WinMerge

WinMerge (opens in a new tab) is an open-source differencing and merging tool for Windows. It compares files and folders and presents differences in a clear, visual format that is easy to understand and work with. WinMerge has been actively developed since 2000.

What Can WinMerge Do?

WinMerge provides a rich set of features for comparing and merging files and folders:

• File Comparison

Compare two or three text files side by side, with differences highlighted line by line. Inline differences within a line can also be shown.

• Folder Comparison

Compare the contents of two folders to see which files differ, are missing, or exist only on one side. Folder comparisons support advanced filter expressions, allowing you to include or exclude files and folders based on names, paths, sizes, timestamps, and other attributes.

• Merging

Merge changes between files or folders by selectively applying differences from one side to the other.

• Syntax Highlighting

Syntax highlighting for many programming languages and file formats helps make code and structured text easier to read and compare.

• Patch File Creation

Generate patch files in normal, context, or unified diff formats.

• Flexible Ignore Options

Ignore differences such as whitespace changes, case differences, or lines matching regular expressions.

• Shell Integration

Integrates with Windows Explorer, enabling direct comparison via the right-click context menu.

• Archive Support

Using 7-Zip, WinMerge can compare files inside many archive formats as if they were normal folders.

In short, WinMerge is useful for anyone who needs to track changes, compare versions of files or directories, or merge modifications efficiently.

How to Contribute

If you find a bug or would like to request a feature, please submit an issue (opens in a new tab).

To contribute code:

• Fork the WinMerge repository (opens in a new tab)
• Create a feature branch on your fork
• Follow the existing coding style (use Allman indentation (opens in a new tab))
• Submit a Pull Request (opens in a new tab) describing your changes

Folder Structure

The WinMerge repository is organized as follows:

• ArchiveSupport/Merge7z

Merge7z DLLs that connect WinMerge with 7-Zip. Required to build WinMergeU.exe. A standalone installer for these DLLs is also included.

• Build

Output directory created during compilation. Contains executables, libraries, manuals, etc.