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Chapters
What Compare Documents is for
Compare Documents puts two versions of a document side by side — the draft you sent and the one that came back, last year's lease and the renewal — and scrolls them together so you can read them in step. Every comparison is kept in one history, and its comments export to a Word report.
Who it's for
In-house counsel
Reading a counterparty's returned draft against the version you sent, clause by clause.
Contract and operations managers
Checking a renewal or amendment against the agreement it replaces before it goes for signature.
What it solves
Two windows, two scroll bars
Reading versions in separate windows means constantly losing your place. Here they sit in one view and move together as you scroll.
Reviews you can come back to
Each comparison is saved with its files, so you can reopen it weeks later without uploading anything again.
Review notes in one place
The comments saved on a comparison export to a single Word report, grouped by document with page numbers and the quoted text.
How to use Compare Documents
Each step shows the real screen. Hover a numbered marker — or the matching note — to see what every control does.
Open Compare Docs
On the home page, choose Compare Docs under Features in the left sidebar. The page has two cards: Document 1 for the earlier version and Document 2 for the version you want to read against it.
- Use a desktop browser. Phones and iPads show a desktop-only notice instead.
- Your past comparisons are one click away, under the icon next to the title.
On this screen
Choose the first version
Click Select Document on the Document 1 card, or click its dashed area. Drop a file on the Local Upload tab — or switch to Dashboard to use one you've already stored — then click Select Document.
- PDF or Word (.docx). Older .doc files are not accepted.
- Uploads are saved to your files in a Compare Documents folder and count toward your storage.
- On the Dashboard tab, tick exactly one file.
On this screen
Tip: A new comparison takes Document 1's file name up to the first dot — “Lease v2.final.pdf” becomes “Lease v2”. You can rename it at any time.
Add the second version and compare
Choose Document 2 the same way. When both previews have loaded, check you have the right files, then click Compare Documents — the button reads “Comparing Documents…” and the results page opens when processing finishes.
- Document 2 can only be chosen after Document 1 has loaded.
- Use Select Document again to swap either file before you compare.
- If processing fails you'll see “Failed to compare documents” — check both files and try again.
On this screen
Read the two versions side by side
The results page shows both documents in two equal columns, with Document 1 on the left. Scroll either one and the other moves with it, so you can work through both versions together.
- The link icon turns synchronized scrolling off and on. Your choice is remembered in this browser.
- Expand opens either document full screen; Minimize brings you back.
- Rename the comparison with the pencil next to its name.
On this screen
Tip: There's no list of changes or “next change” button, so keep sync on and read the two columns together, section by section.
Review comments and export a report
Click the blue button on the right edge to open the Comments panel. Each card shows a comment with its date; Show Commented Text reveals the passage it refers to. Generate Report, at the top right of the page, downloads them all as a Word file.
- The report lists each document's comments with the page number and the selected text.
- The bin icon deletes a comment, and it won't appear in future reports.
- The panel is for reading and deleting comments; it has no box for adding new ones.
On this screen
Find, rename or delete past comparisons
Back on Compare Documents, click the icon next to the title to open Document Comparisons. Each comparison shows when it was made and how many comments it has; click a name to open it in a new tab.
- The pencil renames a comparison in place — Enter saves, Esc cancels.
- Delete removes the comparison with its files and comments. It can't be undone.
On this screen
Step 01 / 06
Everything Compare Documents can do
The building blocks behind the walkthrough, and what each one does for you.
Two versions, side by side
Both documents open in equal columns that scroll together, so you can read one against the other without juggling windows. Unlink them whenever you want to read each at its own pace.
Upload or use a stored file
Drop a PDF or Word (.docx) file, or pick one you already keep in LinkinLegal from the Dashboard tab.
Full-screen reading
Expand either document to read it on its own, then minimize to return to the side-by-side view.
Comments and a Word report
Read the comments saved on a comparison with the passages they quote, and download them as a Word report.
Every comparison kept
Open, rename or delete earlier comparisons from Document Comparisons, with their dates and comment counts.
Tips for getting it right
Save .doc files as .docx or PDF
The upload box mentions DOC files, but they're rejected. Open the file in Word and save it as .docx or PDF first.
Load Document 1 first
Document 2 can't be chosen until Document 1 has loaded — you'll see “Please select the first document to compare”.
Tick one file on the Dashboard tab
The folder tree lets you tick several files, but Select Document only works when exactly one PDF or DOCX is ticked.
Give comparisons clear names
New comparisons take Document 1's file name up to the first dot. Rename them so your history stays easy to scan.
Unlink scrolling when pages drift
Both documents move together while sync is on. If one version has extra pages and the text drifts apart, turn sync off and scroll each side on its own.
Uploads use your storage
Files you upload for a comparison are saved in a Compare Documents folder and count toward your plan's storage.
Statuses you'll see
Work that runs in the background always shows where it stands — here is what each label means.
- Uploading…Your file is uploading from the Local Upload tab. The dialog closes when it's done.
- Loading document…The chosen file is loading into its card's preview.
- Comparing Documents…The comparison is being processed. The results page opens on its own when it's ready.
- Failed to compare documentsThe comparison didn't complete. Check both files and click Compare Documents again.
- Report generatedThe comments report was created and downloaded as a Word file.
Two documents at a time, each a PDF or a Word file in .docx format. Older .doc files aren't accepted, so save them as .docx or PDF first.
No. It puts the two versions side by side with synchronized scrolling so you can read them together. There's no separate list of changes and no “next change” button.
Yes. In the Select Document dialog, open the Dashboard tab — it lists the files in your Vault — tick the one file you want and click Select Document.
Not from the current comparison page. The Comments panel shows the comments already saved on a comparison — you can read them, reveal the passage each one refers to and delete them — and Generate Report exports them to Word.
Every comparison is saved. On the Compare Documents page, click the icon next to the title to open Document Comparisons, then click a name to open it in a new tab.
Compare Documents is built for desktop browsers. On a phone or an iPad you'll see a “Desktop Only Feature” notice instead.
Keep exploring
Related features
- Where to find it
- Home → Features → Compare Docs