Try a fictional example: In the workbench, choose “Try workbook sample”, then “Review matching options” and “Compare all worksheets”. The sample shows two changed rows, one added row and four unchanged rows across Products, Summary and Notes.
Review a workbook without opening sheets one at a time
When two workbook exports contain many tabs, checking each worksheet manually can hide a change in a rarely used sheet. CSV Review’s whole-workbook overview checks every readable worksheet in two XLS, XLSX or ODS files and collects the results in one per-sheet table.
How matching worksheets are compared
Worksheets pair by exact tab name first, then by a unique name after normalizing punctuation and spaces or removing year tokens. The tool looks for a shared identifier column, or a combination of two or three identifier columns, that is populated and unique in both sheets. Identifiers can include IDs, SKUs, geographic areas or entity names. Confirm the suggested key identifies the same records. Without a unique key, rows with unique identical cell values and formulas pair across row order; duplicate or edited rows use nearest source position, and large unmatched sections use source order. The report counts changed, added, removed and unchanged rows and includes the changed cell values for review. A sheet present on only one side is reported as added or removed. Worksheets that cannot be parsed as a table are compared as a raw grid when possible, and skipped sheets are disclosed.
Check a reordered list by its key
Unique identical rows stay paired when they move or when a new row is inserted. Rows that are edited or duplicated do not have that exact content anchor and may still appear changed by position. For stronger identity on changing records, select a worksheet on each side and compare by SKU, ID or a composite key; duplicate or blank keys remain visible as conflicts.
Formula and privacy details
Whole-workbook comparison reports saved cell-result changes and formula-expression changes separately. Formulas are never recalculated; saved results can be missing or stale. For a selected-worksheet comparison, choose saved results or formula text. Files are sent to the application server for processing and are not stored by an anonymous comparison. Saving a report requires a verified account. New Free reports are encrypted and retained for seven days. The proposed Pro plan provides 90-day retention for new reports; paid subscriptions are not available. Do not upload sensitive production data to this beta.
Supported file and workbook limits
Each XLS, XLSX or ODS file can be up to 20 MiB. ZIP-based workbooks may expand to 32 MiB; a workbook overview accepts up to 100 worksheets and 500,000 populated cells per workbook. Larger or malformed workbooks are rejected instead of silently truncated. Whole-workbook comparison uses a shared key of one to three identifier columns only when it is populated and unique on both sides; without one, unique identical rows pair across order and edited or duplicate rows use nearest source position. Large unmatched sections use source order. Confirm the suggested key identifies stable records.
Compare two workbooks now → · Compare Excel files by SKU when row order changes