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Diff Anything manual Set up local comparisons, review folders and spreadsheets, resolve merge conflicts, and use Diff Anything with Git and CI.
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Search this product’s guides Topic All topics Start here Specialist modes Automation Repeatable review Troubleshooting
6 guides
Recommended start Start here 13 min read
Choose the right comparison mode Choose sources, understand automatic detection, and select the engine that answers the question you are actually asking.
Start with the review question Choose and load sources How automatic mode resolves Read text and structured results Compare spreadsheets across formats Choose Smart Diff or Line Diff for code Navigate and review Resolve a three-way merge Recover from input problems Read guide → Specialist modes 14 min read
Compare folders, spreadsheets, documents, and images Review cross-format spreadsheet values, release trees, documents, and visual assets with purpose-built navigation, safety checks, and rollback.
Prepare folder sources Compare large trees Synchronize with a plan and an undo path Compare spreadsheets and documents Use visual image tools Read guide → Specialist modes 12 min read
Compare ZIP, 7z, RAR, TAR, and compressed archives Understand content-based archive comparison, encrypted and multipart inputs, supported codecs, streaming behavior, extraction, and safety boundaries in Diff Anything.
Compare contents instead of packaging noise Know the supported containers Detect renamed containers and compression codecs Use separate passwords without persisting them Stream large archives and extraction Understand the safety ceilings and exclusions Read guide → Automation 13 min read
Use Diff Anything from the CLI, Git, and CI Run repeatable comparisons, read highlighted terminal output, interpret exit codes, integrate with Git, and publish machine-readable CI results.
Find the installed executable Enter explicit CLI mode Interpret exit codes Choose output for the consumer Configure Git difftool Use Diff Anything for git diff Run batch manifests Debug automation failures Read guide → Repeatable review 12 min read
Profiles, rules, review state, and reports Turn a useful one-off comparison into a repeatable review with explicit ignore rules, notes, and, with Pro, saved profiles and exported reports.
Save a profile Use ignore rules carefully Review semantic differences Apply supported changes Export a report Use live watch deliberately Read guide → Troubleshooting 12 min read
Privacy, safety, and troubleshooting Understand the local comparison boundary, recover from input and copy problems, and prepare useful diagnostics without exposing sensitive sources.
What stays local Handle sensitive values Resolve parser and mode errors Recover folder synchronization Explain unexpected results Reset only what is necessary Read guide → Free & Pro: what’s included Available on the Mac App Store and Microsoft Store. Free desktop use lets you try every comparison engine for files up to 5 MiB per side and 10 new comparison sessions per local day; collection previews show the first 100 items and PDF previews show the first 3 pages. The free CLI supports text and JSON. A one-time Pro purchase removes the preview and session limits and unlocks larger sources within technical limits, saved profiles and history, report export, three-way merge, folder synchronization, batch manifests, trusted preprocessors, and every CLI mode.