How to find changes in a revised contract

Last updated: 19 October 2026

When the other party sends back a contract "with a few small edits", the safest assumption is that you have not been told about every change. Comparing the revised PDF with the version you last approved takes a minute and protects you from surprises.

Start from the right reference

Use the last version you agreed to as the reference, not an earlier draft. If you compare against an old draft, changes you already accepted will appear again and hide the new ones.

What to look at first

• Amounts and rates: fees, prices, interest, penalties and caps.
• Dates and periods: start dates, terms, notice periods and payment deadlines.
• Obligations: words such as may, shall, must and will, which change who has to do what.
• Removed text: deleted protections are easy to miss because nothing new appears on the page.
• Definitions: a changed definition changes every clause that uses it.

Use the findings list as a checklist

Work through the findings from top to bottom. Click each one to see it in context on both versions. The Removed filter is especially useful: turn off the other categories to see only text that disappeared.

Check the form fields too

Many contracts include fillable fields for names, dates and selected options. compare2pdf compares these values as well, so a changed start date or a different plan selection shows up as a Form field finding even when the body text is identical.

Document your review

Export with findings produces a copy of the revised contract with every change boxed and numbered, followed by a summary table. Attach it to your reply or keep it with the signed copy as a record of what was checked.

compare2pdf shows differences between documents. It does not give legal advice. For important agreements, have a qualified professional review the changes.