DocxDiff
Compare two DOCX files on your Mac and see exactly which words and embedded images changed.
⬇︎ Download for macOSFree and open source. Requires macOS 14 or later.
Word-level text diffs
Text aligns in document order. Removed words are struck through in red, added words show in green. Table cell text is compared too, though every change is labelled Paragraph N.
Embedded images too
Figures added, removed, or replaced are reported. A replacement keeps the old and new preview side by side when the surrounding text is similar enough to pair them.
Drop it and go
Drag a DOCX onto either slot or click to browse. Comparison starts on its own once both slots hold a valid document.
Nothing leaves your Mac
No uploads, no accounts, no database. Temporary extraction directories are deleted after every comparison.
What it doesn't do
DocxDiff compares the text and embedded image bytes of word/document.xml. It does
not compare formatting; image size, crop, or position when the media bytes are unchanged;
headers; footers; comments; footnotes; endnotes; or tracked-change metadata. It does not export
reports, and it is not notarized.
Two behaviours worth knowing: every change is labelled Paragraph N, so table cell
text is compared but never marked as belonging to a table; and a replaced figure is only paired
as a replacement when the text around it stays similar, otherwise it appears as a separate
removal and addition.
First launch (opening an unsigned app)
DocxDiff isn't signed with an Apple Developer ID, so macOS blocks it the first time you open it. This is expected — you only need to do one of the following once, and it opens normally afterward.
- Right-click to open. In Finder, Control-click (or right-click)
DocxDiff, choose Open, then click Open again in the dialog. - If macOS still won't let you (newer versions): open
System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the message about
DocxDiffbeing blocked, and click Open Anyway. Confirm with Open Anyway (and Touch ID or your password if asked). - Terminal fallback. If neither works, remove the quarantine flag and open
it normally:
(Adjust the path if you keep the app somewhere other than/usr/bin/xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/DocxDiff.app/Applications.)