6 Jul 2013

Excel 2010 - Compare two worksheets using Spreadsheet Compare


Introduction
I had two Excel files and I wanted to compare them to see the differences. Excel 2010 doesn't have a way to do this included. I had a look on the web and found a free add-in for Excel called Spreadsheet Compare.


Download and Install
You can download it here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/spreadshcompare/
Once it has downloaded open the EXE and follow the prompts to install.
After installation, when you start Excel the next time, click the Add-ins tab. You'll have a Compare button.


Using Spreadsheet Compare
Let's suppose you have two Excel files like this:


Make backup copies of the two worksheets you want to compare. This is important because Spreadsheet Compare will alter the worksheets you compare.

In Excel open the two worksheets you want to compare.

Click the Add-ins tab, click Compare.


Select the two worksheets - as you can see in my example above, my files are called Sheet1 and Sheet2.

Click Compare


When it's finished click OK


As you can see in the above, my Sheet1 and Sheet2 have highlights indicating the differences between the two files. The third worksheet explains in more detail. 


Conclusion
This add-in works! It does a good job and it's free, what more could you want? 


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