Text Compare: how to use it

Compare two blocks of text line by line and see what was added or removed. Learn how it works and where its limits are.

Text tools · Updated 24 October 2026

When two versions of a document look almost identical, finding the difference by eye is slow and unreliable. Text Compare puts the original and the changed version side by side and highlights the lines that differ, which is useful for contracts, lists, configuration files, essays and copied web content.

Both texts stay in your browser. That matters when you are comparing drafts or private data.

How to use the Text Compare

Paste the earlier version into Original text.
Paste the later version into Changed text.
Press Compare text.
Read the results. Lines only in the original are marked as removed; lines only in the changed version are marked as added; matching lines are shown plainly.
Use Clear to reset both boxes.

Tips for better results

The comparison is line by line, so the way you break lines matters. Make sure both versions use the same wrapping before you compare.
Trailing spaces and different line endings can show up as differences even though the text looks the same.
Compare small sections rather than an entire book at once. Differences are easier to read in blocks.
For code or structured data, format both versions the same way first, for example with the JSON Formatter.

How the comparison works and its limit

The tool lines the two texts up from the top and compares them position by position. That is quick and clear for edits within lines. If you insert a new line near the top, every later line shifts down, and many following lines can be marked as different even though they only moved. In that case, compare the sections separately.