Question 1

Is LocalDiff.dev safe for comparing sensitive code?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All diff comparisons happen locally in your browser. Your code and text data never leaves your machine and is never uploaded to any server.

Question 2

Do I need to create an account?

Accepted Answer

No. LocalDiff.dev works without any sign-up, login, or registration. Just open it and start comparing.

Question 3

What file types does LocalDiff.dev support?

Accepted Answer

LocalDiff.dev supports all text-based file types including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, JSON, YAML, XML, HTML, CSS, SQL, Markdown, and more.

Question 4

Are my files uploaded when I open or drop them?

Accepted Answer

No. Files are read with your browser's File API and compared on your device. You can drop two files at once to fill both panels, and nothing is sent to a server.

Question 5

Is LocalDiff.dev free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes. LocalDiff.dev is free with unlimited comparisons and no account. Because every diff runs on your device, there is nothing to meter. The service is supported by non-intrusive advertising and affiliate links.

Question 6

What is the file size limit?

Accepted Answer

Local text files and content fetched from a URL can each be up to 50 MB per panel. There is no limit on the number of comparisons.

Question 7

Does LocalDiff.dev work offline?

Accepted Answer

The core diff functionality works offline after the page loads. Only URL content fetching requires an internet connection.

Question 8

What programming languages does syntax highlighting support?

Accepted Answer

LocalDiff.dev auto-detects and highlights JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, C, C++, C#, PHP, Ruby, JSON, YAML, HTML/XML, CSS, SQL, Bash, Dockerfile, HCL/Terraform and Markdown.

Question 9

Can I compare PDFs or Word documents?

Accepted Answer

LocalDiff.dev compares plain text and code. For PDFs or Word docs, first export or copy the text content, then paste it into the panels.

Question 10

How is LocalDiff.dev different from GitHub's diff view?

Accepted Answer

LocalDiff.dev is for ad-hoc comparison of any text, with no git repository required. It adds word-level diff highlighting, per-change merge decisions, and syntax highlighting for 20 languages, all without uploading your content to any server.