Application to compare files and folders to find differences, code changes, updates and duplicate content.
WinMerge is a free and open source tool for comparing files and folders and then merging the contents of them. Its utility is useful not just for programmers but also for writers.
Unlike several other tools which specialize in just comparing sets of files, WinMerge can also deal with directories and merge the contents of them. This can be useful for photographers who have collections of photos across hard drives.
The program has many useful features and supports different operations such as rename, move, copy, archive (as zip files) and deletion. Customization of WinMerge can be accomplished easily; users may change colors and other visual elements.
Overall, the user interface of WinMerge is well done and user-friendly. Its various features and options make it a perfect tool for many different sets of users from photographers to programmers alike.
Features of WinMerge
- Archive: Compare and merge contents of zip, 7z and tar archives.
- Auto-merge: Automatically resolve conflicts with one click.
- Diff: Compare two files or folders and detect differences.
- Edit: Ability to edit files directly in WinMerge.
- Filter: Ignore certain differences such as whitespace.
- Hex: View and compare files in hexadecimal format.
- Merge: Combine changes from two sources into a single output.
- Navigate: View differences in context and jump between changes.
- Plugins: Expand functionality with third-party plugins.
- Regular expressions: Search and replace using regular expressions.
- Reports: Generate HTML or UNIX diff reports for sharing.
- Synchronize: Automatically scroll both files to the same change.
- Unicode: Support for files with Unicode characters.
- Visualize: Side-by-side display of differences with color-coding.
Compatibility and License
WinMerge is available for free and released under the open source GPLv2 license on Windows from file organizer software. The license provides the options to freely download, install, run and share this program without any restrictions. The source code for WinMerge should be freely available and modifications are certainly permitted as well as the option to inspect the software.
What version of Windows can WinMerge run on?
WinMerge can be used on a computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10. Previous versions of the OS shouldn't be a problem with Windows 8 and Windows 7 having been tested. It comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit downloads.
Filed under:
- WinMerge Download
- Free File Organizer Software
- Open source and GPL software
- File Comparison Software
