If you want to look at two documents at the same time, it may be easier to compare them side by side. To do this, you must have two or more documents open. Then, click the Window menu and click Compare Side by Side.

If you only have two documents open, your menu will tell you what document it is going to compare with:

Once you click the command, the windows will automatically tile like this:

Both documents will still have their own listing in the taskbar, and you can still work with both as usual.

Notice the Side by Side toolbar on the right hand side of the screen. The first button on this toolbar toggles synchronous scrolling on or off; this means when you scroll in one document the other document will scroll to the same spot. The second button is reset window position. This is useful if you maximize one of the windows but then want to return to side by side. The last button is Close Side by Side, which will maximize both windows and close the toolbar.

If you have more than one document open, your menu will be a little different. Instead of listing which document it will compare with, it simply says “with…” like this:

When you click that command, a dialog box will open asking you which document you want to compare to:

Once you pick a document and click OK, both documents will be opened in the side-by-side layout we looked at earlier.