How do I compare two versions of a PDF using Compare Files?

First, open Acrobat and click 'All tools'. Then, find and click 'Compare files'. Choose your 'old' and 'new' PDF files. Acrobat will show you a summary. Use 'Previous Change' and 'Next Change' to see each difference.

What is the difference between comparing text only and a full comparison in Compare Files?

Comparison Type What it compares When to use it. Full Comparison Compares text, images, and layout changes. When you need to see all types of changes, including pictures and how things look. Compare text only Only looks for changes in the words. When you only care about text edits and want to ignore any picture or layout changes.

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: Best for documents with lots of data in tables. Presentation Decks: Good for comparing slides in presentations. You can also choose 'Compare text only' to ignore images and focus just on words.

Precise Redline Comparison in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

CDecide — “help me choose”The commission asked for a redlined comparison of the developer's latest plan against our…+

The commission asked for a redlined comparison of the developer's latest plan against our requirements for tomorrow's session. I have both PDFs but changes are subtle—setbacks, parking shifts, and small landscaping edits. I can't waste time manually spotting every difference. Recommend the fastest, reliable method to produce a clear redline that highlights the commission's required corrections, and give the one-sentence executive summary I should put at the head of the redline.

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 Pro on your computer.
2
Go to the Tools pane and select Compare Files.
3
In the Compare Files window, click Select File on the left to choose the older version of your PDF.
4
Click Select File on the right to choose the newer version of your PDF.
5
Click Compare to start the comparison process.
6
Review the summary report that appears, which highlights all text and graphic differences between the two files.
Best practiceFor best results, avoid using scanned PDFs as input, since Acrobat compares text and graphics most accurately with digitally generated files.
7
Use the side-by-side view and navigation tools to examine each change in detail, including both textual edits and visual modifications.
Best practiceYou can focus the comparison on text, graphics, or both by adjusting the settings before running the comparison.

In the appWith the API

After comparing, use the navigation panel to quickly jump between each detected change in your PDFs.

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.

RedlineA redline shows changes or corrections made to a document, often marked in red.ExampleThe redline on page three shows where a sentence was added to the contract.

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

The real tasks

the one, listed here

I need a precise redline showing what changed between the developer's latest plan and the commission's requirements for tomorrow's meeting.

FAQ

about this task

First, open Acrobat and click 'All tools'.
Then, find and click 'Compare files'.
Choose your 'old' and 'new' PDF files.
Acrobat will show you a summary. Use 'Previous Change' and 'Next Change' to see each difference.

Compare Files fails if either PDF has security settings that block comparison. This is because the files are protected from changes or viewing differences. To fix it, you must remove the security from both PDF files before you try to compare them. Look for the 'Protect' tool in Acrobat to learn how to remove security.

Comparison Type	What it compares	When to use it
Full Comparison	Compares text, images, and layout changes.	When you need to see all types of changes, including pictures and how things look.
Compare text only	Only looks for changes in the words.	When you only care about text edits and want to ignore any picture or layout changes.

When you compare a contract revision, Compare Files opens a summary page first. This page shows an overview of all the changes. After that, you can use 'Previous Change' and 'Next Change' buttons to go through each specific difference one by one. This helps you review every edit in the contract easily.

Autodetect: Acrobat tries to figure out the best way to compare your files.
Reports/Spreadsheets: Best for documents with lots of data in tables.
Presentation Decks: Good for comparing slides in presentations.
You can also choose 'Compare text only' to ignore images and focus just on words.

Precise Redline Comparison

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails