Spreadsheet Compare
Upload two spreadsheets to compare Excel files side by side. This free spreadsheet compare and Excel diff tool highlights row and cell differences in your browser, with no file upload to a server.
File 1
Drop your file here or click to upload
Supports .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm, .xlsb · up to 50MB · or paste a file from your clipboard
File 2
Drop your file here or click to upload
Supports .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm, .xlsb · up to 50MB · or paste a file from your clipboard
Example output
sample-budget.xlsx ⇄ sample-budget-v2.xlsx
3 changed cells and 1 added row in sheet “Transactions”
| Cell | File 1 | File 2 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| D4 | -58.2 | -61.9 | Changed |
| B6 | Coffee with Sam | Coffee with Alex | Changed |
| A17:D17 | — | Pharmacy run, -23.15 | Added |
Cell-level diff with sheet names, addresses, and old vs new values — computed locally in your browser.
Two of our published CC0 sample workbooks — no upload needed.
How to Compare Two Excel Files Online
- Upload File 1 - Drag and drop or click to browse for your first Excel file.
- Upload File 2 - Upload the second Excel file to compare against.
- View differences - Both files are displayed side by side with differences highlighted.
- Analyze - Use the color coding to identify changes between the files.
How to Compare Two Excel Files in Excel
Desktop Excel can compare two sheets by eye, by formula, or with conditional formatting. Microsoft's dedicated Spreadsheet Compare program exists but only ships with some Office editions on Windows, which is why many people end up comparing files in a browser tool like the one above.
Method 1: View Side by Side
Best for: A quick visual check of two similar files.
- Open both workbooks.
- In either one, go to View > Window > View Side by Side.
- Keep Synchronous Scrolling on so both files scroll together, and use Arrange All to stack them vertically if you prefer.
This only puts the files next to each other; spotting the differences is up to you.
Method 2: A difference formula on a third sheet
Best for: Two sheets with the same layout, cell for cell.
- Copy both sheets into one workbook, for example as Old and New, and add a third sheet.
- In A1 of the third sheet enter
=IF(Old!A1<>New!A1,"Old: "&Old!A1&" | New: "&New!A1,"") - Fill it across and down to cover the used range. Every non-blank cell is a change, showing the old and new value.
Method 3: Highlight differences with conditional formatting
Best for: Seeing changes in place on the sheet itself.
- With both sheets in one workbook, select the used range on the New sheet starting at A1.
- Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule and choose Use a formula to determine which cells to format.
- Enter
=A1<>Old!A1, pick a fill and click OK. Every changed cell is coloured.
Method 4: Find rows added or removed
Best for: Lists where rows move, so cell-by-cell comparison fails.
- Pick a column that identifies each row, such as an ID or email.
- In the New sheet, next to the data, enter
=IF(COUNTIF(Old!$A:$A,A2)=0,"Added",""). - In the Old sheet use
=IF(COUNTIF(New!$A:$A,A2)=0,"Removed",""). - For changed values in matched rows, look the old value up with
=XLOOKUP(A2,Old!$A:$A,Old!$C:$C)and compare it to the new one.
The tool above does this key-column comparison automatically - choose Compare by key column.
In Google Sheets
Sheets has no compare command. Import both files into one spreadsheet and use the same formulas; cross-sheet references in conditional formatting need INDIRECT("Old!A1") there.
Common mistakes
- Inserted rows shift everything. One new row makes every row below it look changed in a cell-by-cell comparison. Use a key column when rows move.
- Formulas compare by result. These methods compare the values the formulas return, not the formula text. Use
=FORMULATEXT(A1)to compare the formulas themselves.
About Excel Comparison
Comparing Excel files is essential when tracking changes, reviewing updates, or merging data from multiple sources. This online Excel compare tool makes it easy to compare two Excel files and see exactly what has changed between two versions of a spreadsheet - a quick spreadsheet compare with no formulas to write.
For a small manual check, put a formula such as =A1=[Other.xlsx]Sheet1!A1 beside the source cell, or use conditional formatting to highlight unequal values. Microsoft Spreadsheet Compare can inspect supported desktop workbooks. Those methods are useful for one-off reviews; the tool above adds key-column matching, whitespace and case controls, formula-text comparison, and a downloadable difference report.
Compare by Key Column (Database-Style Diff)
Position-based comparison breaks down the moment someone sorts a file or inserts a row - suddenly every cell below is "different". Key comparison fixes that: pick a column that identifies each row (an ID, SKU, order number, or email) and the tool matches rows by that value, then compares them column by column with columns matched by header name. You get a clean list of rows that were added, removed, or changed - including exactly which columns changed and their before/after values - no matter how either file is sorted.
Desktop tools charge for this kind of database compare. Here it runs free in your browser, and the full difference list exports to CSV with one click.
Features
- Side-by-side comparison view with color-coded highlighting
- Key-column comparison that matches rows by ID, independent of sort order
- Formula-text comparison without recalculating formulas or running macros
- Ignore case and ignore whitespace options
- Downloadable CSV difference report
- Support for multi-sheet workbooks
- Statistics showing number of changes
- 100% client-side processing for privacy
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, our Excel comparison tool is completely free. No hidden fees, no premium tiers, and no signup required.
Two modes. By cell position: cells at the same address are compared and differences highlighted - yellow for modified, green for cells only in File 1, red for cells only in File 2. By key column: rows are matched by a shared ID column (like an ID, SKU, or email) and compared column by column, so the comparison still works when the files are sorted differently.
Yes - switch the mode to 'By key column' and pick a column that identifies each row, such as an ID or email. Rows are matched by that value instead of their position, so a re-sorted export compares cleanly against the original, and you get a row-by-row list of what was added, removed, or changed.
Yes. Tick 'Ignore case' and/or 'Ignore whitespace' and values like 'ACME Corp' vs ' acme corp' are treated as equal in both comparison modes.
Yes - the Download Report button saves the complete difference list, not just the on-screen preview. In formula-text mode the before and after columns explicitly contain each formula where one is present.
Yes. Choose Formula text to compare the saved formula in each cell, even when two formulas currently show the same result. Literal cells still compare by value. The tool reads formula text only; it never recalculates formulas or runs macros.
Your files are processed entirely in your browser and never uploaded to any server. Your data remains completely private.
Yes, you can select which sheet to compare from each workbook. The comparison is done sheet by sheet.
Yes. This is a fully online Excel compare tool - it runs in your browser, so you can compare two Excel files and spot differences without Excel, add-ins, or any download.
For small sheets, compare key cells with formulas such as =A1=[Other.xlsx]Sheet1!A1 or highlight mismatches with conditional formatting. Microsoft Spreadsheet Compare is another desktop option for supported Office editions. The browser tool is faster when you need a repeatable cell or key-column diff and an exportable report.