TextDiff

TextDiff is a lightweight and portable software application designed to help you compare the content of two text files or folders. It comes packed with an intuitive set of options that can be adjusted by all types of users, regardless of their level of experience.

Since installation is not a prerequisite, you can drop the executable file anywhere on the hard disk and just click it to run.

It is also possible to save TextDiff to a USB flash disk or similar storage unit, in order to run it on any computer with minimum effort and no previous installers.

What's more, the Windows registry does not get updated with new entries, and files are not left behind on the hard disk after removal.

The interface is based on a standard window split into two panels, where you can toggle between folder and file view mode, in order to open either folders or files. Drag-and-drop is not supported.

Comparing the two files or folders is done from the "Actions" men. Differences are highlighted, and the status bar displayed all lines unchanged, added, modified, and deleted.

The report can be saved to a plain text document for further evaluation. You can use a search and replace function, ignore blanks and the case, show differences or inline differences only, switch the panes to horizontal view, copy the left or right block, as well as customize font settings.

TextDiff runs on a very low amount of CPU and RAM, so it does not concern the overall performance of the computer. It has a good response time and works well, without causing the OS to hang, crash or pop up error dialogs. TextDiff offers a pretty simple solution for comparing two folders or text files. Unfortunately, it has not been updated for a long time.