# Text Diff Checker

> Compare two blocks of text side-by-side and highlight additions and deletions line-by-line.

**Category:** Text
**Keywords:** diff, difference, compare, text, version, changes, highlight, code, checker, revision
**URL:** https://complete.tools/text-diff

## How it works

Text Diff uses a comparison algorithm, usually the Myers diff algorithm, to efficiently pinpoint differences between two strings. It breaks each text into sequences of characters and finds the longest common subsequence. By comparing these sequences, it identifies the differences and lists the changes, which include insertions, deletions, and modifications. The results are presented clearly, often with color coding to help you distinguish changes easily.

## Who should use this

This tool is ideal for software developers comparing code changes in version control, editors reviewing manuscript revisions, researchers verifying changes in academic papers, and legal professionals analyzing contract modifications to ensure compliance.

## Worked examples

Let’s look at a couple of examples. First, take the sentences 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.' and 'The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.' Here, Text Diff spots that 'jumps' has changed to 'jumped'. It highlights 'jumps' in red and 'jumped' in green, clearly showing the modification.

In another example, consider 'Data is collected from the field.' versus 'Data is collected from the laboratory.' The tool reveals that 'field' was swapped for 'laboratory'. It marks 'field' in red and 'laboratory' in green, easily communicating the change. These examples show how Text Diff visually tracks modifications, simplifying the editing process.

## Limitations

Text Diff can struggle with very large texts, as processing time can increase and lead to performance issues. It might not accurately identify changes if the texts have only minor differences in whitespace or formatting since it focuses on character comparison. The tool works best with plain text and may not handle rich text formats well. Additionally, it can encounter difficulties with complex nested structures, like code with multiple layers of indentation, where structural changes may mask unchanged content.

## FAQs

**Q:** How does Text Diff handle whitespace differences between texts?


**A:** Text Diff treats whitespace as significant by default, so any variations in spacing will show up in the output.


**Q:** Can Text Diff compare files of different lengths?


**A:** Absolutely! Text Diff can handle files of any length, highlighting differences regardless of input size.


**Q:** Does the tool support Unicode characters?


**A:** Yes, it works with Unicode characters, though performance may vary depending on their complexity.


**Q:** What happens if the texts are identical?


**A:** If the texts match perfectly, Text Diff will show no differences, confirming that the inputs are identical.

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*Generated from [complete.tools/text-diff](https://complete.tools/text-diff)*