Google Docs is quickly climbing the ladder to compete with Microsoft Word by constantly introducing new features. One such recent addition is the ability to compare documents. This feature is useful when you are working collaboratively with others on a document.
The comparison feature will represent the changes made as suggestions, making it easier to create the final document. It’s a useful tool for teachers and editors to see what’s changed by comparing previous and later versions.
So without further ado, check out how to compare documents in Google Docs.
Compare Docs in Google Docs
For comparison, you’ll need two separate documents in Google Docs. If you want to compare it with a Word document, you need to convert the DOCX document to GDOC format.
Note: Converting DOCX to GDOC can lead to formatting problems.
Step 1: Open the document you want to compare in Google Docs. Now click on Tools from the top menu bar and select ‘Compare Documents’.
Step 2: In the pop-up window that appears, click on the ‘My Drive’ option to fetch the comparison document.
Step 3: Find comparison documents using the four tabs (My Drive, Shared with Me, Starred or Recent) at the top. Alternatively, use the search bar to locate files quickly. When you find your favorite document, select it and click Open.
Step 4: Now you will also have an option to allocate the difference to a specific user. It’s convenient when collaborating on a document or if the original author of the document is someone other than you. To import documents with comments, mark the checkbox that says ‘Include comments from selected documents’ and click Compare. Then click Open when the comparison is ready.
Note: Comparison time will vary depending on the size of the document. If it’s a set of contracts or reports with hundreds of pages, it may take a little longer to compare.
A new document will then open in a separate tab showing you the difference between the two. Additionally, Google Docs will automatically save it under the name ‘Compare’ followed by the names of the two documents.
See comparison
In the compared document, you will see all differences between documents appear as highlighted text. For text that has been removed from the document, you’ll see magenta dashes on it.
In the right pane you will be able to see the changes and the name of the person who made them. Each change appears as a suggestion in the document. Conveniently, you can choose to accept or reject that edit by clicking the check mark or the ‘X’ in the right pane.
Alternatively, you can also view or add a comment on a specific recommendation in the right pane. To add a comment, select the suggestion and check the ‘Reply to or add others with @’ box. This is useful to add a reason for the change.
Bonus: How to View Google Docs Version History
Besides the comparison feature, Google Docs also has a neat ‘Version History’ feature similar to the ‘Revision History’ feature on Microsoft Word. It allows you to find older versions of documents in case you want to revisit them.
Here’s how to revert to a previous version of a document.
Step 1: Open your Google Docs document. Now click on the File option from the menu bar at the top. Go to ‘Version History’ then click ‘View version history’.
Or else, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H to quickly open version history.
Step 2: In the right pane, you will see a list of available document versions with date, time and author name. You can click on a specific version to view it. If you want to revert to the version of your choice, click on the three-dot menu icon and select ‘Restore this version’ from the list.
Again, changes between versions are displayed as highlighted and dashed text. To remove them, uncheck the ‘Show changes’ box. Alternatively, you can rename the instance by clicking on the three-dot menu icon and selecting the ‘Name this instance’ option from the list.
Find out the difference
While you can see the differences between multiple versions using version history, Google Docs takes it a step further with the ability to compare documents. And like most features on Google Docs, it’s pretty simple to use even if you’re using it for the first time.
Did you find this feature useful? If so, check out these cool Google Docs tips and tricks to use it like a pro.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
