How to Compare Two Excel Sheets for Differences

To compare two Excel sheets for differences, you can use various methods such as conditional formatting, formulas, or using an add-in. Here are the steps for each method.

Method 1: Using Conditional Formatting

1. Open the two Excel sheets you want to compare.
2. In the first sheet, select the range of cells you want to compare. You can use the shortcut Ctrl+A to select the entire sheet.
3. Click on the 'Home' tab, and then click on 'Conditional Formatting.'
4. Hover over 'Highlight Cells Rules' and click on 'Equal To.'
5. In the 'Equal To' dialog box, click on the cell picker button next to the 'Format cells that are EQUAL TO' box.
6. Switch to the second sheet and select the top-left cell of the range you want to compare.
7. Press Enter to go back to the 'Equal To' dialog box. You'll see a formula that links both sheets.
8. Choose the formatting you want for the differences.
9. Click on 'OK.' Excel will highlight the cells with differences in the first sheet.
10. Repeat steps 2-9 for the second sheet.

Method 2: Using a Formula

1. Open the two Excel sheets you want to compare.
2. In a new sheet, type the following formula in cell A1:

=IF(Sheet1!A1 <> Sheet2!A1, "Different", "Same")

Replace Sheet1 and Sheet2 with the names of the sheets you're comparing.

3. Press Enter. The cell will display 'Different' if there's a difference between the cells in the two sheets or 'Same' if they're identical.
4. Click on the bottom-right corner of cell A1 and drag it to fill the whole range you want to compare.
5. The new sheet will now display 'Different' for cells with differences and 'Same' for cells with identical values in both sheets.

Method 3: Using an Add-in

1. Download and install a specialized Excel add-in for comparing worksheets, such as 'Spreadsheet Compare' or 'xlCompare.'
2. Open the two Excel sheets you want to compare.
3. Follow the instructions provided by the add-in to compare the two sheets and display the differences.

Example

Let's assume you have two sheets named "Sales2019" and "Sales2020" containing sales data for two years, and you want to compare the differences using conditional formatting.

1. Open the Excel workbook containing "Sales2019" and "Sales2020" sheets.
2. Go to the "Sales2019" sheet and select the range of cells you want to compare (e.g., A1:H100).
3. Click on the 'Home' tab, and then click on 'Conditional Formatting.'
4. Hover over 'Highlight Cells Rules' and click on 'Equal To.'
5. In the 'Equal To' dialog box, click on the cell picker button next to the 'Format cells that are EQUAL TO' box.
6. Switch to the "Sales2020" sheet and select the top-left cell of the range you want to compare (e.g., A1).
7. Press Enter to go back to the 'Equal To' dialog box. You'll see a formula that links both sheets.
8. Choose the formatting you want for the differences (e.g., red fill with dark red text).
9. Click on 'OK.' Excel will highlight the cells with differences in the "Sales2019" sheet.
10. Repeat steps 2-9 for the "Sales2020" sheet.