Text Compare

In the eventuality that you have received a document that you emailed a friend or colleague and you notice changes, then identifying what exactly was modified can be a titanic task.

Text Compare is a lightweight piece of software that allows you to compare all sorts of text files and seamlessly identify any modifications made.

The setup is as simple as it gets, meaning that it entails you decompress the archive in the desired location on your hard disk. Upon launch, you are welcomed by a minimalistic and rugged, yet well-structured and appropriate UI for an application in this category.

The interface is comprised of two panels that display the content of both text files you loaded. After you have specified their location and hit the Compare function, you can preview the changes made highlighted in different colors.

New or changed lines are marked with green for the first document and with red for the second one. In case you want to make any modifications, then you will be happy to learn the program comes with a built-in editor.

It is worth mentioning that the program lets you preview solely the differences between the two documents, a feature that can come in handy when you are exploring a report that you recently shared with your team. At the same time, the feature can be helpful if you are analyzing documents that you made unintended modifications to, for example.

Since the utility is designed to aid you in comparing any text file, it comes with a function that allows you to highlight only the moved or copied lines. The option can prove invaluable for a developer who is currently reviewing and editing the source code, for instance. As a side note, the tool works with a plethora of text files, including HTML, XML and INI file formats.

In the eventuality that you need to identify any changes made to a text file, such as the source code for an application you are developing, for instance, quickly and without too much hassle, then perhaps Text Compare could come in handy.