How to compare two folders in Win 7 prof 64bit

Many thanks rspykerman, that's a really useful tip I can make use of.

I would simply add:

dir /B /O:N > A.txt worked better for me. With the /O switch, it is organised alphabetically

Hey dude-

Here's the right way to do it, without the external downloads.  It looks like a lot at first, but once you've done it, it's very easy.  It works in all Windows versions from 7 back to 95.  For our example assume that you're comparing two directories named 'A' and 'B'.

1. run cmd.exe to get a command prompt.  (In Windows 7, the powershell won't work for this, FYI.)  Then do it again, so that you have two of them open next to each other.
2. in each window go to the directories that you want to compare.  (Using 'cd' commands.  If you're not comfortable with this, then you should probably go with the external utilities, unless you want to learn command prompt stuff.)
3. type 'dir /b > A.txt' into one window and 'dir /b > B.txt' into the other.  You'll now have two text files that list the contents of each directory.  The /b flag means bare, which strips the directory listing down to file names only.
4. move B.txt into the same folder as A.txt.
5. type 'fc A.txt B.txt'.  The command 'fc' means file compare.  This will spit out a list of the differences between the two files, with an extra line of text above and below each difference, so you know where they are.  For more options on how the output is formatted, type 'fc /?' at the prompt.  You can also pipe the differences into another file by using something like 'fc A.txt B.txt > differences.txt'.

Have fun.

This is an old thread but still gets lots of hits, so to add to the discussion...

Windows has no native gui "application" for tree comparison.

Simply comparing lists of file names is risky and would have proven catastrophic countless times over my 35 years in the industry.

If you need quick secure file by file comparison (by size and/or timestamp and/or crc) with options to mirror, prune, refresh or augment with professional speed a program like ViceVersa is necessary... but typically expensive ($35 to $60).  I have used the same copy of ViceVersa since Windows 98.

Every few years I check to see if something comparable in open source has matured which is how I landed here. My ancient copy of ViceVersa still works but I would like something more recent with over-network capability without spending $60. Still not finding anything comparable, I find that very strange.

PS.

There is always a tradeoff between simple and powerfully!  Comparing two systems designed in different eras or for different end users, one public financed, the other private can become lame (Nix vs. Win).

The "$" in Micro$oft is well deserved. MS has had a shameful history of anti competitive legal practice of bankrupting (in prolonged frivolous legal suits and motions) anyone who might be perceived to possibly compete with them in some way some time in the future. And a practice paying ongoing monthly fines for unfair business practices as a simple and effective means of doing business.  BG often spoke of his greatest fear of competition and going broke.  He has mellowed greatly since marriage.

(Corporations are not people; people go to jail, corporations pay insignificant fines)