# CSV / Excel Diff Tool Compare two CSV or XLSX datasets and export a PDF report with row, column, and cell-level differences > Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/csv-excel-diff-tool - **Category:** Data Processing - **Keywords:** csv diff, excel diff, xlsx compare, qa, spreadsheet comparison, pdf report ## Overview Upload or paste two CSV/XLSX sources, compare values, types, or formats, and export a colored PDF summary for QA or review workflows. ## Inputs - **Left CSV Input** (textarea): id,name,amount 1,Ada,120 2,Grace,90 - **Left CSV/XLSX File** (file) - **Left Sheet Name (Optional)** (text): Sheet1 - **Right CSV Input** (textarea): id,name,amount 1,Ada,120 2,Grace,95 3,Linus,110 - **Right CSV/XLSX File** (file) - **Right Sheet Name (Optional)** (text): Sheet1 - **Key Columns** (text): id,email - **Compare Mode** (select) - **Report Title** (text): Q1 Pricing Workbook Diff ## When to use - When you need to verify data migrations or system updates by comparing pre- and post-deployment spreadsheet exports. - When reconciling financial reports or pricing lists to quickly spot modified values, missing rows, or formatting changes. - When conducting QA testing on localized content or product catalogs to ensure no unintended data alterations occurred. ## How it works - Upload your original CSV or XLSX file as the left input and the updated version as the right input, or paste the raw data directly. - Specify the key columns (e.g., 'id' or 'email') to align the rows accurately between the two datasets. - Select a compare mode to evaluate cell content, data types, formatting, or all three simultaneously. - Generate and download a color-coded PDF report summarizing all additions, deletions, and modifications. ## Use cases - QA engineers verifying database exports before and after a major system migration. - E-commerce managers tracking daily price and inventory changes across large product catalog spreadsheets. - Finance teams reconciling monthly ledger exports to identify discrepancies or missing transactions. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I compare specific sheets within an Excel workbook? Yes, you can specify the exact sheet name for both the left and right inputs to compare specific tabs within your XLSX files. ### What are key columns used for? Key columns act as unique identifiers (like an ID or SKU) to align rows between the two datasets, ensuring accurate comparison even if the row order has changed. ### What formats are supported for comparison? The tool supports raw CSV text input, as well as uploaded CSV and Excel (XLSX/XLS) files up to 20MB in size. ### Can I ignore formatting changes and only compare data values? Yes, you can set the Compare Mode to 'Cell Content Only' to ignore differences in fonts, colors, or data types. ### What does the exported PDF report contain? The PDF report provides a color-coded summary of the differences, highlighting added rows, deleted rows, and specifically modified cells. ## Related tools - [Barcode Batch Generator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/barcode-batch-generator): Batch generate Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A, ITF-14, QR Code, and Data Matrix outputs from CSV or multiline text - [JSON-LD Generator from CSV](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/json-ld-generator-from-csv): Turn CSV or Excel rows into Schema.org JSON-LD for articles, products, or events, with validation-ready output for SEO workflows - [XLSX CSV Batch Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-csv-batch-converter): Batch convert CSV/TSV to XLSX or convert XLSX back to CSV/TSV with delimiter and encoding handling - [Excel to CSV Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/excel-to-csv): Convert Excel file to CSV format, extracting data from the first worksheet - [Time Series Anomaly Detector](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/time-series-anomaly-detector): Upload CSV or JSON time series data, detect anomalies with Z-Score and IQR methods, and return a chart-backed report - [Time Series Forecast & Seasonality Analyzer](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/time-series-forecast-seasonality-analyzer): Forecast future periods from CSV or JSON time-series data and inspect trend, seasonal, and residual decomposition in one report - [LibreOffice XLSX to PDF Report](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/libreoffice-xlsx-to-pdf-report): Convert Excel workbooks to multi-page PDF reports via LibreOffice and merge batch outputs - [XLSX Multi Sheet Splitter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-multi-sheet-splitter): Split a multi-sheet workbook into independent files by sheet name, with ZIP output ## Samples - [XLSX Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/xlsx-samples): Sample XLSX spreadsheets for worksheet parsing and data extraction testing - [XLS Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/xls-samples): Sample legacy Excel (XLS) files for binary spreadsheet parsing and import tests - [PDF Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/pdf-samples): Generated PDF samples from tools dated 2026-02-01 to 2026-02-10 - [Markdown Slide Deck Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/md-slide-deck-to-pdf): Remark/Marp style Markdown slide decks for testing PDF export layouts ## Related content - [CSV Cleanup, Reshaping, and Delivery Workflow](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/csv-utility): Inspect CSV structure, keep the right columns, reshape rows, compare outputs, and split final files for dependable imports or reporting. - [Data Quality and Anomaly Investigation Workflows](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/data-quality-anomaly-workflows): Profile tabular data, isolate duplicates, missingness, referential breaks, outliers, and time-series anomalies, and turn findings into defensible quality evidence. - [File and Data Diff Comparison Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/file-data-diff-comparison-tools): Compare two candidate artifacts, choose the right diff path for the format, review structural or semantic changes, and finish with integrity checks when approval needs byte-level certainty.