Compare DOC, DOCX, PDF & XLSX Documents

Document Compare examines an earlier/original file and a later/comparison file, then presents detected text, structure, metadata, formula, formatting or visual changes for human review. It is evidence for review, not a decision about which version is correct or which change is legally material.

Before you start

A signed-in account is required. Prepare exactly two source files with clear filenames and roles.

Supported comparison pairs

The current normalized pair families are DOCX ↔ DOCX, PDF ↔ PDF, XLSX ↔ XLSX, DOCX ↔ PDF, XLSX ↔ PDF and DOCX ↔ XLSX. Legacy DOC is validated and normalized to a temporary DOCX representation before comparison, so review conversion fidelity where DOC is involved.

Best for

• Comparing two contract drafts.
• Reviewing a supplier’s revised Office document.
• Comparing final rendered PDFs.
• Checking spreadsheet value, formula or structure changes.
• Cross-checking an editable source against a rendered PDF.

How to use it

1. Sign in and add the original and comparison files in the correct roles.
2. Confirm filenames, formats and effective limits.
3. Start one comparison and follow queue status if capacity is occupied.
4. Review every reported difference in its paragraph, sheet, page or visual context.
5. Navigate through uncertain and review-labelled findings rather than only confirmed changes.
6. Export review-ready output where the selected comparison supports it.
7. Verify important findings in both source files.

Important options

Comparison is format-aware. DOCX exposes document structure, XLSX exposes workbook and formula structure, and PDF can combine reconstructed text with rendered-page evidence. A highlighted PDF region identifies visual change; it does not automatically describe semantic significance.

Processing and queue

What you receive

Results include structured findings, confidence and warning evidence, navigation between changes and supported review exports. Honest fallback states identify partial, source-only or unsupported comparison evidence instead of fabricating certainty.

What to check before relying on the result

Confirm numbers, dates, amounts, formulas, moved sections, page geometry and every uncertain finding against the sources. Review formatting and pagination changes separately from meaning.

Limitations

• The tool does not provide a legal or commercial opinion.
• Image-only PDFs can provide less semantic evidence.
• Legacy DOC conversion can lose complex layout or revision placement.
• A “no differences” result is bounded by supported extraction and comparison methods.

Privacy and file handling

Comparison uses temporary job files. Legacy conversion never executes document macros. Outputs and metadata follow current retention controls.

Troubleshooting

Check that exactly two valid supported files are selected. Read parser and conversion warnings. If the job fails, correct the identified input or limit problem; retry only when the queue marks it eligible.

Examples

• Compare DOCX contract revisions and inspect moved clauses.
• Compare an XLSX source against a PDF print view.
• Compare two final PDFs for visual and textual changes.

Related

• /guides/compare-contract-versions
• /guides/pdf-vs-docx-comparison
• /help/office-metadata