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

Open Acrobat and select 'All tools'. Choose 'Compare files' from the list. Select your original and revised PDF files. Acrobat will then show you a summary of the changes and allow you to navigate through them.

What are the different modes available when comparing PDF files?

Autodetect: Acrobat tries to figure out the best way to compare your files. Reports/Spreadsheets: Best for documents with lots of numbers or tables. Presentation Decks: Good for slides or documents with many graphics. 'Compare text only': This option ignores pictures and only looks for text changes.

Regularize Change Detection in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

DBecome — “help me grow”I keep reacting to surprises because I miss subtle plan changes during reviews. Across the last…+

I keep reacting to surprises because I miss subtle plan changes during reviews. Across the last 30 plan revisions, show which sections change most and recommend one simple comparison routine or tool I can run before every client meeting to surface material changes reliably.

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.

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.

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

Who does this

3 roles

EditorLegal AssistantProject Manager

FAQ

about this task

Open Acrobat and select 'All tools'.
Choose 'Compare files' from the list.
Select your original and revised PDF files.
Acrobat will then show you a summary of the changes and allow you to navigate through them.

Comparing signed document versions helps you see if any changes were made to a document after it was signed digitally. This is important for legal and official documents to ensure their integrity and to know if the signed agreement has been altered. Acrobat can highlight these changes, giving you confidence in the document's authenticity.

No, if your PDF files have security settings that prevent comparison, the Compare Files feature will not work. You must first remove these security settings from both documents. Look for options to 'Remove Protection' or 'Unprotect' the PDF before attempting to compare them.

Autodetect: Acrobat tries to figure out the best way to compare your files.
Reports/Spreadsheets: Best for documents with lots of numbers or tables.
Presentation Decks: Good for slides or documents with many graphics.
'Compare text only': This option ignores pictures and only looks for text changes.

Comparing text only is important when you want to focus strictly on changes in the written content, ignoring any visual differences like image placement, font styles, or graphic updates. This can help you quickly identify textual revisions in a document, such as a legal contract or a report, without being distracted by design changes that might not be relevant to your review.

Regularize Change Detection

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails