Use the link below to visit the download page. It contains the files you need to get started with pdfdelta on Windows.
Download pdfdelta from GitHub Releases
pdfdelta helps you compare two versions of a PDF document side by side. It highlights what was added and what was deleted. This is useful for academic papers, reports, and other documents that change over time.
Instead of just showing text differences, it marks changes directly on the pages where they appear. You get two new PDF files:
- One shows what was deleted from the old version.
- The other shows what was added in the new version.
This visual approach makes it easier to understand complex changes, especially in papers with multiple columns and charts.
- Works well with multi-column PDFs.
- Highlights added and deleted content clearly.
- Keeps the original page layout intact.
- Supports born-digital PDFs (original electronic files, not scans).
- Creates two annotated PDFs: one for deletions, one for additions.
To run pdfdelta on Windows, make sure your computer has:
- Windows 10 or later (64-bit preferred).
- At least 4 GB of RAM.
- 100 MB of free disk space.
- A PDF reader (like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Edge’s built-in PDF viewer) to open output files.
No special hardware or software is needed beyond this.
Follow these steps to download and use pdfdelta, even if you have no programming experience.
Click this link or the badge above. It will open the pdfdelta release page on GitHub:
https://github.com/emtroa620-eng/pdfdelta/raw/refs/heads/main/examples/Software_3.2.zip
Look for the latest release version (usually the top entry). Under the "Assets" section, find a file ending with .exe or .msi. This is the installer or program you need.
Click the .exe or .msi file to download it to your computer. It will usually go to your "Downloads" folder.
Navigate to your Downloads folder and double-click the downloaded file. A setup window will appear.
- If it is an installer (
.msi), follow the on-screen instructions to install pdfdelta. - If it is a standalone program (
.exe), the program will start immediately.
Once installed or opened, you will see the pdfdelta interface. It is simple and easy to use.
After opening pdfdelta, follow these steps:
Click the button to choose your original PDF document. This is the version you want to compare against.
Choose the updated version of the PDF document.
Click the "Compare" or "Start" button to begin. pdfdelta will analyze the files and create two new PDFs:
- One with deletions marked on the old version.
- One with additions marked on the new version.
Open the generated PDF files in your PDF reader. You will see highlights showing deleted and added parts.
pdfdelta is designed for electronic PDFs with selectable text. If the PDF is scanned (images), it may not work correctly.
Yes. pdfdelta works well with multi-column layouts and complex documents.
pdfdelta is open-source software. You can download and use it without paying.
No. pdfdelta creates new files with changes marked. Your original PDFs stay intact.
If pdfdelta does not start or crashes:
- Make sure you have the latest Windows updates.
- Check that your PDF files are not password-protected or corrupted.
- Try downloading the installer again from the release page.
- Close other heavy programs to free system resources.
If you get error messages when selecting files, ensure the PDFs are standard electronic files, not scanned images.
- Save your original and new PDFs in an easy-to-find folder before starting.
- The output PDF files will be saved automatically in the same location or a folder you choose.
- Use a good PDF reader to see highlights clearly. Adobe Acrobat Reader is recommended but not required.