How to Compare Two Excel Files on a Mac

To compare two Excel files on a Mac, decide whether you need to inspect a few cells or reconcile two lists of records. For customer exports, price lists and invoice tables, match the same record ID in both files before comparing values. Row numbers stop being reliable as soon as someone sorts a list or inserts a record.

Why the Windows Inquire instructions do not work on a Mac

Microsoft’s Inquire documentation specifies eligible Excel for Windows editions. The Windows instructions for File → Options → COM Add-ins do not apply to Excel for Mac. You can still compare spreadsheet data on a Mac using a browser tool or formulas; those methods answer different questions from a workbook formula and formatting audit.

If a missing Microsoft tool is the problem you are diagnosing, see why Spreadsheet Compare is not available. For a comparison you need to finish now, start with the two-table workflow below.

Compare XLSX or CSV records in your browser

Open TidyCell Compare Files on your Mac. No Windows installation is needed. Choose XLSX files or comma-separated CSV exports; an old XLS file needs to be saved as a supported format first.

1. Choose the two versions. Put the earlier file first and the later file second. Keep the source files as your reference copies.
2. Select the tables. Pick the worksheet in each workbook if there is more than one. This compares the selected pair, rather than auditing every tab automatically.
3. Check the record ID. Customer ID, Invoice ID or SKU can work when unique. Use multiple columns together when a single ID repeats for legitimate reasons.
4. Check the comparison fields. Include Amount or Status when those changes matter. Review column mapping if the exports use different header names.
5. Review the results. Inspect added, absent, changed and unchanged records, plus groups marked Needs review. Confirm both source-row totals reconcile.
6. Download the report. Save the separate XLSX result and open it in Excel to inspect Summary, Records, Cell changes and Needs review.

Compare processes these selected files in the browser. It leaves the originals untouched and does not automatically merge a changed value back into either file. The report uses stored values, including saved formula results, rather than recalculating formulas or checking their text.

Example: the rows moved and one customer changed

Suppose the earlier export has Aster, Birch and Cedar. In the later export, Cedar moves to the top, Aster’s amount increases, Birch is absent and Dahlia appears. Match Customer ID rather than customer name or row position.

Each export has three rows, but there are four record groups across the pair. The same matching principle applies when the exports have different row counts. Follow the unequal-row-count example to reconcile four earlier rows against five later rows. An absent record needs investigation: different filters or export dates can explain it without a real-world deletion.

Use formulas when you only need a presence check

Make a working copy and put the earlier and later ID lists on separate sheets. With an earlier ID in A2 and the later list on a sheet called Later, =COUNTIF(Later!$A$2:$A$1000,A2) counts its matches. Adjust the range for your data. Zero identifies an absent ID, while a number above one flags repetition. Run the check in the other direction to find new IDs.

This does not compare every field in the matching record. COUNTIF also ignores text case and interprets wildcards, so test it with your actual ID format. For amounts or statuses, match the ID first, bring the later value alongside the earlier one, and apply an explicit equality or tolerance rule. See the guide to comparing two lists in Excel for the distinction between presence and changed fields.

When a visual comparison is enough

For a tiny sheet whose structure has stayed the same, arranging the two workbook windows beside each other can be sufficient. Check the same sheet, row and column in each. For aligned ranges, Excel for Mac supports formula-based conditional formatting, which can highlight cells using a comparison rule.

Neither looking at the windows nor comparing aligned cells solves shifted rows. If a record is inserted near the top, a positional rule can mark many later cells as different even when their records are unchanged. Switch to ID-based matching for that situation.

Before you send the result

• Check that IDs mean the same thing in both files, including leading zeroes and text-versus-number types.
• Resolve missing or duplicate IDs. Needs review is uncertainty, not a confirmed addition or deletion.
• Confirm one known change and one moved-but-unchanged record against the originals.
• If you need formula, macro or formatting changes, use an appropriate workbook audit method. A record-value report does not establish those changes or who made them.