How do I compare two memo revisions in Adobe Acrobat?

Go to 'All tools' and select 'Compare files'. Choose your first memo (the older one) and your second memo (the newer one). Acrobat will show you a summary of the changes. Use the 'Previous Change' and 'Next Change' buttons to review each difference.

What are the different comparison modes available in 'Compare files'?

Autodetect: Acrobat tries to figure out the best way to compare your files. Reports/Spreadsheets: This mode is good for documents with lots of numbers or tables. Presentation Decks: Use this for comparing slide presentations. 'Compare text only': This option lets you ignore pictures and only compare the words.

Compare Memo Revisions in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Compare the two PDF revisions of the investment memo and produce a single annotated PDF that…+

Compare the two PDF revisions of the investment memo and produce a single annotated PDF that highlights all text and figure changes so I can brief the team on what the strategist updated.

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

BImprove — “do it better”Before I brief the team, create a clean comparison: produce a redline PDF that highlights…+

Before I brief the team, create a clean comparison: produce a redline PDF that highlights changed paragraphs and numeric deltas, summarize top five assumption changes on the first page with dollar impact, and attach the original and revised pages side-by-side for quick verification by the strategist.

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

RevisionA new version of a document after changes have been made.ExampleAfter addressing all comments, the third revision of the report was ready for final approval.

CompareTo look at two things and find the differences between them.ExampleYou look at two versions of a contract to identify any changes made between them.

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.

Who does this

3 roles

EditorLegal AssistantProject Manager

FAQ

about this task

Go to 'All tools' and select 'Compare files'.
Choose your first memo (the older one) and your second memo (the newer one).
Acrobat will show you a summary of the changes.
Use the 'Previous Change' and 'Next Change' buttons to review each difference.

The 'Compare files' feature in Adobe Acrobat helps you find differences between two PDF documents. It shows you what text, images, or other elements have changed. This is useful for checking revisions of reports, contracts, or presentations quickly.

You might not be able to compare your memo files if they have security settings. Acrobat will tell you that the documents have security. To fix this, you need to remove the protection from both PDF files first. After the protection is removed, you can use the 'Compare files' tool.

Yes, 'Compare files' can help if you only want to see text changes. When you use the tool, there is an option to 'Compare text only'. If you select this, Acrobat will ignore any graphics or images and only show you differences in the words.

Autodetect: Acrobat tries to figure out the best way to compare your files.
Reports/Spreadsheets: This mode is good for documents with lots of numbers or tables.
Presentation Decks: Use this for comparing slide presentations.
'Compare text only': This option lets you ignore pictures and only compare the words.

Compare Memo Revisions

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails