Help:Diff

What a diff shows

A diff compares two saved revisions of a page and highlights text that was added, removed or changed. It is useful for reviewing edits, tracing when information appeared, and checking whether a proposed correction preserves other work. Formatting may make a change appear larger or smaller than its meaning.

Open and read a diff

From a page's history, choose the comparison links beside two revisions and select the compare action. Many history views also offer links such as prev (compare this revision with the previous one) and cur (compare with the current version). Labels and layout can vary by skin. Read the surrounding text and inspect references, links and template calls, not only the highlighted words. A diff is evidence of what changed, not proof that either version is correct.

Share a comparison

You can copy the diff page's address to discuss a specific change. Check that it identifies the intended revisions and that readers can access them. Deleted or suppressed revisions may be unavailable to some users. If a change is disputed, explain the factual issue and propose wording on the relevant discussion page rather than relying on a diff alone.