How to compare two texts
- Paste the first text. Paste the older version in the Original text box.
- Paste the second text. Paste the newer version in the Changed text box.
- Read the differences. The Differences panel lists the lines. A line with - was removed from the original. A line with + was added in the changed text.
What is a text compare tool?
A text compare tool, also called a diff checker, is a tool that takes two texts and shows what is different between them. It saves you from reading both versions side by side to find a change.
This tool compares line by line. A line counts as changed when any character in it is different.
Features
- Line by line comparison of two texts.
- Clear marks: + for added lines and - for removed lines, with colours.
- Summary of how many lines were added, removed and left the same.
- Ignore case and Ignore differences in spaces options.
- Show only the lines that changed, and copy the differences as text.
How to read the result
| Mark | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| - | Red | The line is in the original text but not in the changed text |
| + | Green | The line is in the changed text but not in the original text |
| No mark | No colour | The line is the same in both texts |
A line that was edited appears twice: once with - as the old version and once with + as the new version.
Limits
- Up to 2,000 lines in each text, and up to 200,000 characters in each box.
- Whole lines only. The tool marks the line that changed. It does not highlight the exact word inside the line.
- Moved lines are shown as removed in one place and added in another.
- Text only. It does not read files such as Word documents or PDFs. Copy the text out of the file first.
Related tools
Three other tools on this site help when two texts differ. The find and replace tool makes the same change everywhere in a text. The tool to remove duplicate lines cleans a list before you compare it. The word counter shows the length of each text.
Is it private?
Yes. The two texts are compared inside your browser. They are not sent to our server and are not saved by us.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I find the difference between two texts?
- Paste the first text in Original text and the second in Changed text. The Differences panel marks the added and removed lines.
- What do the plus and minus signs mean?
- A minus marks a line that was removed from the original. A plus marks a line that was added in the changed text.
- Can it ignore capital letters and spaces?
- Yes. Tick Ignore case or Ignore differences in spaces.
- Does it show which word changed inside a line?
- No. It compares whole lines and marks the lines that are different.
- Is the Text Compare tool free?
- Yes. It is free and you do not need an account.