Compare two Excel files

Choose the two files

Put the version you trust in Baseline and the version you want to check in New output. For example, compare last week’s approved report with the same report produced by an updated analysis program.

1. Open Workbook Compare Pro and select Two files.
2. Click Choose baseline file and select the approved .xlsx file.
3. Click Choose new file and select the new .xlsx file.
4. Leave the options at their defaults for your first run. Click Compare.

You can also drag a file onto each file area. Use the Choose buttons when you plan to save a project and reuse the locations.

Read the result

Same means no differences were found under your chosen settings. Different means there is something to review. Select the file’s result row to see the details.

A difference tells you the worksheet, cell or location, changed property, and the before-and-after values. Double-click a detail row, or press Enter while it is selected, to inspect it side by side.

One cell can have more than one change. A changed value and a changed border count as two difference records.

Know what is being compared

Excel cells are compared by position: A10 against A10, B10 against B10, and so on. That is useful when a report should keep the same layout between runs. Inserting a row may create several differences below it. The app does not automatically line up reordered Excel records by an ID.

Worksheets are matched by name first. An otherwise unchanged, uniquely identifiable renamed worksheet can also be recognized. The app reads stored values and formula text; it does not calculate formulas.

Check the next output

When the new file has been regenerated, click Compare again. Files chosen through Windows are read again from their saved locations. If you dragged the originals in, use Refresh selections… or the Choose buttons to reconnect to the current files.

Use Save as… to save a project if you will run this check again. Normal comparisons leave both original files unchanged.