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Comparing and merging Microsoft Word documents

Article ID: 306484 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q306484

SUMMARY

The information that is covered in this article is provided by Microsoft Press

(http://mspress.microsoft.com/)

.

This article describes how to compare and merge Microsoft Word documents. This information is excerpted from Microsoft Word Version 2002 Step by Step, chapter 8 ("Collaborating with Others"). For more information about Step by Step books, go to the following Microsoft website:

http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/findabook/list/series_GY.aspx

(http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/findabook/list/series_GY.aspx)

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If you want to compare an earlier version of a document with the current version of a document, you can compare the documents and then merge the changes into one document. For example, if you ask an associate to edit a document, but he doesn't track changes while editing, you can compare his edited document to your original to see what changes he made.

When you compare and merge documents, Word shows the differences between them as tracked changes. If multiple reviewers return their changes and comments in separate documents, you can merge all their changes into a single document and review their changes from that single document. You then can review changes from a specific reviewer.

NOTE: The following procedure assumes that you have an original version of a document and at least two other changed versions that you want to compare against the original.

To merge a document with two other versions of the document, follow these steps:

On the Standard toolbar, click the Open button.

The Open dialog box appears.
Locate and open the copy of the file that contains the changes.
On the Tools menu, click Compare and Merge Documents.

The Compare and Merge Documents dialog box appears.
Locate and click the file you want to compare. Click the Merge down arrow, and then click Merge into current document.

The deletions and changes from the document appear on the screen in the current document. The color of each revision indicates a different reviewer.

TIP: When you compare versions of a document, you see reviewers' changes even if the reviewers did not track their changes as they edited.
On the Tools menu, click Compare and Merge Documents, click the second file, click the Merge down arrow, and then click Merge into current document.

The deletions and changes from the documents appear on the screen in the current document with the other changes.
On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Show down arrow, point to Reviewers, and then click the name of the first reviewer.

The revisions made by the first reviewer are hidden.
On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Show down arrow, point to Reviewers, and then click All Reviewers.

The revisions made by all reviewers appear.
On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Show down arrow, and then click Formatting.

Only insertions and deletions, not formatting changes, appear in the document.
On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Next button.

The next revision is selected.
Do one of the following:
1. On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Accept Change button to accept the change, and then click the Next button to find the next revision.
2. On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Reject Change/Delete Comment button to reject the change.
3. On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Display for Review down arrow, click Final, and then scroll through the document.
  
  The document appears with all the current changes and without the revision marks.
4. On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Display for Review down arrow, and then click Final Showing Markup.
  
  The document appears with all the revision marks.
5. On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Accept Change down arrow, and then click Accept All Changes in Document.
  
  The changes are accepted in the document.
On the Standard toolbar, click the Save button to save the document.
Click the Close Window button in the document window.

The document closes.