What input format does this expect?

One file path per line, exactly as a tool like find or ls -R prints them. Leading and trailing whitespace is trimmed, and blank lines are ignored, so you can paste raw command output directly.

Does it detect renamed files?

It flags candidate renames by matching the trailing file name (basename) of paths that appear in only one side. If a name in only-A also appears as only-B under a different folder, both are listed and tagged as a possible rename.

Are my paths uploaded anywhere?

No. The entire comparison runs locally in your browser using JavaScript Set operations. Nothing is sent to a server and no actual files are read from disk.

How does case sensitivity work?

By default the diff is case-sensitive, so Readme.md and README.md count as different. Toggle the case-insensitive option to treat them as the same path, which is useful when comparing listings from case-insensitive filesystems.

Can I diff sorted and unsorted listings?

Yes. Order does not matter — each side is collapsed into a set of unique paths before comparing, so a sorted listing and an unsorted one with the same files produce no differences.

What is the Folder Listing Diff?

Compare two plain-text directory tree listings (such as find or ls -R output) and see which paths are only in A, only in B, or matched in both. Runs entirely in your browser — no files are read or uploaded. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Folder Listing Diff — Gera Tools

Name: Folder Listing Diff
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Folder Listing Diff compares two text directory listings and tells you exactly which files were added, removed, or possibly renamed between them. Paste the output of find, ls -R, tree, or any tool that prints one path per line, and get an instant set-based comparison. It is handy for verifying deployments, auditing backups, and spotting files that went missing during a move — all without reading your real filesystem.

When to use a text-based folder diff

The key advantage of this approach over a GUI folder comparison tool is that it works with saved output rather than live directories. Common scenarios:

Deployment verification. Run find . -type f on your source and on the deployed server, save both outputs, and compare. Any file that did not deploy shows up in only-in-A; any unexpected file on the server shows up in only-in-B.

Backup audits. A scheduled backup might silently skip files due to permission errors or path length limits. Comparing the backup directory listing against the source listing immediately shows gaps.

File migration sanity checks. Moving files between folders, drives, or systems is prone to partial completion. Paste before and after listings to confirm every file arrived.

Build output review. Compare what your build tool emitted this run versus last run to spot unexpectedly missing or added assets.

How it works

Each side is split into lines, trimmed, and stripped of blank entries, then collapsed into a set of unique paths. The tool computes three groups using set difference and intersection:

Only in A — paths present in the left listing but not the right.
Only in B — paths present in the right listing but not the left.
Matched — paths present in both.

For rename detection, it compares the trailing file name (the basename, the part after the last /) of each only-in-A path against the basenames of only-in-B paths. When a basename appears on both sides under different folders, both lines are tagged as a possible rename so you can confirm it by eye.

How to generate a good listing to paste

Linux / macOS:

find /path/to/dir -type f | sort

Windows PowerShell:

Get-ChildItem -Recurse -File | Select-Object FullName | Sort-Object FullName

Using tree (if installed):

tree -fi --noreport /path/to/dir

Strip any common path prefix from both sides if you want the diff to highlight relative path differences rather than absolute path differences.

Tips and notes

Toggle case sensitivity to match your filesystem: macOS and Windows are typically case-insensitive, while Linux is case-sensitive. Comparing a macOS listing against a Linux listing with case sensitivity on may produce spurious diffs on filenames that differ only in capitalisation.

Because comparison is set-based, the order of lines does not matter — a sorted and an unsorted listing of the same files show zero differences. Everything runs locally in your browser, so even listings from sensitive or large directories stay private.