How to compare two documents in Word
Last updated October 8, 2026.
Word has its own feature for comparing two versions of a document. It doesn't need Track Changes turned on: it compares the two files as they are and builds a third document with the differences marked.
In Word for Windows
- Open Word.
- On the Review tab, in the Compare group, click Compare and choose Compare...
- Under Original document, choose the previous version.
- Under Revised document, choose the new version.
- Click More to see the options: what goes into the comparison (formatting, comments, moves and more), whether changes show at word or character level, and where the result appears. The default is a new document.
- Click OK.
In Word for Mac
- Open one of the documents.
- On the Review tab, click Compare and choose Compare Documents.
- Choose the original and the revised document, and click OK.
What you get
Word opens a new document with the revised text and the differences as tracked changes, as if someone had made the edits with Track Changes on: deletions struck through, insertions underlined. Beside it, it shows both source documents and the list of revisions. The original files don't change.
Tip: leave formatting out
By default, Word also marks formatting changes. If someone changed the font of the whole document, that becomes a mark everywhere. Under More, uncheck Formatting to see only the text.
Where Word's Compare gets awkward
- PDFs. Word doesn't compare PDFs directly. It has to convert the PDF into a Word document first, and the conversion tends to shift line and paragraph breaks, which become false differences.
- Long documents. In a book or a thesis, the result is a single document with hundreds of marks, with no split by chapter and no sense of where most changed.
- Interleaved reading. Old and new text sit mixed on the same line. In heavily rewritten passages, it gets hard to read either version.
- It needs Word, with a Microsoft 365 or Office license.
Word or Verso?
| Word's Compare | Verso | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | In Word, with a Microsoft 365 or Office license | In your computer's browser |
| Formats | Whatever Word opens; PDFs are converted first | .docx, .odt, PDF, .txt and .md, in any combination |
| Formatting | Counted, unless you uncheck it | Not counted |
| Result | A third document, with tracked changes | Both versions side by side, chapter by chapter |
| Produces a file with the changes marked | Yes | No, the comparison is for reading on screen |
| Price | Included in Microsoft 365 or Office | 7 days free, then US$12 once |
If you need to deliver a .docx with the changes marked, or you're already in Word with two short files, Word's Compare does the job. If the text is long, if one version is a PDF, or if you want to read both versions side by side, chapter by chapter, without formatting in the way, use Verso. See how in compare Word documents.