Folder Comparison

Folder comparison shows differences across two directory trees.

Start a Folder Comparison

Drop two folders onto the content panes to open a folder comparison.

What You See

• Entries are aligned by their relative path.
• Added, removed, and modified entries are highlighted.
• Missing items appear as blanks on the side where they do not exist.
• Folders can be expanded to reveal nested changes.

Navigate the Tree

• Use disclosure controls to expand or collapse folders.
• You can also use keyboard arrows to expand or collapse the selected folder row.
• Expand everything, or expand all folders containing changes by right clicking a folder.

Key Actions

Copy Between Sides

Folder diff lets you copy files and folders from one side to the other.

1. Select one or more rows.
2. Make sure the pane you want to copy from is active.
3. Use either:
   • File ▸ Copy to Left / Copy to Right
   • Edit ▸ Copy Selected Lines to Left / Right
   • Keyboard: ⌘← / ⌘→

If the destination already contains an item at that path, ABDiff replaces it during the copy. If both a folder and one of its descendants are selected, copy and trash operate only on the top-level selected folder.

Right-clicking a row also shows Copy to Left, Copy to Right, and Move to Trash with their keyboard shortcuts when applicable.

View Options

Use the bottom-left options menu for filtering controls:

• Ignore hidden files
• Ignore pattern toggles and Edit ignore patterns…

For rule behavior and editing details, see Ignore Patterns.

Related Topics

• Ignore Patterns
• Key Navigation