There is the "Compare" plugin. You can install it via Plugins -> Plugins Admin... (or Plugins -> Plugins Manager in older versions of Notepad++) in the top menu.

Alternatively you can install a specialized file compare software like WinMerge.

Answer from Lars Fischer on Stack Overflow
Top answer
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There is the "Compare" plugin. You can install it via Plugins -> Plugins Admin... (or Plugins -> Plugins Manager in older versions of Notepad++) in the top menu.

Alternatively you can install a specialized file compare software like WinMerge.

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Update:

  • for Notepad++ 7.5 and above use Compare v2.0.0
  • for Notepad++ 7.7 and above use Compare v2.0.0 for Notepad++ 7.7, if you need to install manually follow the description below, otherwise use "Plugin Admin".

I use Compare plugin 2 for notepad++ 7.5 and newer versions. Notepad++ 7.5 and newer versions do not have plugin manager. You have to download and install plugins manually. And YES it matters if you use 64bit or 32bit (86x).

So Keep in mind, if you use a 64-bit version of Notepad++, you should also use a 64-bit version of the plugin, and the same is valid for 32-bit.

I wrote a guideline how to install it:

  1. Start your Notepad++ in administrator mode.
  2. Press F1 to find out if your Notepad++ is 64bit or 32bit (86x), hence you need to download the correct plugin version. Download Compare-plugin 2.
  3. Unzip Compare-plugin in a temporary folder.
  4. Import the plugin from the temporary folder.
  5. The plugin should appear under the Plugins menu.

Note:
It is also possible to drag and drop the plugin .dll file directly in the plugin folder.
64bit: %programfiles%\Notepad++\plugins
32bit: %programfiles(x86)%\Notepad++\plugins

Update Thanks to @TylerH for this update: Notepad++ Now has "Plugin Admin" as a replacement for the old Plugin Manager. But this method (answer) is still valid for adding plugins manually for almost any Notepad++ plugins.

Disclaimer: the link to this guideline refer to my personal website.

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Notepad++ Community
community.notepad-plus-plus.org › topic › 25461 › comparing-and-editing-files
Comparing and editing files | Notepad++ Community
March 18, 2025 - Compare the two files, select View | Diff Context | 0 Lines and you will see only the lines that are different. Click in the side you want to copy, select all and copy (Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C); you can then paste the result into a new Notepad++ tab.
Discussions

notepad++ replacement (need something that is similar to the compare plugin to compare two files w/color coding)?
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🌐 r/linuxmint
24
8
November 21, 2022
Need to compare two documents

Install Notepad++, install the Compare plugin for it, paste one version in one tab, the other version in the other tab, select Plugins>Compare >Compare, and presto.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/scrivener
9
2
September 15, 2019
Looking for a software to compare text files with shuffled paragraphs.
This is what I use for comparison https://www.emeditor.com/text-editor-features/coding/compare-documents/ More on reddit.com
🌐 r/software
10
3
May 31, 2024
Automate JSON compare
Hey I just wanted to drop two tools here that you might find useful: the first is jq (JSON Query) which is a standard command-line tool for working with JSON data. It's one of those tiny tools with a thousand-page manual full of features you'll probably never need, but if you're working with automating JSON you should definitely get an idea of what it does. The second, which is more directly useful for you, is jd (JSON Diff). A "diff" in this context is a JSON of only the values that are different. This should provide a much nicer workflow for comparing them. Here's a similar question on StackOverflow with some implementation. Hope that helps! More on reddit.com
🌐 r/learnprogramming
2
2
September 15, 2022
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Alphr
alphr.com › home › how to compare two files with notepad
How to Compare Two Files With Notepad
June 5, 2023 - Go to “Plugins” and select “Plugins Admin.” If you miss out on the “Plugins Admin…” option, navigate to “?” then select “About Notepad++” and double-check that you’re running the current version.
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Help Desk Geek
helpdeskgeek.com › home › how-to › how to compare two files in notepad++
How to Compare Two Files in Notepad++
April 19, 2024 - Unlike Microsoft Word, which allows you to compare Word documents, Notepad++ doesn’t include the ability to compare files by default. Instead, you’ll need a third-party plugin to enable the feature. The well-named Compare plugin for Notepad++ enables you to view the changes and differences between two text files side-by-side.
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Text Compare
text-compare.com
Text Compare! - Find differences between two text files
Text Compare! is an online diff tool that can find the difference between two text documents. Just paste and compare.
🌐
GitHub
github.com › pnedev › comparePlus
GitHub - pnedev/comparePlus: Compare plugin for Notepad++ · GitHub
Compare two files and show differences side by side ... It is highly customizable, can ignore spaces, empty lines, letter cases, regexes, can find moves and show character diffs. Several compared file pairs can be active and displayed at the same time. ** IMPORTANT NOTE: ** ** ComparePlus plugin is available for Notepad++ versions above v8.4.2 (included) **
Starred by 1.2K users
Forked by 156 users
Languages   C++ 94.6% | C 5.2% | CMake 0.2%
Find elsewhere
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How-To Geek
howtogeek.com › home › windows › how to compare two files in notepad++
How to Compare Two Files in Notepad++
January 10, 2024 - Open Notepad++, select Plugins > Plugins Admin, enable "Compare," and click "Install." Launch the app again, open the files to compare, and choose Plugins > Compare > Compare.
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Medium
medium.com › @wepypixel › compare-two-files-in-notepad-in-5-easy-steps-pypixel-fdbb99c47b44
Compare Two Files in Notepad++ in 5 Easy Steps | PyPixel | by Stilest | Medium
December 7, 2023 - Click on Yes and Notepad++ will restart with the Compare plugin installed. ... Now, open any two files you want to compare, click on Plugins in the menu bar, select Compare from the list, and again Click on Compare from the sub-list.
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Diffchecker
diffchecker.com
Compare text and find differences online or offline - Diffchecker
Compare text, files, and code (e.g. json, xml) to find differences with Diffchecker online for free! Use our desktop app for private, offline diffs.
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Notepad++ Community
community.notepad-plus-plus.org › topic › 25691 › compare-2-files-using-command-line-cmd
Compare 2 files using Command Line (CMD) | Notepad++ Community
April 16, 2024 - As @Ekopalypse pointed in his post the new ComparePlus plugin can start comparison from the command line. The command to do so is: notepad++ -pluginMessage=compare new_file.txt old_file.txt - there should be no quotes around ‘compare’ word.
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AddictiveTips
addictivetips.com › home › how to compare two files in notepad++
Notepad++ Compare Two Files: Easy Step-by-Step Guide
August 22, 2025 - Learn how to compare two files in Notepad++ using the Compare plugin. Spot differences instantly with this simple step-by-step guide.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/linuxmint › notepad++ replacement (need something that is similar to the compare plugin to compare two files w/color coding)?
r/linuxmint on Reddit: notepad++ replacement (need something that is similar to the compare plugin to compare two files w/color coding)?
November 21, 2022 -

