If you're looking for a way to compare files or folders for differences, this article will show you how to do it.
Looking for differences in the contents of folders can help to check if files are missing, files have been changed, or if there are duplicates in a folder.
For example, comparing the contents of folders can be useful if you have copied the contents. In this case, you want to know if all files were copied correctly. This way you know immediately whether the copy action was successful and that there are no incorrect or missing files.
It is not recommended to manually compare all files in two folders. This takes too much time and the chance of errors is high. So I introduce a free app that allows you to compare two folders for differences for Windows 11 or Windows 10.
Compare folder contents for differences
The program is called “WinMerge” and can be downloaded for free. The source code is public so anyone can view and use it. A big advantage is that WinMerge also supports the Dutch language.
To get started, open the app and click “Open” at the top right of the menu. Click “Browse” in the “1st file or folder” to select the first folder.
Also do this for the “2nd file or folder”. Click “Browse” and select the second folder that you want to compare with the first. These do not have to be folders, you can also compare the contents of two files by selecting files instead of folders.
Make sure the “folder filter” is set to “*.*” to compare all files in the folders. If you want to compare a certain type of file in the folder, change the “folder filter” to the file type, for example “*.jpg”.
By default, the subfolders are also included in the comparison. If you do not want this, disable the “attach subfolders” option.
To start the comparison, click on the “compare” button at the bottom right.
You will now see two columns with a “comparison result” as a result. If the comparison turns yellow, the file is different. The file has been changed, usually the content. If the “comparison result” is gray then the file in question is not present in the second folder and may have been deleted.
So make sure you check the “comparison result” column for deviations. It is also advisable to compare the “date on the left” and “date on the right” columns. This column shows when the file has been changed.
If you want to straighten out the comparison, you can simply copy the file to the second folder where the file is missing or has been changed. Depending on where the file is missing or has been changed (in the left or right folder in the comparison), copy the file over as follows.
Right-click on the file that is missing or has been changed and click “copy” and then “left to” or “right to”.
Confirm copying. If you are unsure, back up the file to the correct folder first.
Then click on “refresh” at the top right of the menu. You will now see that there is no longer any difference between the folder comparison.
You will now see again in the “comparison result” column that the two folders are identical.
I hope to have informed you with this. Thank you for reading!