Binary comparison: how it works

You can carry out a binary comparison of different files under Windows using on-board tools. We show you how this works in this guide.

Binary comparison under Windows

For a binary comparison you only need the command prompt under Windows.

1. Open the command prompt. To do this, press the Windows key on your keyboard and type in "cmd". Confirm the entry with the Enter key.
2. Here you can call the "fc.exe". This performs a binary comparison under Windows.
3. First change to the desired folder. This is done with the command "cd path". For example, if you want to change to the "C: \ Users \" folder, the command should be "cd C: \ Users \".
4. Now you can compare two files. For example, if you want to compare the files "Chip_Praxistipps_1.txt" and "Chip_Praxistipps_2.txt", execute the following command: "fc Chip_Praxistipps_1.txt Chip_Praxistipps_2.txt". The differences are then displayed. The command window also shows a few lines above and below the difference.
5. If you want to compare binary files in EXE format, for example, you must set the / b variable after the fc. For example: "fc / b Chip1.exe Chip2.exe".
6. It is also possible to compare entire folders. However, the program only considers files of the same name in the respective folders. Use the "fc Folder1 \ *. * Folder2 \ *. *" Command to compare the folders.