Compare Documents or Text Blocks in Word
Learn how to run a comparison of two documents or specific text selections to identify differences, directly in Word.
How to compare two documents in Word
- Open the Recital add-in in Word.
- Navigate to the Compare tab.
- Select Files as your comparison type.
- Choose the two documents you want to compare. Click Upload file to select documents from your computer or drag and drop files to upload.
- Click Compare.
Recital will generate a redline in a new window, highlighting additions, deletions, and changes between the two documents.
How to compare text blocks in Word
If you only need to compare specific sections rather than full documents:
- Open the Recital add-in in Word.
- Navigate to the Compare tab.
- Select Text as your comparison type.
- Paste the previous text and revised text in their respective boxes.
The comparison view highlights differences between the two text blocks, making it easy to spot changes in specific clauses or sections.
You can swap the two blocks of text by clicking the reverse button.
To clear text in both boxes, click Clear all.
Understanding comparison results
Differences are highlighted using standard redline formatting:
- Red text with strikethrough – Deletions (text in the first document/block but not the second)
- Blue underlined text – Additions (text in the second document/block but not the first)
- Black text – Unchanged content
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Updated on: 21/11/2025
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