Problem solved by Diff Anything macOSWindows

Compare two Excel files without uploading them

Compare Excel workbooks locally sheet by sheet and row by row, with formulas and key columns, while keeping both files on your Mac or Windows computer.

Download on theMac App Store Get it fromMicrosoft Store

See it in the app

A focused workflow, on your computer.

No accounts, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry.

Diff Anything comparing two versions of a budget workbook on a Mac, with the six changed cells highlighted and listed by cell address — Diff AnythingA 90-second walkthrough on a Mac: open two versions of a budget workbook, see every changed cell, and go through the changes one by one. Watch on YouTube

The problem

Why the usual workflow gets in the way.

Financial exports, customer lists, research data, and internal reports may be inappropriate for a browser upload. A line diff is also a poor fit for workbook containers because it cannot present stored values as sheets, rows, columns, and cells.

The solution

How Diff Anything handles it.

Diff Anything reads supported spreadsheets on the computer, pairs their sheets by name, and compares them row by row, so an inserted row is one added row and each changed row names its changed cells. It compares stored cell values and, between two Excel workbooks of the same format, their formulas; formatting, charts, macros, and workbook layout remain outside the result.

Worked example

Review a revised budget, cell by cell

Follow six changed values across Budget and Timeline sheets, then mark each change reviewed before handing the workbook on.

Compare two Excel files and see what changed

01 / Private spreadsheet review

Define what the comparison can prove

This workflow answers whether the rows and stored cell values of two workbooks differ, and, between two workbooks of the same format such as two XLSX files, whether their formulas differ. It does not compare formatting, charts, macros, workbook layout, print settings, or editing behavior.

A clean comparison is useful evidence for a data handoff, but it does not prove that two workbook files are otherwise identical.

Use the table view for rows and stored values.
Formulas are compared between workbooks of the same format, not across formats.
Review formatting and workbook features in their native editor.

02 / Private spreadsheet review

Keep the workbook structure visible

Choose a sheet, then review matched rows side by side with their row numbers in each workbook. Rows are matched by their content, so an inserted row is one added row; when rows were re-sorted, choose an ID column under Match rows by. Each changed row names the cells that changed, such as Budget row 5 changed: B5, D5.

Diff Anything supports Excel (XLS, XLSX, XLSM, XLSB, and their templates), OpenDocument (ODS), and Apple Numbers workbooks, including mixed-format pairs when a handoff crosses spreadsheet applications. You can also open a CSV or TSV export beside the workbook to check it against the sheet it came from.

03 / Private spreadsheet review

Keep the files on the computer

Spreadsheet extraction and comparison run locally on macOS and Windows. Diff Anything has no account, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry.

Signed store builds may separately contact the Mac App Store or Microsoft Store for product, purchase, and entitlement checks. The workbooks and comparison content are not included in those requests.

Clear answers

Common questions about compare Excel files without uploading.

Are the Excel files uploaded for comparison?

No. The selected workbooks are extracted and compared on the computer; Diff Anything does not send their content to a cloud comparison service.

Does it compare formulas and formatting?

Formulas, yes, between two workbooks of the same format, such as two XLSX files: a changed formula counts even when its result is the same. Formatting, charts, macros, workbook layout, and print settings are not compared.

Can I compare Excel with ODS or Apple Numbers?

Yes. Supported spreadsheet formats can be paired across formats, including XLSX with ODS or Apple Numbers. Sheets are matched by name, and a Numbers file shows each table under its own name, “Table 1” unless you renamed it. Before you compare a Numbers file with an Excel or ODS copy, give the table in Numbers the same name as the other file's sheet; otherwise its rows show as removed and added.

Three short steps

Answer the data question without sending the workbooks away.

01
Open the two local Excel workbooks.
02
Choose the sheet, and a key column if the rows were re-sorted.
03
Review changed rows and cells, and verify excluded workbook properties separately.

Available for macOS and Windows

Solve it with Diff Anything.