Version Control for Microsoft Word?

Question

Is there a good version control method for strongly formatted word docs? Ideally something that works with git and shows the diff in an easy-to-view format.Most of the questions I've seen on this are from 2010 or before. I'm aware of the following methods: - Pandocs with git. - This was the preferred method, but the diff doesn't always show when a strongly formatted portion of the document is modified. - TortoiseSVN - Shows the diff in word. Diff is more difficult to view than git (3 windows and a sidebar take a lot of space). Requires word to be opened. Larger learning curve than git. - MagnetSVN - I'm cheap. Are there any other ways anyone is aware of to use as version control for MS Word?

Answer 1

1. Git with text extraction

You can set up Git to use a converter (like docx2txt or a textconv filter) so when you commit a .docx, Git extracts the plain text for diffs.

1. Pros: Works inside Git, simple once configured.
2. Cons: You’ll only see text changes; formatting, tables, or images won’t show clearly.

2. Word’s built-in Compare function

Use Word itself to compare two versions of a document. This shows differences in a “track changes” style.

1. Pros: Captures text and formatting changes, very accurate for Word features.
2. Cons: Requires opening Word manually, not integrated with Git diffs.

3. Git with conversion to Markdown (via Pandoc)

Convert .docx files to Markdown before committing. Git will then show diffs in Markdown.

1. Pros: Lets you see readable text diffs in GitHub/GitLab.
2. Cons: Formatting changes aren’t well captured; layout-heavy docs lose fidelity.

4. Dedicated Word versioning tools

There are tools designed specifically for Word version control that show changes in a familiar Word interface.

1. Pros: Strong support for formatting and collaborative editing.
2. Cons: Usually external to Git, sometimes paid.

5. Hybrid approach

1. Store .docx binaries in Git for safekeeping.
2. Use a diff driver that either extracts text or calls Word’s Compare function when you want to see changes.
3. This gives you Git’s version history plus Word’s formatting-aware diffs.