01 / Workflow detail
The short answer: comparing two folders on a Mac
Finder has no command that shows the differences between two folders. You can open them side by side, but you check names, dates, and sizes yourself, one subfolder at a time.
macOS includes a command-line folder diff. In Terminal, diff -rq "Folder A" "Folder B" compares the two folders and every subfolder, then lists the files that differ and the files that exist on only one side. It prints plain text and does not show what changed inside a file. FileMerge, which comes with Apple's free Xcode, can compare two folders in a window.
For a visual comparison that also finds moved files, filters the results, and opens each changed file, use a folder comparison app. The steps below use Diff Anything.
02 / Workflow detail
How to compare two folders on a Mac
Open Diff Anything and select the two folders as the left and right sources. Use the trusted original on the left and the version you want to check on the right. Choose matching levels: compare the project folder with its counterpart, rather than a project folder with the parent that contains it.
Keep Recursive enabled in Folder options to include subfolders. Before reading the results, check Hidden files and Ignore patterns so the scope matches your task. Switch between tree and table layouts, search for a filename or path, and use the status filters to narrow the review.
Open a paired file from the results when a Changed label needs an explanation. The nested comparison lets you inspect the file content rather than guessing from its date or size. You can finish the review here without copying or synchronizing anything.
03 / Workflow detail
Read the folder comparison results
The labels describe the relationship between the left and right folders. They do not decide which copy is correct. With a backup on the right, for example, Left only identifies something to investigate before relying on that backup.
Folder comparison results, with the original on the left| Result | What it tells you |
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| Right only | The path exists only in the right folder. If the right side is your newer copy, this is an addition. |
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| Left only | The path exists only in the left folder. It is missing from the right side; that does not mean it should automatically be deleted. |
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| Changed | The paired files differ under your selected content, size, or timestamp settings. Open the pair to inspect the change. |
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| Moved | Matching file content was found at another relative path. Review the old and new locations together. |
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| Conflict | The same relative path has different entry types, such as a file on one side and a folder on the other. |
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| Identical | The entries match under the active comparison rules. With semantic comparison enabled, this can mean equivalent structured content rather than identical bytes. |
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| Unverified | Content was not verified, for example because of the selected size settings, a read error, or a file changing during the scan. Resolve the cause before treating it as a match. |
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| Contains changes | A folder contains differences further down the tree. Expand it to review the individual entries. |
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04 / Workflow detail
Check content, not just names and dates
Two files can have the same name and size and still contain different data. A newer modification date also does not tell you what changed. Choose the checks that answer your question in Folder options: Compare file sizes, Compare small-file content, Compare hashes, and Ignore timestamps.
For a byte-level check of the included files, enable Compare hashes and turn off Semantic structured files. For a configuration review, leave semantic comparison enabled: supported JSON, YAML, XML, CSV, and environment files can compare by their parsed content within the maximum content size. For example, reordered JSON object keys need not count as a meaningful change.
Identical means a match under those settings. It does not certify files excluded by your patterns, hidden-file setting, or preview limit. Review warnings and Unverified entries before concluding that two folders match.
05 / Workflow detail
Compare two files on a Mac
To compare two files instead of two folders, choose File on each side, or drop both files onto the window. With Auto selected, Diff Anything picks the comparison from the file type.
Text and code open as a side-by-side diff with the changed lines and words highlighted. Excel and other spreadsheet workbooks are compared cell by cell. PDF and Word documents are compared by their extracted text, and images can be reviewed with an overlay. You can also open any Changed file straight from a folder comparison, which starts the same file comparison for that pair.
The built-in alternative is Terminal: diff file1.txt file2.txt prints the lines that differ between two text files.
06 / Workflow detail
Mac settings worth checking before you compare
Dot-prefixed files and folders are excluded when Hidden files is off. Turn it on if configuration such as .env belongs in the review, then check Ignore patterns separately. Enabling hidden files does not override an explicit ignore rule.
For a source-code comparison, excluding DerivedData, Pods, or other generated directories can make the result easier to read. For a delivery or backup check, those exclusions may hide something you intended to verify. Remove any rule that excludes part of your actual deliverable.
Diff Anything exposes Case-sensitive paths, Follow symlinks, and Compare link targets as separate choices. Decide whether differently capitalized paths should match and whether you want to compare a symbolic link itself or the content it points to. Set these deliberately when reviewing folders copied between systems.
07 / Workflow detail
Use it for backups, handoffs, and project copies
Pick the question before choosing the comparison rules. These three reviews need different kinds of attention:
- Check a copied backup: compare the original with the accessible backup folder, include the files you need to preserve, and use hashes when you need a content check. Investigate missing and unverified entries.
- Review a client handoff: put the previously delivered folder on the left and the revised delivery on the right. Inspect added assets, changed documents, and moved files before sending it.
- Compare two project copies: include relevant hidden configuration, exclude only intentional build noise, and open changed structured files to see the values that differ.
08 / Workflow detail
What is included in Free and Pro?
Free lets you try folder comparison with a preview of the first 100 collection items and 10 new comparison sessions per local day. Free file comparisons are limited to 5 MiB per side, and nested folder content checks are also subject to the Free content-size limit. A preview is useful for evaluating the workflow; it is not a complete review of a larger folder tree.
A one-time Pro purchase removes the collection-preview and daily-session limits and unlocks larger sources within technical limits. Pro also adds folder synchronization, report export, and saved comparison profiles and history. Start with a small, representative pair of folders to see whether the review fits your work.
09 / Workflow detail
Synchronize selected changes with Pro
Comparing folders reads the sources; it does not automatically make either side match the other. If you decide to update a folder, select the intended entries, choose left-to-right or right-to-left, and review the synchronization preview. Check every create, update, delete, and move before applying the plan.
Diff Anything checks for stale results, shows progress, supports cancellation, and offers one-click undo after a successful synchronization. Recovery information also supports rollback after interrupted work. Keep both folder roots available and verify the destination after the operation. For important files, retain a separate backup.