You can quickly find out which files are missing or edited in that folder. The ones which were found in the other folder will be indicated with their file-names crossed out. If you compare two folders, the program will display two lists of files similarly to how TreeCompare does it but with more options. Tip: The encoding drop-down menu can be useful if you want to view text that is saved in different formats like Unicode UTF, Western ISO, etc.įolder comparison is another area where Meld excels in and my favorite feature in the program. You can use the built-in editor to make changes to your document or code and save it quickly. You can also use the push, pull, copy and merge options from this menu.ĭon't worry, there is an undo option in case you make a mistake. The Changes menu has a lot more options including jumping to the next or previous change or conflict. Arrow icons can be clicked upon and will move the content towards the direction thy are pointing at. Right-clicking at a specific line allows you to mark synchronization points which can be used for merging data. You have a few options on this comparison screen. If however, they are different, the program highlights the differences. If the files are identical, the program will display a message to indicate that directly. Text files are displayed using Meld's built-in viewer. You can compare up to three files at a time. The program has two comparison options: File comparison and Directory comparison. The up arrow jumps to the next change while the down arrow jumps to the previous. To start a new comparison just hit the icon with the + on it. The comparison pairs are displayed in their own tab which you can access from the tab bar. One thing I like about Meld is the ability to open multiple comparisons. You find a link to the preferences there, may start a new comparison or save an existing one, and use other standard options such as find or copy & replace. It is your standard menu bar for the most part. It has a menu bar, a toolbar, a tab bar and a selector to load plain text files.

Meld's interface isn't complex in the slightest. Tip: check out our overview of file comparison tools for Windows here. This is where file comparison tools can be time-savers.Â Meld is an open source file comparison tool for Windows and Linux for exactly that purpose.

Winmerge compare folders