How To Compare Two Files In Notepad++

Tutorial on how to compare two text files using notepad

How To Use Diff In Notepad++

Do you want to compare two text files using Notepad++? It is so simple. Its just a matter of a few clicks and steps. Follow our below tutorial on how to compare two files in notepad++.

You may often be required to compare the contents of two files, which may be very large in size, look alike and hard to spot the differences. Particularly when you are a developer, you are required to do this often. Follow the below steps to compare two files in Notepad++.
How to Use Diff in Notepad++:
Follow the below steps to use diff in notepad++ for comparing the files which are too long.
Step 1: Files can be compared in Notepad++ using the "Compare" plugin available in the Plugin Manager of Notepad++. Go to Plugins Menu --> open the Plugin Manager.

Step 2: Select the "Compare" plugin and click install. Make sure that the "Compare" plugin gets installed successfully.

Step 3: Open the two files which you wish to compare in Notepad++ as two separate tabs.
Step 4: Open Plugins Menu --> select Compare --> click Compare. You can also use the shortcut Alt+D instead.

Step 5: Now you could see that the two files which are opened in two separate tabs side by side are highlighted with conflicting changes. You can use the blue arrows on the toolbar to navigate between the highlighted changes.

NOTE: When you cant find the "Compare" plugin in the Plugins Menu, use the Notepad Plugin Manager, which is introduced since Notepad v5.6, to install the "Compare" Plugin as said above.