Compare the original permit application submitted on [date=June 1] with the revised file received [date=July 10] for […
Open Adobe Acrobat on your computer.
Go to Tools and select Compare Files.
Click Select File under 'Compare' and choose your first PDF (the older or original version).
Click Select File under 'With' and choose your second PDF (the newer or revised version).
Click Compare to start the comparison.
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.
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.
Compare Files fails if either of your PDF documents has security settings that prevent comparison. This is a protection put on the file to stop changes or viewing. To fix this, you need to remove the security from both the old and new PDF files before you try to compare them. You can usually find options to remove security in the 'Protect' tool within Acrobat.
When comparing signed document versions, Acrobat has specific features to help. You can compare different versions of a document that has been digitally signed. This helps you track changes made after a signature was applied. This is important for legal or official documents where preserving the integrity of the signed version is key. Acrobat provides specific steps to manage and compare these signed versions.
The 'Compare text only' option in Compare Files is different because it ignores all images and graphics in your PDF documents. Other modes like 'Autodetect' or 'Reports/Spreadsheets' will look at both text and visual elements. Choosing 'Compare text only' is useful when you only care about changes in the words, not in pictures or layout, making the comparison faster and more focused on content.