Notepad ++ is an excellent open source text editor with heaps of functionality. This tutorial will show you how to install the compare plugin and then compare files in notepad ++.

Step 1

• Navigate to: https://sourceforge.net/projects/npp-compare/files/1.5.6.2/ComparePlugin.v1.5.6.2.bin.zip/download to download the plugin.

Step 2

• The file that’s downloaded should be called ComparePlugin.v.1.5.6.2.bin.zip.
• Right click on it and extract the files

 

• When the folder extracts enter it, you should see a file called
  • ComparePlugin.dll
• Copy this file

Step 4

• Paste the file to:
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\plugins – depending on how you installed notepad ++ you may need to paste it to C:\Program Files\Notepad++\plugins

Step 5

• Start Notepad ++ (restart if you already have it open) and open the two files you want to compare.
• Right click on one of the files and select move to Other view.

 

Step 6

Now click Plugins, Compare and Compare again.

You can now see the differences highlighted in Notepad ++

A full video tutorial can be found here: