Comparing two Word documents for differences is a crucial task when reviewing changes, ensuring accuracy, and collaborating on content. This process allows you to identify additions, deletions, and modifications made between different document iterations. By comparing versions, you can efficiently track alterations, verify updates, and maintain document integrity. In this article, you will learn how to compare two versions of a Word document in Python using the Spire.Doc for Python library.

• Compare Two Versions of a Word Document in Python
• Compare Two Versions of a Word Document While Ignoring Formatting in Python

Install Spire.Doc for Python

This scenario requires Spire.Doc for Python and plum-dispatch v1.7.4. They can be easily installed in your Windows through the following pip command.

pip install Spire.Doc

If you are unsure how to install, please refer to: How to Install Spire.Doc for Python on Windows

Compare Two Versions of a Word Document in Python

MS Word also offers a "Compare" feature that allows you to directly compare two versions of a document. This feature generates a new document that highlights the differences between the two versions.

To achieve similar results using Spire.Doc for Python, load the original and revised versions into two separate Document objects. Then, use the Compare() method to compare the revised version against the original. Finally, save the comparative document, which highlights the alterations, using the SaveToFile() method.

The steps to compare two version of a Word document using Python are as follows.

• Load the first document (original version) while initializing the Document object.
• Load the second document (revised version) while initializing the Document object.
• Call Compare() method of the first Document object to compare the revised version against the original version.
• Save the comparison results in a new Word document.

from spire.doc import *
from spire.doc.common import *

# Load the first document while initializing the Document object
firstDoc = Document("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\Original.docx")

# Load the second document while initializing the Document object
secondDoc = Document("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\Revised.docx")

# Compare two documents
firstDoc.Compare(secondDoc, "E-ICEBLUE")

# Save the comparison results in a new document
firstDoc.SaveToFile("Output/Differences.docx", FileFormat.Docx2016)

# Dispose resources
firstDoc.Dispose()
secondDoc.Dispose()

Compare Two Versions of a Word Document While Ignoring Formatting in Python

Comparing two versions of a Word document while ignoring formatting can be useful when you want to focus solely on the textual changes and disregard any formatting modifications.

To customize the comparison options in Spire.Doc for Python, use the CompareOptions class. If you want to exclude formatting from the comparison process, you can set the IgnoreFormatting property of the CompareOptions object to True. When you call the Compare() method, simply pass the CompareOptions object as an argument to achieve the desired comparison behavior.

The following are the steps to compare two versions of a Word document while ignoring formatting using Python.

• Load the first document (original version) while initializing the Document object.
• Load the second document (revised version) while initializing the Document object.
• Create a CompareOptions object and set its IgnoreFormatting property to True.
• Call Compare() method of the first Document object, passing the CompareOptions object as a parameter, to compare the revision against the original while ignoring formatting.
• Save the comparison results in a new Word document.

from spire.doc import *
from spire.doc.common import *

# Load the first document while initializing the Document object
firstDoc = Document("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\Original.docx")

# Load the second document while initializing the Document object
secondDoc = Document("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\Revised.docx")

# Set compare option to ignore formatting changes
compareOptions = CompareOptions()
compareOptions.IgnoreFormatting = True

# Compare the two Word documents with options
firstDoc.Compare(secondDoc, "E-ICEBLUE", compareOptions)

# Save the comparison results in a new document
firstDoc.SaveToFile("Output/DifferencesWithoutFormattingChanges.docx", FileFormat.Docx2016)

# Dispose resources
firstDoc.Dispose()
secondDoc.Dispose()

Apply for a Temporary License

If you'd like to remove the evaluation message from the generated documents, or to get rid of the function limitations, please request a 30-day trial license for yourself.