ExamDiff: Free File Compare Tool for Windows

Features

• There is no need to specify both file names: enter a directory name for one of the files, and ExamDiff uses the other file's name in that directory.
• Remembers a user-specified number of recently compared first and second files, for quick selection of the next pair.
• Autopick in the Compare dialog remembers matching file pairs.
• Automatically detects file changes and offers to re-compare.
• One-push re-compare that keeps your place in the files.
• Drag and drop one or two files into the window (e.g. from Windows Explorer).
• Opens the first or second file in any editor you configure, at the current line, through the variables $FILE (file name), $CURFIFF (line where the current difference starts), and $CARET (caret line).
• Saves the differences as a standard UNIX DIFF file.
• Easy navigation through differences with Previous / Current / Next Difference buttons and hot keys, or a drop-down list of all differences.
• Copy text from the comparison panes by drag and drop, a hot key, or a right-click menu.
• Search for strings in the comparison panes; remembers your most recent searches.
• Customizable colors, font, and tab size; "Show Differences Only"; options to ignore white space, changes in amount of white space, leading or trailing white space, and case; "Treat files as text files".
• Customizable file extension filter, for example to show only .c and .cpp files.
• Tooltips with file properties (over the pane title bars) and the difference number (over the current-difference marker).
• Adjustable pane splitter with synchronized scrolling; switch between horizontal and vertical layout, center the splitter, or hide a pane.

Command line

ExamDiff [Filename1] [Filename2] [Options]

Options /i, /w, /b, /l, /e, /t, and /d can be negated with "!" (e.g. /!i means do not ignore case). Options you don't set keep their last used values.

Questions

Is ExamDiff really free?

Yes. ExamDiff is freeware: there is no trial period, no time limit, and no registration key. Its bigger sibling, ExamDiff Pro, is a paid product with a free 30-day trial.

Does ExamDiff work on Windows 11?

Yes. ExamDiff runs on Windows 11 and 10, and on every Windows version back to Windows 95. The setup is under 1 MB.

Can I use ExamDiff without installing it?

Yes. Download Files without installer, unzip them, and run ExamDiff.exe.

How do I compare two files?

Start ExamDiff, pick the two files in the Compare Files dialog or drag them into the window, and ExamDiff shows them side by side with the differences highlighted. Use the Next and Previous Difference buttons to move between changes. From the command line, run ExamDiff file1.txt file2.txt.

Can ExamDiff compare folders, Word documents, or PDF files?

No, ExamDiff compares pairs of text files. For folders, documents, and merging, try ExamDiff Pro:

• check_circleCode-aware syntax highlighting and structure matching
• check_circleCompare Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and Zip files
• check_circle2- and 3-way merge, also for Git and other VCS
• check_circleFast with large files and folders; native ARM64
• check_circleDeveloped and supported by its author since 1997

Is there an online version of ExamDiff?

Yes: DiffNow, our free online diff tool, compares text, files, web pages, and Zip archives in your browser without installing anything. It runs the ExamDiff Pro comparison engine on the server.