Compare two Excel files and find the differences
See what changed, what's new and what's missing. Your files never leave your browser.
Old file
New file
Free, no sign-up. Nothing is uploaded.
Working
Comparing the same report every month?
Table Compare does this inside Excel: pick two tables, see the changes highlighted in your sheets, re-run it in one click. Works on Windows, Mac and the web.
See Table Compare- Free, no sign-up
- Files stay in your browser
- Matches rows by ID
- .xlsx, .xls, .csv
How it works
Two files in, one list of what changed out.
Drop both files
Drag in the old and the new file, click to browse, or paste cells straight from Excel.
Rows are matched by their ID
The tool finds the column that identifies each row, such as SKU or order number, so moved, added and deleted rows do not hide the real changes.
See and download the differences
Changed cells show the old value struck through and the new one beside it. Download the result as an Excel report or a CSV.
Free online tool or Excel add-in?
Use this page for two files you already have. Use the add-in when the tables sit in your workbook and you compare them again and again.
| This page | Table Compare add-in | |
|---|---|---|
| What you compare | Files you drop here | Tables and sheets in your open workbook |
| The result | A grid here and a downloaded report | A report sheet with links back to each row |
| Highlights in your sheets | No | Yes, removed again in one click |
| Compare again next month | Drop the files again | One click, with your settings kept |
| Where it runs | In your browser | Excel on Windows, Mac and the web |
| Cost | Free, no sign-up | Free for tables up to 200 rows, then a one-time license |
Frequently asked questions
No. Both files are read and compared inside your browser, on your own computer. Nothing is sent to a server and nothing is stored, and closing the tab clears everything. The page itself loads like any other web page, but the contents of your spreadsheets never leave it.
The tool looks for a column that identifies each row, such as a SKU, order number, email address or employee ID. When it finds one, rows are matched by it, so a row that moved, or a row that was added or deleted above it, does not make every cell below look changed. The line above the results says which column was used, and Options lets you choose another column or two columns together.
That is fine when there is an ID column: rows are matched by ID, not by position, so a re-sorted list compares cleanly. When no column has a unique value in every row, rows are matched by their order instead, and inserted or deleted rows are still found. You can also choose Compare by row order in Options.
Yes, when both files have several sheets. Sheets with the same name are paired automatically and listed with their number of changes, and a sheet that exists in only one file is shown as only in Old or only in New. If the sheet names differ, choose the sheet for each file in its own Sheet menu. The Excel report covers the sheet you are looking at.
Spaces at the start or end of a cell, and repeated spaces inside it, are ignored. In ID columns 00123 and 123 count as the same ID, so a re-exported file that dropped the leading zeros still matches. In other columns they count as different, and Options can treat them as the same everywhere. Upper and lower case count as different unless you tick Ignore upper and lower case.
It compares values, which is what you see in the cells. Tick Compare formulas instead of values in Options to compare the formula text where a cell has one. Formatting such as fonts, fill colors and conditional formatting is not compared. Dates are compared as the date values stored in the file, never as text guessed from a regional format.
Yes. Table Compare is my Excel add-in. It compares two tables or sheets in your open workbook, highlights the changes in your own sheets, writes a report sheet with links back to each row, and re-runs in one click next month. It works in Excel on Windows, Mac and the web. See Table Compare.
No. Microsoft's Spreadsheet Compare is available only in Excel for Windows, and only in Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise plans and equivalent editions, so it is missing from Mac, from Excel on the web and from many Microsoft 365 plans. Microsoft describes this in Compare two versions of a workbook by using Spreadsheet Compare.
Use the free Compare Two Lists tool. Paste two columns and it shows what is only in the first list, what is only in the second and what is in both.
Compare Tables Inside Excel
Table Compare finds the changed, new and missing rows between two tables in your workbook and highlights them in your own sheets.
See Table CompareExcel on Windows, Mac and the web.
Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation, which is not affiliated with this tool.
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