Does ListDiff compare every cell in a spreadsheet?

No. It compares lists of values—usually one ID or SKU per line. It is not a full workbook cell highlighter.

Compare CSV exports by ID, not by every cell

Last updated: 2026-08-26

Inventory, CRM, and order systems often dump wide CSV files. Most reconciliation questions are still simple: which IDs or SKUs appear in one export but not the other? ListDiff answers that as a list compare—upload or paste both sides, prefer the ID column, and read A only / B only.

Typical setups

A = last week’s catalog, B = this week’s → B only = new SKUs; A only = removed.
A = CRM customers, B = billing customers → A only / B only = sync gaps.
A = expected order IDs, B = fulfilled IDs → A only = still open.

CSV tips

When rows have many columns, use first-column mode so you compare the key only.
Remove or skip a header row if the header text is not a real ID.
Decide whether leading zeros matter (product codes vs numbers that Excel “fixed”).
Check Dupes tabs—messy exports often repeat the same ID.

Example

A (old): SKU-100, SKU-200
B (new): SKU-200, SKU-300
A only: SKU-100 (gone) · B only: SKU-300 (new)

Paste or upload CSV lists

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Privacy

Files stay in the browser for comparison. See Privacy. For generic local files without a CSV focus, see compare two local files.

FAQ

How do I compare two CSV files for missing IDs?

Baseline in A, newer in B, first-column if needed, then read A only and B only.

Does this diff every spreadsheet cell?

No—keys/lists only. For column paste from Excel, see compare two columns.