How to use it
- Put one list in box A and one in box B, one item per line. Two short lists are filled in to show the layout.
- Choose whether to ignore case and whether to trim spaces around each item.
- Read the four result boxes and press Copy under the one you need. Swap exchanges the two lists.
How it works
Both lists are split into lines, trimmed if you chose to, and reduced to their distinct items. An item is “in both” when the other list has an item that matches it exactly, or ignoring case when that option is on. “Only in A” is the set difference A minus B, and “only in B” is B minus A. The combined list has each distinct item once.
Worked example
List A is apple, banana, cherry, date and list B is banana, cherry, elderberry, fig. Both lists have banana and cherry. Only A has apple and date. Only B has elderberry and fig. All six distinct items together are apple, banana, cherry, date, elderberry and fig.
Tips
To compare spreadsheet columns, copy a column and paste it straight in: each cell is a line. If two lists look the same but show differences, check for trailing spaces and keep trimming on. To compare whole texts line by line with changes marked, use the text diff tool instead.