When multiple people review a document, you often receive numerous versions with various edits and suggestions. Managing these changes efficiently is crucial. Instead of manually reviewing each document, Microsoft Word provides a powerful feature to combine revisions, essentially answering the question, “what’s another word for compare?” The answer is combine or merge. This article outlines how to merge multiple versions of a document in Word, consolidating all changes into a single file.
Merging Two Versions of a Document
Word’s “Combine” feature allows you to integrate changes from different versions into one document. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
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Initiate the Combine Process: Navigate to Review > Compare > Combine. A dialog box will appear, prompting you to select the original and revised documents.
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Select the Original Document: In the “Original document” section, use the dropdown menu or the folder icon to select the initial document—the one sent for review without any modifications.
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Choose the Revised Document: Under “Revised document,” select the version containing the changes you want to incorporate.
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Label the Changes (Optional): In the “Label unmarked changes with” field, enter a name or identifier to attribute the revisions.
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Configure Advanced Options: Click “More” for additional settings, including choosing how changes are displayed.
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Specify the Output: In the “Show changes in” section, select “New document” to create a separate file with the combined revisions.
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Combine and Review: Click “OK.” Word will generate a new document displaying the combined changes. The screen will be divided into three sections: Revisions, Combined Document, and Source Documents (Original and Revised). To simplify the view, go to Review > Compare > Show Source Documents > Hide Source Documents. This will highlight changes with vertical red lines.
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Finalize and Save: After reviewing and accepting the combined changes, save the document.
Merging Multiple Documents (More Than Two)
To merge more than two documents, repeat the process, using the previously combined document as the “Original document” and selecting the next revised version to incorporate. Remember to save the combined document after each merge operation. Instead of creating a new document each time, select “Original document” in the “Show changes in” section under “More” to consolidate all changes within a single file. This iterative process allows you to integrate feedback from numerous reviewers into a single, cohesive document. This streamlined workflow provides a practical solution when seeking alternatives to comparing documents side-by-side – you can combine them!
