How to Use WinMerge to Compare and Merge Files

To guarantee that all of your files and folders are in perfect order, use WinMerge to compare and combine two or more of them. You may make direct changes to the text, compare versions side by side by copying and pasting or even settle file conflicts.

Compare files and folders

Make sure that two copies of the same file are identical by running a comparison using WinMerge. However, it is not always easy to compare folder contents. There are a few different approaches that can simplify the procedure. WinMerge is a utility that provides a visual comparison of two files by splitting them into three sections.

A comparison of the two files is displayed as a heat map on the left. There are one or two filenames on each line. Columns are organized according to file extension and size. It is possible to sort the table by either the highest or lowest value in the Sort column heading. Middle dates can also be used to sort results.

The location of the subfolder being compared is displayed in the Compare result column. You may further refine your search by adding filters for things like file extension or creation/modification date.

The total number of files compared may be shown in the Progress pane. To choose the technique to use for comparison, click the “Select Files or Folders” button on the far left. Type, modification time, and file name are just a few of the ways you may narrow down the search results.

Resolve conflict files

If you use Git or another version control system, you may encounter file conflicts. Conflicting files will prevent you from submitting changes in version control systems. However, software like Winmerge can help you reconcile the discrepancies.

By combining the two files in question, Winmerge can fix the problem. Here, we’ll compare and merge the changes between two versions of a file. This produces a fresh file with only one intended revision.

In the event of a file dispute, Winmerge may be set to automatically run. If you frequently work with Git files that need to be merged, you’ll love this function. As soon as WinMerge finds a conflict, it will load the offending file into the Compare pane. All conflict indicators will be present in the file, and a tooltip will be provided to explain the conflict.

Copy differences from left to right

Differences can be copied from left to right in Winmerge. When comparing and combining files, this application is quite helpful and saves a lot of time and energy. You may undo or redo your edits, and you can even see the variations in the lines of text as you move them about. The program also provides the ability to inspect and contrast two versions of a file.

WinMerge displays three more panes in addition to the File pane. A comparison map may be seen in the leftmost panel. Each column’s position and the total number of columns per line are clearly displayed. Furthermore, it has a context menu with quick access to features like Go to, Edit, and Merge. The File tab, which can be scrolled, may also be used to reposition the active window.

You can always find me in the File window. When disabled, the header bar fades to a lighter color. This File pane is read-only when the left pane is idle. As a result, you can only make changes to the differences in the Active File pane.

Edit the text directly

The free program WinMerge allows you to merge, split, and modify many text files at once. When you need to combine changes between two or more files, this is a useful technique to quickly assess the differences between them. Up to three files can be compared at the same time.

When it comes to reconciling discrepancies, the File pane on the UI is where you should spend the most time. You can see the differences between the two versions of the file, as well as the text of the original file, in the File pane. The complete path to the source file is displayed in the File pane’s header. You can always find me in the File window. The content of the currently selected File tab is editable.

Using the Diff window, you may combine changes made to different files. When merging differences, the Diff window’s total column count provides a helpful visual cue. The column’s position is also displayed in the Diff window.