Basically I'm just doing simple checks to see the difference between two files, specifically in my case I'm using arkenfox user.js for firefox. I like to compare the update to the old version to see what changed and see if I need to make any updates to my user-overrides.js

The color coding also helps immensely. And seeing the files side by side with the changes highlighted, while being able to edit them if needed, helps too. (I've also used it to see changes I've made in user-overrides.js).

Edit: I'm very new to linux and because everything is new I don't have that sense of what to try first, like I do with windows. With mac or android I have a better sense as well, at least have an idea with those of what to search for or a place to start. With linux it's so unfamiliar and new to me, just kinda very overwhelming and too many things to process at once. I just kinda blank out for a while before I come up with an idea.

I figured it out though, I installed Kompare to use with Kate and that seems to be working well. It was a little confusing and counter intuitive process to what I'm used to. I was thinking maybe I need to install plugins, rather than pull programs from the software manager, and I don't always know what to look for! I wasn't certain it would work since it's for KDE and I'm on Cinnamon (keep forgetting about the DE, I'm used to just one desktop environment), I've only quickly checked a file, not done much with it yet and it worked for what I needed.

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SourceForge
sourceforge.net › projects › npp-compare
Notepad++ Compare plugin download | SourceForge.net
Download Notepad++ Compare plugin for free. Comparison plugin for Notepad++ editor. Comparison plugin for Notepad++ editor.
Rating: 4.1 ​ - ​ 40 votes
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MiniTool Partition Wizard
partitionwizard.com › home › partition magic › how to make notepad++ compare two files easily? [full guide]
Essential Guide: Make Notepad++ Compare Two Files Quickly
December 4, 2024 - Step 3. Now, it will compare the 2 files instantly and show you the differences between them. Note: To end the “Notepad++ compare files” process, you can click on Plugins > Compare > Clear Active Compare or Clear All Compares. If you want to configure more options for the Notepad++ compare two files, you can also click on Plugins > Compare > Settings, and then further configure the Compare settings.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Comparing text files in NotePad++ || Quick and Easy way to compare text files - YouTube
Hello Friends, In this tutorial we will learn to compare text files in notepad ++. This is quite easy to compare files in notepad++, only need to install a p...
Published   June 12, 2025
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Notepad++ Community
community.notepad-plus-plus.org › topic › 15420 › compare-files
Compare Files | Notepad++ Community
March 21, 2018 - It would need good facilities for highlighting the lines that differ between the two files, the characters that are different between the two lines, ignoring whitespace changes and/or changes within comments. Beyond Compare is pretty good in most of these respects.
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MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › productivity › how to make notepad++ compare two files with a plugin
How to Make Notepad++ Compare Two Files With a Plugin
September 7, 2023 - The plugin uses the old file as a comparison reference. Open the two files you want to compare in Notepad++. To compare the two files, go to the Plugins menu, open Compare, and then select Compare.
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TMS Outsource
tms-outsource.com › home › how to compare two files in notepad++
How to Compare Two Files in Notepad++ - TMS
April 28, 2025 - In the Plugins Admin window, search ... installation if prompted. ... Click on File in the top menu and select Open, or simply drag and drop the two files you wish to compare into Notepad++....