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jean4444
Participant
January 13, 2026
Question

Acrobat compare files shows changes that weren't made

  • January 13, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 162 views

I'm using Acrobat to compare files that have minor text edits. The files range from 100-300 pages. A 100 page file might have 8 text changes, but when compared to the edited version it might find 150 changes. It shows (the same) text deleted then inserted, images deleted then inserted, graphic elements deleted then inserted, all things that were not edited. I don't want to only check for text changes because I want to see if other things changed in each book, but these non"changes" are making it much more difficult to find actual edits and/or errors.
I'm using version 2025.001.20997
Hope someone can help. Thanks

1 reply

Jeffrey_A_Wright
Jeffrey_A_Wright
Legend
January 13, 2026

Jean, thanks for posting to this public discussion forum. Even a minor text edit could radically alter the structure of the PDF file. What did you use to originally create the PDF file? Is there anything preventing you from editing the source document and then exporting to PDF?

 

You can also use the reduce file size feature to clean up the file after any edits have been made. This will help reduce the file size and try to optimize any images or text elements that are within the file. Please see https://adobe.ly/49XYeZt for more information.

 

Reducing the file size might be the best option for you, Jean, if you are unable to edit the original file. It will also give you greater control of how the images and fonts are handled within the PDF. ^JW

J
jean4444Author
Participant
January 13, 2026

Thanks for your response. I am not creating the original file, just proofreading it. I always manually check the edits were made, but I like to scroll through the 2 versions (using compare files) to give an quick look at both files, side-by-side. The markup that adobe puts in (things deleted then inserted) makes it dificult to look through. Can you explain why this happens when these changes weren't made? 

Jeffrey_A_Wright
Jeffrey_A_Wright
Legend
January 13, 2026

Jean, thanks for the update. Your original post stated you did make minor changes to the file. Even changing one letter can cause an entire font to be embedded or other structural changes. This is the nature of how PDF files work, as they are containers for images, text, and other data. It is not the same as editing a text document, Word document, or an InDesign file.

 

Please use the reduce file size feature if the size of the updated file is a concern.

 

Are there any compatibility problems with the file after you implemented the eight changes referenced in your original post, Jean? ^JW

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