How to Compare two texts and find differences

Compare two texts and highlight differences line-by-line or word-by-word. View additions, deletions, and unchanged sections with color coding.

4 min read Text Diff Free, no signup required

Quick start

Text Diff — Compare two texts and highlight differences line-by-line or word-by-word.

Get started in under two minutes:

Paste your original text
Paste your revised text
Choose the diff mode
Review changes and copy

Open Text Diff

Step-by-step instructions

Follow these steps to get the best results from Text Diff:

Paste your original text

Paste the original (before) version of your text into the left text area labeled "Original".

Tip: This is typically the older version — the one you are comparing from.

Paste your revised text

Paste the updated (after) version into the right text area labeled "Revised". The diff is calculated automatically when you stop typing.

Tip: Both areas accept plain text, code, JSON, or any other string content.

Choose the diff mode

Select "Line diff" to compare entire lines, or "Word diff" to highlight individual word changes within lines. "Character diff" shows every single character change.

Tip: Word diff is the most readable for prose. Line diff is best for code or structured data.

Review changes and copy

Green highlights show additions. Red shows deletions. Lines with no change appear in normal text. Click "Copy diff" to copy the annotated output to your clipboard.

Tip: Toggle "Show unchanged lines" to collapse sections that did not change, keeping the focus on diffs.

Open Text Diff

Frequently asked questions

Is Text Diff free to use?

Yes — Text Diff is completely free with no account or signup required. All core features are available immediately.

Does Text Diff work on mobile devices?

Yes — Text Diff works on smartphones and tablets through any modern mobile browser. The interface adapts to smaller screens automatically.