WinMerge

WinMerge is a free and open-source differencing and merging tool for Windows. It is designed to help users compare and merge both text files and entire folders. The program presents differences in a visual, side-by-side view with color-coded highlights, making insertions, deletions, and modifications easy to review. It supports multiple text encodings and line endings, enabling reliable comparisons across different platforms.

Key features include two-way file and folder comparisons, an integrated editor for applying changes, and the ability to copy differences from one side to the other. It offers syntax highlighting for a wide range of languages, configurable filters to include or exclude files, and options to ignore whitespace or specific lines. A command-line interface and Windows shell integration facilitate automation and quick access.

Licensing and development: WinMerge is free and open-source software released under the GNU General Public License. It originated as a community project and has been distributed via SourceForge and other mirrors; development is maintained by volunteers and contributors.

Platform and usage: It runs on Windows and is not distributed as an official native build for other operating systems. Users on Linux or macOS typically use compatibility layers to run WinMerge or opt for alternative diff tools designed for those platforms. Overall, WinMerge remains a widely used tool for visual file and folder comparison and merging in Windows environments.