Diff Checker

Compare two texts to find and highlight differences between them. Upload files or paste text directly to see line-by-line comparisons with highlighting for additions, deletions, and modifications.

Original Text

Modified Text

Enter text in both fields and click "Compare Texts" to see differences.

This tool compares two text inputs and highlights the differences between them. You can customize the comparison settings and view the results in different formats.

What is a Diff?

A "diff" is a tool or output that shows the differences between two texts or files. The term comes from the Unix command "diff" which is widely used in software development to see what has changed between different versions of code or text.

Diffs are typically presented in a format that highlights additions, deletions, and modifications, making it easy to identify exactly what has changed between two versions of a file.

Unified vs. Split View

This diff checker offers two different ways to view differences:

Unified View: Shows all changes in a single combined view. Added lines, removed lines, and unchanged context lines are displayed together with appropriate highlighting and prefixes.
Split View: Shows the original text on the left and the modified text on the right side by side, making it easier to see how the texts align and what's been changed between them.

Comparison Options

Ignore Case: When enabled, the comparison will treat uppercase and lowercase letters as the same, meaning "Example" and "example" would be considered identical.
Ignore Whitespace: When enabled, differences in spaces, tabs, and line breaks won't be highlighted, focusing only on content differences.
Highlight Inline Changes: In split view, this option highlights character-level differences within modified lines, making it easier to spot small changes.

Common Use Cases

Diff checking tools are essential in many contexts:

Code Review: Developers use diff tools to review changes before committing code or during code reviews.
Document Comparison: Compare different versions of documents, contracts, or text files to identify what has changed.
Data Validation: Check if data has been modified between exports or database dumps.
Configuration Management: Track changes to configuration files over time or between environments.
Plagiarism Detection: Compare texts to identify similarities and potential plagiarism.

Tips for Effective Comparison

For large texts, consider splitting into smaller sections for more meaningful comparisons.
Use the appropriate view mode: unified view for a concise overview or split view for detailed side-by-side comparison.
When comparing code, enable the "Ignore Whitespace" option to focus on meaningful changes rather than formatting differences.
Enable "Highlight Inline Changes" to spot small modifications within lines that might otherwise be hard to identify.
Use the file upload feature to compare entire files rather than copying and pasting, which might introduce unintended formatting changes.