These may be versions of the same file that you want to compare. Sometimes a file may be present in one folder, and another file with a similar name in the other folder (for example, VCS_library_1.4 and VCS_library_1.5). Run the following command: diff where path_1 and path_2 are paths to the folders you want to compare. You can also open the difference viewer without running IntelliJ IDEA. The top pane lists all files in the selected folders, while the bottom pane shows the differences between two versions of the selected file (see Compare files). The differences are displayed in the Differences Viewer for Folders: IntelliJ IDEA lets you compare files in two folders against their file size, content, or timestamp. Refer to Compare files from the command line for more information.

You can compare two or three files from the command line and use IntelliJ IDEA as an external diff tool. When you are comparing two files, or a file with the Cliboard contents, you can swap sides by clicking on the toolbar. To assign shortcuts to the apply and append actions, open the Keymap page of the IDE settings Ctrl+Alt+S and locate these actions under Version Control Systems | Diff & Merge. Productivity tips Assign shortcuts for 'apply' and 'append' Select a modified file anywhere in the Version Control tool window.

Compare notepad++ output to file