Compare Excel Files and Find Every Difference
No formulas. No Conditional Formatting. No Power Query. No manual work.
Comparison report for two Excel files with highlighted differences (click 
for details)
Row 1910 is not present in the right panel.
xlCompare highlights it with green background color.
Empty row is inserted into the right sheet to put same rows on the same level side-by-side.
First row is a heading row in this table.
xlCompare highlights it with light blue background color.
The heading row helps xlCompare produce accurate results when columns appear in a different order.
Column C (SKU) is a key column in this table.
xlCompare highlights it with light blue background color.
Key columns help xlCompare identify matching rows and align them correctly in the comparison report.
Column D (Price) is highlighted with light orange color.
This means that column D contains changed cells.
xlCompare highlights heading area with color, if there are changed cells in this column.
Cell E520 is highlighted with light orange color.
Its value was changed from 144.26 to 156.34.
Every changed cell is highlighted with background color.
Depending on the Changed Value and Display Difference options, xlCompare shows corresponding value or difference below the original.
In this example difference -12.08 is shown.
Red Triangle icon means that this value is less than the corresponding one.
Heading of the row 520 is highlighted with light orange color.
This means that row 520 contains changed cells (E520).
Highlighted heading areas help you to quickly identify where the changed cells are.
This also lets you quickly see whether a specific row contains any changed cells.
Move the mouse pointer over a changed cell to see detailed information about the modification.
Tooltip window shows that cell E520 corresponds to cell E6.
Value was changed from 144.26 to 156.34.
The difference between the values is -12.08.
Worksheet Price List contains 403 modifications.
Changed cells, inserted and removed rows and columns are counted.
This helps you to see on the Sheet Tab, how the modifications are split between sheets.
Complete list of changes found between 2 Excel files (click for details)
Complete list of all changes found between left and right file.
There are 403 modifications.
Click the Drop List to filter modifications found only on the specific sheet.
The Legend provides a summary of the differences between the two files, including the number of changed values and formulas, as well as inserted rows and columns.
Click any item in the Legend to filter the comparison results and display only differences of the selected type.
Copy contents of the list below or Export it into the XLSX file.
Row 1910 was inserted into the left file.
SKU of this item is US-001908.
Row 22 was inserted into the right file.
SKU of this item is US-003049.
Value in cell E6 was changed from 144.26 to 156.34.
MSRP Price column in SKU US-000519 was modified.
The difference is -12.08 in the absolute value or -8.37%.
What Differences Can xlCompare Find?
Changed cells
Cells with changed values are highlighted with an orange background. Use the Changed Value and Display Difference commands to display the changed value together with the original value.
Inserted and Removed Rows
Rows that are missing from the other file are highlighted with color. In the left file, xlCompare highlights these rows with a green background, while in the right file they are highlighted with a red background.
You can customize these colors in the application settings.
Compare Excel Formulas, Not Just Values
Two cells can display the same value while containing different formulas. xlCompare compares formula expressions and helps you find changes in spreadsheet logic that a simple value comparison can miss.
Compare Sheets by Key Columns
xlCompare natively supports Composite Keys (using two or more columns together as a single identifier).
For example, if you have a staff roster, "John" or "Smith" alone isn't unique.
You can select both the "First Name" and "Last Name" columns as keys.
xlCompare combines these columns into a composite key to identify the corresponding row in the other sheet.
xlCompare and Other Solutions
You can use formulas, Conditional Formatting, or Power Query to find differences between Excel files. These methods are covered in detail in many Excel expert tutorials. Each approach has its own advantages and limitations, and none of them works equally well in every comparison scenario.
Below, we provide a comparison table showing the differences between xlCompare, AI assistants, and Excel's built-in tools.
| Excel features | Spreadsheet Compare Add-in | AI Assistants | Online Tools | xlCompare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Changes in values | + | + | + | + | + |
| Changes in formulas | + | + | + | ||
| Inserted columns | + | + | + | + | |
| Removed columns | + | + | + | + | |
| Inserted rows | + | + | + | + | |
| Removed rows | + | + | + | + | |
| Compare by key columns | + | + | + | ||
| Changes in formatting | + | + | |||
| Changes in VBA macros | + | ||||
| Changes in VBA forms | + | ||||
| Interactive report | + | + | + | + | |
| List of changes | + | + | + | ||
| Create report | + | + | |||
| Filter changes | + | + | |||
| Extract inserted rows | + | + | |||
| Extract matching rows | + | + | |||
| Merge changes | + | + | |||
| Command line interface | + | ||||
| Integrate into repository | + | ||||
| Free | Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise | SAAS | SAAS\Free | One time payment |
Built for Professional Excel Comparison
What are the advantages of xlCompare?
Download and Install xlCompare
Download xlCompare
12.05
Build Date:
Version:
Name:
Full Path:
Size:
Publisher:
Evaluation Period:
September 15, 2026
12.05
xlcompare-12-05.msi
https://xlCompare.com/xlcompare-12-05.msi
8.9 Mb
15 days
Get xlCompare from the Microsoft Store
The evaluation version is fully functional for 15 days, giving you enough time to test xlCompare with your own Excel and CSV files before purchasing a license.