Character-by-Character Diff Tool
Quick Tips
- • This tool runs entirely in your browser - your data stays private.
- • Press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac) to quickly paste text.
- • Use the Copy button to save your result to clipboard.
- • Bookmark this page for quick access!
Compare texts character by character to find exact differences.
Examples
Text 1: Hello World Text 2: Hello World
Difference at position 6: Text 1: 'Hello World' Text 2: 'Hello World' (extra space detected)
Text 1: café Text 2: cafe
Difference at position 4: Text 1: 'é' (U+00E9) Text 2: 'e' (U+0065)
Frequently Asked Questions
Use character diff when precision matters: debugging why strings don't match, verifying exact transcriptions, finding encoding issues, or catching subtle typos. Use word diff for reviewing content changes where character-level detail would be overwhelming.
Yes, character diff reveals invisible characters including tabs, different space types (regular, non-breaking, zero-width), line endings (CR, LF, CRLF), and other non-printing characters that cause comparison mismatches despite text looking identical.
Common causes: different Unicode representations (é vs e + combining accent), smart quotes vs straight quotes, invisible characters, different whitespace types, or encoding issues. Character diff reveals the actual byte-level differences.
Paste the content directly or use our file upload option. Character diff is especially useful for configuration files, CSV data, and code where exact matching matters. The tool preserves all whitespace and special characters.
Yes, options let you ignore case differences, ignore all whitespace, ignore line ending differences, or ignore specific character types. This helps focus on meaningful differences when some variations are acceptable.
Related Tools
Diff Checker
Compare two texts side-by-side and instantly see the differe...
Word-Level Diff
<p>Our Word Diff tool compares two texts word by word, highl...
Text Similarity Checker
<p>Our Similarity Checker calculates how similar two texts a...
Text Difference Checker
Compare two texts and see the differences highlighted. View...
Related Articles
Using Text Similarity Algorithms for Plagiarism Detection
Explore how text similarity algorithms power plagiarism detection systems. Learn about different approaches, their strengths, and how to use them effectively.
Read moreFake Data Generator: Create Realistic Test Data Instantly
Learn to generate realistic fake data for testing, development, and prototyping. Create names, addresses, emails, and more without using real personal information.
Read moreCharacter-Level Diff: Find Every Text Difference Precisely
Learn to use character-level diff tools to find exact differences between text versions. Perfect for code review, proofreading, and detecting subtle changes.
Read more