The best known and most used word processor is none other than Word, a tool that can be found within the Microsoft Office office suite. With this application we can create and modify all kinds of documents. For this reason, it is possible that when using it we create several versions of the same document , and after a while we do not know which is the most recent version of it, its differences and which one can serve us and which one we can delete. That is why today we are going to check how documents can be compared and combined to obtain an improved and definitive document in this way.
And it is that since we open a blank document for the first time, we go through different stages where we make all kinds of changes, retouching and corrections until we achieve the final version. That is why, during this process, we end up saving several copies of the same document, without finally knowing which one is appropriate. Word is a tool that incorporates a large number of options to create, format, edit documents, among others. Fortunately, Microsoft has also equipped this processor with the functions of Combine and Compare . So let’s go, let’s see how we can combine and compare two Word documents.
Compare two Word documents
The Compare documents function is available in the vast majority of versions of Word from 2007 to 2019. Thanks to it, we will be able to compare two documents that show the differences between two texts that may appear the same or very similar to each other.
In this way, if we want to compare two documents through Word, we must start by opening the word processor and creating a new blank document. Later, we click on the “Review” tab that we find at the top.
Next, we click on the “Compare” tool to open a new window from which we can choose the documents to compare, the original document and the revised document . Once we have selected the two documents, click on “OK” and Word will show us the content of both documents, as well as the differences between them. From the “View” tab we can organize the pages.
From “Organize everything” , we can see the same window at the same time, one on top of the other. If we use the “Divide” option, we will obtain the same view but separated by a fine line, so that we can move around and edit the documents. With the option “View in parallel” , we can organize the documents one on the left and one on the right. Also, if we mark the option “Synchronous movement” we will move both documents at the same time.
Both in the original document windows and in the revised document we can see both documents as they are saved. On the other hand, on the sheet where the compared document is shown, we will be able to see everything from the original document that is not reviewed. So we can see which parts of the text we want to recover.
Merge two Word documents
Using the Combine documents function we can obtain a final document that is made up of two previous versions . It is an automatic process, which is based on taking advantage of all the changes or differences in two documents at the same time.
In the same way that happens in the Compare function, we can see how the two documents are merged in the third file or take advantage of the existing ones to introduce the changes. To access this function we must click on the “Review” tab, then on the “Compare” button and finally on “Combine”. We select the documents to combine and click on “OK”.
Next, we will see the document as we normally see it, but on the left side a panel will appear with the changes applied with the combination. These changes can be reviewed manually to make the changes we deem appropriate.
Another option is to show only the combined document without showing the other two originals. To do this we can hide them by clicking on the “Compare” tool, but in this case we select “Show source documents”. From among the options that appear, we must select “Hide source documents”. Once this is done, we can see how the changes are highlighted with a visible vertical red line in the left margin.
