Compare CSV records without relying on row order
This tool compares complete data rows in two files and reports which rows occur only in the first file and which occur only in the second. It accounts for repeated rows: if a row appears three times in one file and twice in the other, one occurrence is reported as an extra. Header rows are retained in the result files but are not part of the record matching.
How to compare two files
- Choose exactly two CSV or TSV files.
- Select Run Tool to compare their data rows.
- Review the counts, then download the two result files: one for rows unique to each input.
Make sure the files are comparable
Rows are matched by their parsed cell values and column order. Files with different column orders can report equivalent records as different, so align columns first when needed. The comparison does not identify records by a chosen ID column or normalize capitalization and whitespace.
Frequently asked questions
Does row order affect the result?
No. Complete rows are counted by their values, so the same rows can appear in a different order.
Are duplicate rows handled?
Yes. Repeated rows are counted, and only the unmatched number of occurrences appears in the corresponding output.
Does it compare columns by their names?
No. Matching uses the full sequence of cell values in each row. Put the columns in the same order before comparing files.
Processing runs locally in your browser. Explore all CSV tools, including CSV Diff Checker for comparing cells by row position.