How do I compare two versions of a forecast PDF in Acrobat?

Open Acrobat and go to 'All tools'. Select 'Compare files'. Choose your older and newer forecast PDFs. Pick a comparison mode that fits your document, like 'Reports/Spreadsheets'. Click 'Compare' to see the differences.

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

Autodetect: Acrobat tries to guess the best way to compare your files. Use this if you are unsure. Reports/Spreadsheets: Best for documents with lots of text and numbers in tables, like financial forecasts or data reports. Presentation Decks: Designed for files with slides, like PowerPoint presentations saved as PDFs. It focuses on layout and content changes per slide.

Compare Forecast Versions in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Run a side-by-side PDF comparison between last quarter's approved forecast and the new draft,…+

Run a side-by-side PDF comparison between last quarter's approved forecast and the new draft, produce a redline summary of changed figures and text, and save the comparison to the forecasting folder for review by the forecasting lead.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

BImprove — “do it better”Before handing it to the CFO, make the comparison decision-ready—generate a clear table of all…+

Before handing it to the CFO, make the comparison decision-ready—generate a clear table of all material deltas by line item, highlight the top five drivers of change with linked pages, and include a short note on whether changes are data-driven or assumption-driven to reduce debate time.

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.

Comparison ModeA setting that tells Acrobat how to look for differences in different types of documents.ExampleYou choose 'Text Only' comparison mode when comparing two versions of a contract.

Who does this

3 roles

EditorLegal AssistantProject Manager

FAQ

about this task

Open Acrobat and go to 'All tools'.
Select 'Compare files'.
Choose your older and newer forecast PDFs.
Pick a comparison mode that fits your document, like 'Reports/Spreadsheets'.
Click 'Compare' to see the differences.

The 'Compare text only' option tells Acrobat to ignore all images and graphics in your documents. It will only show you changes made to the words and numbers. This is useful if you only care about text revisions in your forecast and not picture updates.

Compare Files fails if either of your forecast PDFs has security settings that prevent comparison. Acrobat cannot read or process protected files to find differences. You need to remove these security settings from both the old and new files before you can compare them. Look for options to 'Remove Protection' in Acrobat.

Autodetect: Acrobat tries to guess the best way to compare your files. Use this if you are unsure.
Reports/Spreadsheets: Best for documents with lots of text and numbers in tables, like financial forecasts or data reports.
Presentation Decks: Designed for files with slides, like PowerPoint presentations saved as PDFs. It focuses on layout and content changes per slide.

After comparing your forecast PDFs, Acrobat opens a summary page. This page gives you an overview of all the changes found. You will also see 'Previous Change' and 'Next Change' buttons. These let you easily jump directly to each difference in the documents, highlighting what was added, deleted, or changed between your old and new forecasts.

Compare Forecast Versions

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails