How to compare texts privately

You need to find what changed between two drafts, but the text may contain private details. You can compare it in a browser without sending the text to a website server: use a tool that processes the comparison on your device.

Text Compare compares two texts or files and shows what was added, removed, or changed. The comparison runs in your browser, and files you open stay on your device rather than being uploaded.

Compare two texts privately

1. Open Text Compare. The text comparison happens in your browser, not on TooLab's server.
2. Place the first version on one side and the revised version on the other. You can paste text into the comparison or select text files from your device.
3. Run the comparison. Review the marked additions, removals, and changes to see where the drafts differ.
4. Check the result in context. A highlighted change can be a meaningful edit, a typo correction, or a formatting difference that does not alter the meaning.
5. When you are done, close the tool. If you are on a shared computer, also remove any temporary copies you made and sign out of accounts that hold the original files.

For the most private workflow, open local text files directly rather than copying them into an unrelated online service. The comparison tool needs access to the two versions so it can compare them, but it does not need to upload them.

Choose text or files

Paste text when you only need a quick comparison

Copy the relevant passage from each version and place them in separate sides of the comparison. This is useful for short messages, policy wording, instructions, or a paragraph that changed. Before pasting, make sure you are using the local comparison tool, not a cloud document or a website that sends the text to its server.

Open files when the drafts are saved locally

Select the two text files from your device when you want to compare more than a short passage or avoid copying content into another place. The browser reads the files for the comparison, and the files remain on the device. Keep the originals unchanged, especially if you need a record of the source versions.

If a document is not available as text, such as a scan or a picture of a page, a text comparison may not be able to read its contents. You need text that can be selected or a text file the tool can open. Do not assume that a visually similar document contains the same text.

Read the differences carefully

A comparison identifies textual changes, but it cannot decide whether a change is correct, approved, or safe. Read each marked section with the surrounding sentences. A removed phrase may be replaced elsewhere, and a change in a number, name, date, or negative word can reverse the meaning of a sentence.

• Added text. Check whether new wording introduces a commitment, instruction, deadline, or detail that needs approval.
• Removed text. Confirm that a deleted condition or exception was meant to disappear, rather than being lost during editing.
• Changed text. Read both versions together, particularly for names, amounts, dates, and words such as “not.”
• Formatting changes. Line breaks and spacing can make a passage look different without changing its words. Focus on the actual text when wording is what matters.

Text Compare shows changes between the versions you provide. It does not verify facts, determine who made an edit, or prove that a file has not been changed in other ways. Keep a separate copy of the originals if you need an audit trail.

What private comparison does and does not protect

When a tool processes text locally, the text used for the comparison is not uploaded to that tool's server. That is different from pasting text into a cloud-based comparison service, where the service may receive the content. With Text Compare, the files and comparison stay on your device.

Local processing does not make a device private by itself. Someone with access to your account or computer may still be able to open the original files. A managed work or school device may also have monitoring or backup software outside the browser tool. Follow your organization’s rules before using sensitive material, and use a trusted, access-controlled device.

Be careful when sharing the result. A screenshot, copied passage, or exported comparison can reveal the same confidential wording as the originals. Share only the sections the recipient needs, and avoid including private names or account details in screenshots.

If you want to avoid pasting sensitive text

Use the file option to select the two local text files instead of copying their contents into a message or an unrelated website. If you cannot use a local tool on the device, do not upload confidential drafts to a service until you have checked its privacy terms and your organization's policy. For especially sensitive documents, ask the document owner or administrator which approved method to use.

Before closing the comparison, check that you selected the intended versions and reviewed the changes that matter. The comparison can help you spot edits, but the final decision about what those edits mean is yours.