How do I compare two versions of a PDF document?

First, open Acrobat and go to 'All tools'. Then, click on 'Compare files'. Choose your 'old' and 'new' PDF files. Acrobat will show you a summary of the differences.

What is the difference between 'Autodetect' and 'Compare text only' when comparing PDFs?

Option What it does. Autodetect Acrobat tries to guess the best way to compare your files, looking at both text and pictures. It's good for most general documents. Compare text only Acrobat only looks for changes in the words and numbers. It ignores any changes to images or graphics in the PDF. Use this if you only care about text edits.

What kind of report do I get after comparing two PDF files?

You get a summary page that shows all the changes found. You can then use 'Previous Change' and 'Next Change' buttons to go through each difference one by one.

◆ Acrobat · edit

Compare Signed Consent

Compare the signed consent PDF returned by the patient with the original sent version to verify no text or signature b…

2ready prompts

1real task

3roles

See the prompt↓More edit workflows

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Compare the signed consent PDF returned by the patient with the original sent version to verify…+

Compare the signed consent PDF returned by the patient with the original sent version to verify no text or signature blocks were altered and note any differences in the audit log.

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

BImprove — “do it better”Before accepting a signed consent, safeguard the legal record: run a document comparison…+

Before accepting a signed consent, safeguard the legal record: run a document comparison between the sent and signed versions, highlight any edits or added handwriting, confirm the signature matches the expected [signer=signer], and add a note in the chart recording the verification and time checked to prevent disputes.

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

PDFA common file type used to share documents that look the same everywhere.ExampleShe saved the brochure as a PDF so everyone would see the exact same layout and fonts.

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 settingsThese are protections on a PDF that stop people from changing or comparing it.

The real tasks

the one, listed here

Compare the signed consent a patient returned with the version we sent to verify no changes were made.

FAQ

about this task

First, open Acrobat and go to 'All tools'.
Then, click on 'Compare files'.
Choose your 'old' and 'new' PDF files.
Acrobat will show you a summary of the differences.

The 'Compare Files' tool might not work if your PDF documents have security settings. These settings can stop Acrobat from looking inside the files to find differences. You need to remove any protection or security from both PDF files before you can compare them.

Option	What it does
Autodetect	Acrobat tries to guess the best way to compare your files, looking at both text and pictures. It's good for most general documents.
Compare text only	Acrobat only looks for changes in the words and numbers. It ignores any changes to images or graphics in the PDF. Use this if you only care about text edits.

Yes, you can compare signed documents in Acrobat. This is helpful if you want to make sure no one changed a document after it was signed. Acrobat has a special feature to 'Compare signed document versions' which helps you track these kinds of changes.

You get a summary page that shows all the changes found.
You can then use 'Previous Change' and 'Next Change' buttons to go through each difference one by one.

Compare Signed Consent

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails