So many times we come across two editions or versions of the same text file. We know that it is same file but with a slight difference. In order to find the difference between two almost identical text files, we can either compare them manually or we can use a free tool called Meld. Tracking down the difference between different text files could be time consuming not to mention a very painful task. But with Meld everything becomes easier.
The freeware Meld helps in comparing text files in such cases because it highlights differences and changes in text files and can also compare complete folder structures. This tool can compare two files or can perform a three way comparison with three files.
When Meld is launched, it shows two options – compare files or compare folders. If we choose file compare option, then we have to select two or three files. After this we can click on the Compare button. You cannot select binary files – the files must be text based files like TXT or source code files like C, CPP, HTML, CS etc.
If you choose to compare folders then again, we can choose two or three folders. Clicking on the Compare button starts a comparison of the files inside these folders. The comparison is shown in form of results report in a matter of seconds.
When comparing files, you can see changes and missing areas in texts at a glance. Meld highlights changes in blue, and the tool displays deleted areas in green. Lines without any change is shown with white background color. You can edit the text files directly in Meld, save or undo the changes.
Meld also highlights the differences in color when comparing folders. The function to hide the same content creates a better overview. You can also display new and changed files in a targeted manner. You can easily see the differences even in some large folders.
You can download Meld from https://meldmerge.org/.