◆ Acrobat · edit

Compare Chapter Drafts

Compare the two draft chapter PDFs and produce a report showing where text was added, removed, or moved, highlighting …

2ready prompts
1real task
3roles

When to use it

real situations

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one
AExecute — “help me do it”Compare the two draft chapter PDFs and produce a report showing where text was added, removed,…+
Compare the two draft chapter PDFs and produce a report showing where text was added, removed, or moved, highlighting changes that affect citations or key interpretations for my review.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.
BImprove — “do it better”Prepare a comparison that helps editorial decisions — produce a marked‑up PDF showing…+
Prepare a comparison that helps editorial decisions — produce a marked‑up PDF showing insertions and deletions with author initials, summarize paragraphs where claims or citations change, and flag any added uncited assertions so we can resolve them before external review.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid
  1. 1

    Open Adobe Acrobat on your computer.

  2. 2

    Go to Tools and select Compare Files.

  3. 3

    Click Select File under 'Compare' and choose your first PDF (the older or original version).

  4. 4

    Click Select File under 'With' and choose your second PDF (the newer or revised version).

  5. 5

    Click Compare to start the comparison.

  6. 6

    Review the results in the comparison summary and use the side-by-side view to examine highlighted differences.

    Best practiceFor best results, avoid using scanned PDFs as input files, as text recognition may be inconsistent.

You can filter the comparison results to focus on text, images, or formatting changes for a clearer review.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page
Security SettingsRules that protect a PDF file, like preventing changes or copying.ExampleThe security settings on the PDF prevented anyone from printing or copying its contents.
Autodetect ModeA setting in Compare Files that automatically chooses the best way to compare your documents.ExampleCompare Files uses Autodetect Mode to figure out the best comparison type for your documents.

The real tasks

the one, listed here
Compare two draft versions of a chapter to identify where citations or interpretations were added or removed.

Who does this

3 roles
EditorLegal AssistantProject Manager

FAQ

about this task
  1. First, open Acrobat.
  2. Go to 'All tools' and then select 'Compare files'.
  3. Choose your older PDF and your newer PDF.
  4. Acrobat will then show you a report of all the changes between them.

This message appears because one or both of your PDF files are protected. Security settings on a PDF can stop features like comparison from working. To fix this, you need to remove the protection from the files first. You can usually find options to remove security in the 'Protect' section of Acrobat.

The 'Compare text only' option tells Acrobat to ignore any pictures or graphics in your documents. It will only look for changes in the written words. This is useful when you only care about text edits and want to skip visual differences.

When you compare two signed document versions, Acrobat will highlight any changes that were made after the document was signed. This is very important for legal or official documents. It helps you see if the content was altered after someone put their digital signature on it, ensuring document integrity.

  • Autodetect: Acrobat automatically chooses the best way to compare your files. This is good for most general documents.
  • Reports/Spreadsheets: This mode is best for documents with lots of tables or data. It helps Acrobat find changes in numbers and cell layouts.
  • Presentation Decks: Use this for slides or presentations. It helps compare visual elements and text on each slide.

Sources

where this comes from
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