How do I compare two client evaluation PDFs using Compare Files?

Go to 'All tools' in Acrobat. Select 'Compare files'. Choose your 'old' and 'new' evaluation PDFs. Pick a comparison mode (like 'Autodetect'). Click 'Compare'. Acrobat will show you a summary of changes and let you go through them.

What are the different comparison modes in Compare Files and when should I use them?

Autodetect: Best for most general documents; Acrobat tries to figure out the best comparison method. Reports/Spreadsheets: Use this for documents with lots of numbers or tables, like financial reports or data sheets. Presentation Decks: Good for slides or presentations where layout and graphics are important. Compare text only: Choose this if you only care about words and want to ignore all pictures and graphics. This can make the comparison faster and clearer for text-heavy documents.

Compare Client Evaluations in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

CDecide — “help me choose”My client, Nia, scored higher on depression and shows new suicidal ideation in this week's…+

My client, Nia, scored higher on depression and shows new suicidal ideation in this week's assessment. I have the prior three evaluations and today's. I can't tell if this is measurement noise or real deterioration. Compare the scores and notes I attach, highlight changes that cross clinical thresholds, and tell me whether I should request an urgent psychiatric review or adjust our weekly plan first.

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
Open Adobe Acrobat on your computer.
2
Go to Tools and select Compare Files.
3
Click Select File under 'Compare' and choose your first PDF (the older or original version).
4
Click Select File under 'With' and choose your second PDF (the newer or revised version).
5
Click Compare to start the comparison.
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.

In the appWith the API

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

Compare FilesThis tool helps you find differences between two similar PDF documents.ExampleYou use this tool to quickly spot the differences between an original and a revised PDF document.

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.

Who does this

3 roles

EditorLegal AssistantProject Manager

FAQ

about this task

Go to 'All tools' in Acrobat.
Select 'Compare files'.
Choose your 'old' and 'new' evaluation PDFs.
Pick a comparison mode (like 'Autodetect').
Click 'Compare'. Acrobat will show you a summary of changes and let you go through them.

Compare Files fails if one or both PDF documents have security settings that stop comparison. These settings are often used to protect the document from changes. To fix this, you must first remove the security protection from both PDFs before trying to compare them. Look for the 'Protect' feature in Acrobat to manage these settings.

Autodetect: Best for most general documents; Acrobat tries to figure out the best comparison method.
Reports/Spreadsheets: Use this for documents with lots of numbers or tables, like financial reports or data sheets.
Presentation Decks: Good for slides or presentations where layout and graphics are important.
Compare text only: Choose this if you only care about words and want to ignore all pictures and graphics. This can make the comparison faster and clearer for text-heavy documents.

The reliability of Compare Files with a scanned document depends on how well the scan was converted to text. If the scanned client evaluation is just an image, Acrobat may not be able to 'read' the text to compare it accurately. For best results, ensure your scanned PDF has undergone Optical Character Recognition (OCR) so that the text is selectable and searchable before comparison. If the text is recognized, the comparison should work well.

Compare Files saves a lot of time by automatically highlighting every single change between two PDF versions of a contract. Instead of you having to read both documents line by line to spot differences, Acrobat shows you exactly what was added, deleted, or moved. This lets you quickly focus on the actual revisions, making your review process much faster and less prone to missing important changes.

Compare Client Evaluations

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails