3. Select the original document
   In the Compare Documents dialog, the Original document field is on the left. Click the folder icon to browse for your older file. You can also pick a file from the dropdown if it was recently opened.
4. Select the revised document
   In the Revised document field on the right, browse for the newer version of the file. The label below the field shows the author name that will be assigned to the changes.
5. Click the More button to adjust settings
   Click the More button at the bottom left of the dialog to expand the settings. Here you can choose which change types to compare. By default all options are checked. Uncheck any type you want to ignore, such as Formatting, Headers and Footers, or Comments.
6. Choose how to show changes
   In the expanded section, under Show changes in, select New document. This creates a fresh document that displays the differences. You can also choose Original document or Revised document if you prefer to see changes marked directly in one of the existing files.
7. Click OK to run the comparison
   Word processes the two files and opens a new document. The left pane shows the compared document with tracked changes. The right pane shows the Reviewing Pane with a summary of statistics. Two additional panes show the original and revised documents side by side for reference.
8. Save the comparison result
   Press Ctrl+S to save the new document. Give it a name such as “Draft_v2_compared.docx”. The original files remain unchanged.

If You Need to Compare Documents That Are Not Opened

You can start the Compare tool from a blank document. Open a new blank file. Go to Review > Compare > Compare. Follow the same steps above. The result appears in the blank document window.

How to Compare Without Opening a File

If you only have file paths, open Word first. Click File > Open and select any file to get into the Word window. Then go to Review > Compare > Compare and browse for both files. This method works when you do not have either document open.

If the Comparison Results Look Wrong or Confusing

The Compare tool is reliable, but certain conditions can produce unexpected output. Below are the most common problems and how to fix them.

Word Shows Too Many Changes That Are Not Real Edits

This happens when the two documents were not based on the same original. Word compares every character and formatting property. If one file was created from a template and the other from scratch, the differences will be extensive. To reduce noise, re-run the comparison and uncheck Formatting, Headers and Footers, and Tables in the More section of the dialog.

Word Says the Documents Are Too Different to Compare

Word can only compare documents that share enough common text. If the revised document was completely rewritten, the comparison may fail or produce no useful results. In that case, use Track Changes manually on the next revision cycle.

The Compared Document Shows No Changes

Check that you selected the correct files. The original and revised fields may be swapped. Click Undo, re-open the Compare dialog, and swap the file positions. Also verify that both files are saved as .docx format. Word cannot compare .pdf files directly.

Formatting Differences Are Not Shown

Open the Compare dialog again. Click More and verify that Formatting is checked. If it is unchecked, Word ignores font size, bold, italic, color, and paragraph spacing changes. Check the option and run the comparison again.

Compare Documents in Word Online vs Desktop: Feature and Accuracy Differences

Item	Word Desktop	Word Online
Compare feature availability	Built-in under Review tab	Not available in browser version
File format support	.docx, .doc, .dotx	N/A
Change type filtering	Full control via More button	N/A
Output document creation	New document with tracked changes	N/A
Reviewing Pane summary	Shows count of insertions, deletions, moves, formatting, and comments	N/A
Side-by-side reference panes	Shows original and revised documents alongside the compared result	N/A
Ability to compare .pdf files	No	No

Word Online does not include the Compare Documents feature. You must use the desktop version to run comparisons. If you only have access to Word Online, save both files locally and open them in the desktop app.

The Compare tool in Word Desktop produces a new document with tracked changes. You can accept or reject each change using the Accept and Reject buttons in the Review tab. After you finish reviewing, save the final version as a new file.

For repeated comparisons between multiple drafts, keep all versions in a single folder with clear naming. Use dates or version numbers in the file name. This makes it easy to select the correct pair in the Compare dialog.