How to Compare Two Versions of a Microsoft Word Document

Evaluating different iterations of Microsoft Word documents can greatly assist in tracking revisions across drafts. Fortunately, there’s no need to resort to traditional manual comparisons. Microsoft Word features a built-in tool known as Track Changes, which conveniently highlights alterations automatically.

Within the Review tab of your Word document, you have the option to select “For All” or “Only Mine” to accentuate all modifications made to the text. Even if you haven’t activated this functionality, you can still compare at least two distinct versions of a document.

To initiate this, go to the Compare option in the Review tab and choose your files under Original Document and Revised Document. The “Mark Changes With” section allows you to input the editor’s name, which will be visible within the document itself.

By clicking the Expand button, you can specify which modifications Word should highlight. You can choose to focus on insertions and deletions, while opting out of displaying other types of changes, such as formatting adjustments—eliminating the need to review those alterations later.

In the Show Changes section, you can determine if the changes will be highlighted at a word or character level, as well as select whether these adjustments are made to the original document, the revised version, or a completely new document.

Once you click the OK button to finalize your preferences, Word will display individual revisions on the left side of the screen. The center will showcase the edits made in the revised document, while the right side allows you to compare the two text versions side by side using dual windows. As you scroll through the center window, the corresponding texts in the adjacent windows will follow along, making it easy to track changes throughout the document.