How to Compare and Combine Two Documents in Word

When you have more than one saved version of a document or revisions from multiple people in one document, you'll probably want to check what's changed between each version and, if needed, save all the changes that have been made into one document. Thankfully, Microsoft Word's built-in comparison tool can help you merge two versions of a document into one.

For example, perhaps you've created two (or more) versions of your resume and want to see what's different between the updates, or you want to compare an original report with a newer one. Word's compare and combine tools will help you see and consolidate those similar docs.

1. Click the Review tab in the Ribbon, then Compare > Compare

2. Browse for the original document and the revised document with the two drop-down boxes. 

3. Optionally, click the More button to select the kinds of changes you want to see.

4. Click OK.

5. Review the changes to the documents. Click on any highlighted revisions and use the Accept button in the Ribbon to accept changes.

Alternatively, you could use the Combine menu option to merge all the changes into one doc at once.

Microsoft Word Tips

Melanie was a writer at Laptop Mag. She wrote dozens of helpful how-to guides, covering both the software and the hardware side of things. Her work included topics like SSDs, RAM, Apple, Excel, OneDrive, and detailed guides for Windows users. Outside of all her useful advice, Melanie also penned a few reviews for Laptop Mag, including Android emulators that help you run apps on your PC.