There are two methods to compare documents available in Word 2010:

1. The Compare function which automatically compares or combines versions
2. Side by Side view which allows you to compare documents

The Compare Function

To compare two documents:

• Open the Review tab, select Compare and then Compare …

• Choose the two documents you wish to compare. They do not need to be open. Click OK

• The screen will now be split into 4 sections
  • The Comparison
  • Original Document
  • Revised Document
  • Changes Detected
• You can now review and accept changes as with any tracked change, then save the resultant Compared Document, if required

To combine two documents:

• Open the Review tab, select Compare and then Compare …
• Choose the two documents you wish to compare. They do not need to be open. Click OK
• The screen will now be split into 4 sections
  • The Combined Document
  • Original Document
  • Revised Document
  • Changes detected
• You can now review and accept changes as with any tracked change, then save the resultant Combined Document, if required

View Side by Side

To compare two documents manually:

• Open both documents
• Scroll each document to the same location
• Open the View tab, in the Window group and click View Side by Side button
• The screen is split in two and the documents scroll from the current location simultaneously
• Both documents are fully editable
• Both documents scroll together, but this can be switched off by clicking the Synchronous Scrolling button in the Window group on the View tab