How to Compare Two Folders on Windows

This wikiHow teaches you how to compare the contents and total sizes of two folders using the Windows File Explorer.

Steps

  1. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 1
    1
    Press ⊞ Win+E. This opens the File Explorer.
  2. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 2
    2
    Double-click the first folder. Its contents will appear.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 3
    3
    Drag the window to the right. To do this, click and hold the menu bar at the top of the window, then drag it to the right. The window now occupies the right half of the screen.
  4. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 4
    4
    Press ⊞ Win+E. This opens another File Explorer window.
  5. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 5
    5
    Double-click the second folder.
  6. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 6
    6
    Drag the window to the left. Click and hold the menu bar at the top of the window, then drag it over to the left side of the screen. You should see the contents of one folder on the left, and the other folder on the right.
    • Depending on the size of your monitor and screen resolution, you may have to reposition the windows a bit to get all information to display at once.
  7. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 7
    7
    Click the View tab on both windows. It's near the top of each window.
  8. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 8
    8
    Click Details on both windows. It's on the “Layout” panel. This displays more information about each file and subfolder, including the type of file (e.g. file folder, video, image).
    • If the folder(s) contain subfolders, you'll see the date each was last edited beside its name.
  9. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 9
    9
    Right-click a blank area in one of the folders you're comparing. A pop-up menu will appear.
  10. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 10
    10
    Click Properties. This displays the total size of the current folder.
  11. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 11
    11
    Right-click a blank area in the other folder. Now you'll check the size of the second folder to make a comparison.
  12. Image titled Compare Two Folders on Windows Step 12
    12
    Click Properties. You should now see the size of each folder side-by-side.
    13. Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Open an Img File on PC or Mac
How to
Open an Img File on PC or Mac
Find a File's Path on Windows
How to
Find a File's Path on Windows
Delete Files That Cannot Be Deleted
How to
Delete Files That Cannot Be Deleted
Make a New File in Windows
How to
Make a New File in Windows
Run a BAT File on Windows
How to
Run a BAT File on Windows
Extract a Tgz File in Windows from the Command Line
How to
Extract a Tgz File in Windows from the Command Line
Copy a Folder with Batch File
How to
Copy a Folder with Batch File
Open ISO Files
How to
Open ISO Files
Block an Application or .EXE from Running in Windows
How to
Block an Application or .EXE from Running in Windows
Install Msi Files on Windows 10How to Install MSI Files (Windows Installer Files) on Windows 10
Install a Screensaver File in Windows
How to
Install a Screensaver File in Windows
Play WebM Files
How to
Play WebM Files
Advertisement

About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
Nicole Levine, MFA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 102,960 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 2
Updated: September 6, 2019
Views: 102,960
Categories: Windows Files
Advertisement