Redline

A command-line tool for comparing Word documents and generating redlines with tracked changes.

Installation

As a .NET Global Tool

dotnet tool install --global Redline

Usage

redline <original.docx> <modified.docx> <output.docx> [--author=<name>]

Arguments

Argument	Description
original.docx	Path to the original document
modified.docx	Path to the modified document
output.docx	Path for the output redline document

Options

Option	Description
--author=<name>	Author name for tracked changes (default: "Redline")
-h, --help	Show help message
-v, --version	Show version information

Examples

Basic comparison:

redline contract-v1.docx contract-v2.docx redline.docx

With custom author tag:

redline draft.docx final.docx changes.docx --author="Legal Review"

Output

The tool generates a Word document with tracked changes (revisions) showing:

• Insertions: Text added in the modified document
• Deletions: Text removed from the original document
• Formatting changes: Style and formatting differences

Open the output document in Microsoft Word or another compatible word processor to review and accept/reject changes.

Environment Variables