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

First, click 'All tools' in Acrobat. Then, select 'Compare files'. Choose your 'old' and 'new' PDF files. Pick a comparison mode, like 'Autodetect'. Click 'Compare' to see the changes highlighted.

What are the different comparison modes available in Acrobat's Compare Files feature?

Autodetect: Acrobat automatically chooses the best way to compare your files. Reports/Spreadsheets: Best for documents with lots of numbers and tables, like financial reports. Presentation Decks: Good for slides and presentations, focusing on visual changes. Compare text only: Ignores images and graphics, only showing differences in written text.

Conflicting Recovery Versions in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

DBecome — “help me grow”After three incidents this quarter a new tech used an outdated recovery doc and extended…+

After three incidents this quarter a new tech used an outdated recovery doc and extended downtime. Show the pattern in how we distribute procedures (ad-hoc emails, stale PDFs, undocumented edits) and recommend one change to our 'send' practice—format, storage location, or ownership—that will make sure the on-call person always has the current step-by-step recovery procedure within five minutes.

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

First, click 'All tools' in Acrobat.
Then, select 'Compare files'.
Choose your 'old' and 'new' PDF files.
Pick a comparison mode, like 'Autodetect'.
Click 'Compare' to see the changes highlighted.

Comparing signed document versions helps you ensure that no changes were made to a document after it was signed. This is important for legal and official documents where the integrity of the signature and content must be maintained. Acrobat can highlight any differences, giving you confidence in the document's authenticity.

When you are setting up your comparison in Acrobat's 'Compare files' feature, you will see an option called 'Compare text only'. Make sure to select this box. This tells Acrobat to ignore all graphics and images, focusing only on the written words to show you text-based changes.

Acrobat fails to compare documents if either PDF has security settings that prevent comparison. This is a protection measure. To fix it, you need to remove the security settings from both PDF files before you try to compare them. This ensures you have permission to access and analyze the content.

Autodetect: Acrobat automatically chooses the best way to compare your files.
Reports/Spreadsheets: Best for documents with lots of numbers and tables, like financial reports.
Presentation Decks: Good for slides and presentations, focusing on visual changes.
Compare text only: Ignores images and graphics, only showing differences in written text.

Conflicting Recovery 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