Double clicking on a war file in Beyond Compare's folder compare will expand it as a folder because war files are essentially zip files.

To decompile Java class files to source code in Beyond Compare, install the Java Class to Source file format. With the file format installed, when you double click on a .class file inside a .war archive, it will display the decompiled source code in Beyond Compare's Text Compare.

Download page for file formats: http://www.scootersoftware.com/download.php?zz=kb_moreformatsv4

Note the Java class to source file format is only available for Windows, it isn't available for the Linux or Mac versions of Beyond Compare.

Answer from Chris Kennedy on Stack Overflow
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Scooter Forums
forum.scootersoftware.com › home › beyond compare 3 discussion › file formats vs. rules
Java class to source - Scooter Forums - Beyond Compare
Importing the Java and Ini formats is currently broken. We'll have it fixed in the release later this week. ... Change the extension of the download from "bcpkg" to "zip" and open the zip. Copy the folder in the zip (ex. INISorted) to your helpers folder (ex.
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GitHub
github.com › bluebossa63 › JDforBeyondCompare
GitHub - bluebossa63/JDforBeyondCompare: Beyond Compare file format package with JD decomiler
Beyond Compare file format package with JD decomiler - bluebossa63/JDforBeyondCompare
Starred by 9 users
Forked by 2 users
Languages   Java 96.3% | Batchfile 3.7% | Java 96.3% | Batchfile 3.7%
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Scooter Software
scootersoftware.com › kb › moreformats
Scooter Software - Home of Beyond Compare
Select one or more file formats and click Download Selected. In Beyond Compare, pick Tools > Import Settings.
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 68676909 › getting-conversion-error-in-beyond-compare
java - Getting Conversion Error in Beyond Compare - Stack Overflow
I've tried changing encoding type in File formats and it didn't resolve the issue. Also downloaded the required plugins to decompile the class files. Please help me out in resolving this issue. ... Beyond Compare's Java class to source file format uses JAD to decompile .class files to .java source.
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Oreate AI
oreateai.com › blog › unlocking-class-files-making-beyond-compare-your-java-decompiler-ally › 1383031ab6d41f6590f384d72582c39a
Unlocking .Class Files: Making Beyond Compare Your Java Decompiler Ally - Oreate AI Blog
January 27, 2026 - This is where we tell Beyond Compare how to handle .class files. You'll head into Tools > File Formats. From there, create a new Text Format. Set the Mask to .class. The magic happens under the Conversion tab.
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Scooter Software
scootersoftware.com › kb › morerules
Additional File Viewer Rules for Beyond Compare 2
Each includes a Readme with installation instructions. ... Download HTML-To-Text strips tags from .html files to produce plain text. ... Download HTML Tidy reformats the lines of .html files in a consistent style. XML Tidy does the same for .xml files. XML Tidy Sorted will sort elements in XML Nodes. ... Download Reformats java source code using the Jalopy Java Source Formatter. ... Download Decompiles .class files into plain text.
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GitHub
github.com › sink772 › jd-core-cli
GitHub - sink772/jd-core-cli: A simple command-line Java class decompiler using jd-core library
Prepare the following shell script which will be invoked from Beyond Compare 4. $ cat ~/bin/bc4/decompile.sh #!/bin/bash JAVA_HOME=/opt/jdk-11.0.6 DECOMPILER_JAR=$HOME/bin/jd-core-cli.jar $JAVA_HOME/bin/java -jar ${DECOMPILER_JAR} $1 $2 · The environment variables, $JAVA_HOME and $DECOMPILER_JAR, should be replaced with your corresponding values. Add a new file format for Java class files (*.class) and configure the External program setting as the following.
Author   sink772
Find elsewhere
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JDriven
jdriven.com › blog › 2012 › 12 › compare-jar-files-class-content
Compare JAR files content; decompiling class files - JDriven Blog
December 17, 2012 - Since I wanted the best possible comparison between the two JAR files I needed to compare all Class files in the JAR by decompiling and comparing. This should give me a clearer and more honest picture of the differences. For this action I used Beyond Compare. By using an additional File Format (Java Class to Source) I was able to completely compare the decompiled Class files of the two JARS.
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OnlineTooWweb
onlinetoolweb.com › home › online tool to compare two java files
Online Tool To Compare Two Java Files - [100% Verified]
April 22, 2021 - To decompile Java class files to source code in Beyond Compare, install the Java Class to Source file format.
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Alibaba Cloud
topic.alibabacloud.com › a › beyond-compare-compared-with-java-class-files_1_27_32680192.html
Beyond compare compared with java class files
Using the beyond compare extension plug-in, you can directly compare the compiled java class files without displaying a lot of garbled characters. First Select the following BC3 EXTRAS Additional file format downloads for version
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Blogger
ashandish.blogspot.com › 2016 › 12 › add-java-decompiler-to-beyond-compare.html
Dive: Add java decompiler to Beyond Compare
Go to http://www.scootersoftware.com/download.php?zz=moreformats Select BC version Select Operating System Type Keywords as java Click Go and select one of them Download selected In Beyond Compare, pick Tools | Import Settings. Fill in the downloaded filename, and click Next.