If you’ve ever collaborated on an Excel workbook, you might have experienced the confusion of tracking changes. Questions like “Who modified this?” and “What exactly was changed?” often arise. Microsoft Spreadsheet Compare is a powerful tool designed to address these concerns by meticulously identifying and highlighting differences between two Excel workbook files, specifically XLSX files. This guide will walk you through how to effectively Compare Xlsx files using Spreadsheet Compare, ensuring you maintain control and clarity over your spreadsheet data.
Important Note: Microsoft Spreadsheet Compare is a feature exclusively available with Office Professional Plus 2013, Office Professional Plus 2016, Office Professional Plus 2019, or Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. Ensure you have one of these versions to utilize this functionality.
Step-by-Step Guide to Compare XLSX Files with Spreadsheet Compare
Comparing XLSX files with Spreadsheet Compare is a straightforward process. Follow these steps to effectively identify changes between your Excel workbooks:
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Launch Spreadsheet Compare: Begin by opening the Spreadsheet Compare application on your computer.
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Customize Comparison Options: In the lower-left pane of the Spreadsheet Compare window, you’ll find a range of options to tailor your comparison. Select the elements you want to include in the analysis, such as formulas, cell formatting, comments, or macros. For a comprehensive comparison, you can simply click “Select All“.
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Initiate File Comparison: Navigate to the “Home” tab in the Spreadsheet Compare ribbon and click on the “Compare Files” button. This action will open the “Compare Files” dialog box, prompting you to specify the XLSX files for comparison.
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Select the Original (Compare) File: Within the “Compare Files” dialog box, locate the “Compare” row. Click the browse button to choose the earlier version of your XLSX file. You can select files from your local computer, network drives, or even input a web address if your workbooks are stored online.
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Choose the Revised (To) File: In the “Compare Files” dialog box, proceed to the “To” row and click the browse button to select the modified XLSX file you wish to compare against the original version.
Note: Spreadsheet Compare allows you to compare two files even if they share the same name, provided they are saved in different folders. This is particularly useful when managing versions of the same workbook.
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Execute the Comparison: Once you have selected both the “Compare” and “To” XLSX files, click “OK” to initiate the comparison process. Spreadsheet Compare will then analyze the files based on your chosen options and display the results.
Note: If you encounter an “Unable to open workbook” message during the comparison, it’s likely that one or both of the XLSX files are password protected. Click “OK” in the message box and you will be prompted to enter the password(s) to proceed with the comparison. For more detailed information on password handling, refer to how passwords and Spreadsheet Compare work together.
Deciphering the XLSX Comparison Results
The results of your XLSX file comparison are presented in an intuitive two-pane grid within Spreadsheet Compare. The left pane displays the workbook you selected as the “Compare” file (the original version), while the right pane shows the “To” file (the revised version). A detailed pane below the grids provides a summary and legend of the identified changes.
Changes within your XLSX files are highlighted using distinct colors, each representing a specific type of modification. This visual representation allows for quick identification of what has been altered between the two versions.
Understanding the Visual Grid and Change Highlighting
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Worksheet Alignment: Spreadsheet Compare intelligently aligns worksheets from both XLSX files for side-by-side comparison, starting from the leftmost sheet in each workbook. Even hidden worksheets are included in the comparison and displayed in Spreadsheet Compare, ensuring no changes are overlooked.
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Cell Content Visibility: If cell contents are truncated due to narrow column widths, you can easily rectify this by clicking “Resize Cells to Fit“. This feature automatically adjusts column widths to ensure all cell data is visible for comparison.
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Color-Coded Differences: Spreadsheet Compare employs a color-coding system to highlight differences. For instance, cells containing “entered values” (cells with direct text or numerical input rather than formulas) are typically marked with a green fill color in the side-by-side grid and a green font in the results list. The lower-left pane of Spreadsheet Compare provides a legend explaining the meaning of each color code, enabling you to quickly understand the nature of each change.
Leveraging XLSX Comparison Results Further
Spreadsheet Compare offers several options to work with your comparison results beyond the visual grid. Whether you need to archive the comparison for auditing purposes or analyze the data in another application, Spreadsheet Compare provides flexible export and copy functionalities.
Exporting and Sharing Comparison Data
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Export to Excel: To save your comparison results in an easily shareable and readable format, you can export them to a new Excel file. Simply click “Home > Export Results“. This creates a detailed Excel report summarizing all identified differences.
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Copy to Clipboard: For integration with other applications like Microsoft Word or for custom analysis, you can copy the comparison results to your clipboard. Click “Home > Copy Results to Clipboard“. This allows you to paste the data into other programs for documentation or further review.
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Display Workbook Colors: If preserving the original formatting of your XLSX files is important for your analysis, you can choose to display workbook colors. Click “Home > Show Workbook Colors“. This option renders the worksheets with their original cell formatting, providing a high-fidelity visual representation of the differences in context.
Expanding the Use Cases for XLSX File Comparison
Beyond simply tracking changes in collaborative workbooks, comparing XLSX files with Spreadsheet Compare has significant applications in various scenarios:
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Audit Trails and Compliance: For organizations facing audits, Spreadsheet Compare provides a valuable tool for generating audit trails of critical XLSX workbooks. By comparing versions month-over-month or year-over-year, you can proactively identify and rectify errors or inconsistencies before auditors discover them, ensuring data integrity and compliance.
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VBA Code Comparison: Spreadsheet Compare is not limited to worksheet content; it can also compare VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) code within XLSX files. The results are presented in a separate window, displaying the VBA code differences side-by-side. This is crucial for developers and power users who need to track changes in the underlying code of their Excel applications, ensuring functionality and stability are maintained across versions.
By mastering Spreadsheet Compare, you gain a powerful capability to effectively compare XLSX files, track changes, ensure accuracy, and maintain control over your critical spreadsheet data. Whether for collaboration, auditing, or development, this tool is indispensable for anyone working extensively with Excel workbooks.
