Compare text files - how it works
If you want to compare the differences between two text files, you need the right software. We will show you how and with what it works.
WinMerge: Compare two text files
Download and install the free program WinMerge. Alternatively, you can also use WinMerge Portable. No installation is required here.
- Click on "File" at the top left of the window and select the "Open" option.
- You can use the "Browse" buttons to select a file for both the left and right side.
- If you then click the "OK" button, the two files are arranged side by side and compared.
- If a line is marked in yellow, only a small change has been made. A lot more happened with a red line.
Tools for comparing text files
If you don't like WinMerge, you can alternatively use the following solutions. These work similarly:
- Linux users can also compare text files. The Kompare tool is ideal for this.
- Texts can also be compared using the command prompt. To do this, simply enter the command "fc 1.txt 2.txt> Result.txt". File 1 and 2 are compared, the differences are saved in the file "Result.txt".
In another practical tip, we will show you how to search for keywords in several text files.