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

Go to 'All tools' and select 'Compare files'. Pick your old document and then your new document. Choose a comparison mode like 'Autodetect'. Click 'Compare'. Acrobat will show you the changes.

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

Autodetect: Acrobat tries to figure out the best way to compare your files. Reports/Spreadsheets: Best for documents with lots of tables and numbers. Presentation Decks: Good for slides or documents with many graphics. 'Compare text only': Ignores all images and focuses only on text changes.

What is the main difference between comparing documents with 'Autodetect' versus 'Compare text only'?

Comparison Mode What it Compares Best Use Case. Autodetect Text, images, formatting, and layout changes. Most general documents where all types of changes matter. Compare text only Only the words and numbers; ignores all graphics and pictures. Documents where only text content is important, like legal contracts or reports.

Identify Document Changes in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Compare last [year='last year']'s and this [year='this year']'s science curriculum [pdfs] and…+

Compare last [year='last year']'s and this [year='this year']'s science curriculum [pdfs] and produce a report that lists every sentence-level change, saving the comparison to [folder=Curriculum Reviews] by [deadline=Friday].

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

BImprove — “do it better”Before curriculum adoption, produce a human-friendly comparison: identify substantive changes…+

Before curriculum adoption, produce a human-friendly comparison: identify substantive changes to learning [objectives] and assessment [language], summarize changes by [unit] with page references, and flag any changes that alter standards [alignment] so the curriculum [committee] can act quickly.

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

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.

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.

Who does this

3 roles

EditorLegal AssistantProject Manager

FAQ

about this task

Go to 'All tools' and select 'Compare files'.
Pick your old document and then your new document.
Choose a comparison mode like 'Autodetect'.
Click 'Compare'. Acrobat will show you the changes.

The 'Compare Files' tool cannot work if either of your PDF documents has security settings. These settings stop Acrobat from reading and comparing the content. To fix this, you must first remove any protection from both the old and new PDF files. Once the security is gone, you can compare them normally.

Autodetect: Acrobat tries to figure out the best way to compare your files.
Reports/Spreadsheets: Best for documents with lots of tables and numbers.
Presentation Decks: Good for slides or documents with many graphics.
'Compare text only': Ignores all images and focuses only on text changes.

Yes, Acrobat allows you to compare signed document versions. This is useful for checking what changes were made after a document was signed. You can find specific instructions on how to compare signed documents in the Acrobat help section, ensuring you understand the impact of signatures on the comparison.

Comparison Mode	What it Compares	Best Use Case
Autodetect	Text, images, formatting, and layout changes.	Most general documents where all types of changes matter.
Compare text only	Only the words and numbers; ignores all graphics and pictures.	Documents where only text content is important, like legal contracts or reports.

Identify Document Changes

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails