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You can compare two versions of a document to see how they differ. You can also merge two versions of the same document into one new document. In both cases, Word shows the differences with revision marks.

Do either of the following:

Compare two versions of a document

  1. Open one of the two versions of the document that you want to compare.

  2. On the Review menu, select Compare Documents.

  3. In the Original document list, select the original document.

  4. In the Revised document list, browse to the other version of the document, and then select OK.

    Changes from the revised copy are merged into a new copy that is based on the original version of the document. The original copy remains untouched. Revision marks show any differences introduced by the revised copy of the document.

    Tip: To change document comparison settings or the level of detail shown, on the Tools menu, point to Track Changes, click Compare Documents, and then click  .

Merge two versions of a document

  1. Open one of the two versions of the document that you want to merge.

  2. On the Review menu, select Combine Documents.

  3. In the Original document list, select one version of the document.

  4. In the Revised document list, browse to the other version of the document, and then select OK.

    Changes from the revised copy are merged into a new copy that is based on the original version of the document. The original copy remains untouched. Revision marks show any differences introduced by the revised copy of the document.

Do either of the following:

Compare two versions of a document

  1. Open one of the two versions of the document that you want to compare.

  2. On the Tools menu, point to Track Changes, and then click Compare Documents.

    Note: If the Compare Documents option is not available, the document might be protected. To unprotect a protected document, on the Tools menu, click Unprotect Document.

  3. On the Original document pop-up menu, select the original document.

  4. On the Revised document pop-up menu, browse to the other version of the document, and then click OK.

    Changes from the revised copy are merged into a new copy that is based on the original copy of the document. The original copy remains untouched. Revision marks show any differences introduced by the revised copy of the document.

    Tip: To change document comparison settings or the level of detail shown, on the Tools menu, point to Track Changes, click Compare Documents, and then click  Arrow button.

Merge two versions of a document

  1. Open one of the two versions of the document that you want to merge.

  2. On the Tools menu, click Merge Documents.

  3. On the Original document pop-up menu, select one version of the document.

  4. On the Revised document pop-up menu, browse to the other version of the document, and then click OK.

See also

Use tracked changes

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