How to fix 'unable to compare' errors when comparing PDF files

• Microsoft Word settings configured
• Microsoft Word: PDF to Office document conversion
• Comparisons: Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

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Why Does This Happen?

• Outdated Version: Redlining functions best with the most recent versions of Microsoft Word. Older versions may cause conflicts.
• Conflicting Settings: Word has numerous settings that control its document handling. Sometimes, these settings can become jumbled and prevent Word from launching correctly.
• PDF Conversion Issues: Redlining often involves converting PDF files into Word documents. If this conversion process encounters problems, it can lead to Word crashing.

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The Solution: Troubleshooting Steps

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Check Office Version

1

Open any Office application, such as Word or Excel, and select Account.

Note: If you don’t see Account or you already have a file or document open, choose File from the menu, and then select either Account or Help from the list on the left.

2

Under Product Information, you’ll find your Office product name and, in some cases, the full version number.

1 - Product name, such as Microsoft 365 ProPlus or Office Home and Student.2 - Version number, which includes version, build number, and the type of installation such as Click-to-run or Windows Store.For more information, such as the bit-version, choose About Excel. A dialog box opens, showing the full version number and bit version (32-bit or 64-bit).See https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/about-office-what-version-of-office-am-i-using-932788b8-a3ce-44bf-bb09-e334518b8b19 for more information.

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Enable the ‘Use Single Instance of Word’ Setting

1

Open Draftable via the Windows Search Bar

2

Open the Settings menu in the top right corner of the Draftable New Comparison Window

3

Find the “Single Instance” setting:

• A new window will appear with the Settings information about Draftable. Look for the “General” Settings.
• Under this, look for the Microsoft Word section and find the “Only use a single instance of Microsoft Word” setting.

4

Make sure “Single Instance” is enabled:

• Next to the words “Single Instance” or “Only use one Word,” there will be a check box. If the box is empty, click on it so the “Single Instance” is enabled.
• If the box already has a checkmark in it, then the setting is already turned on and you don’t need to do anything else.

5

If the setting was not enabled previously, try using Draftable again:**

• Close the Draftable settings window.
• Now you can try using Draftable again and see if the problem is fixed.
• Note: if you already had this setting enabled, move to the next troubleshooting step (see below)

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Try switching to the Draftable PDF conversion engine

1

Open Draftable via the Windows Search Bar

2

Open the Settings menu in the top right corner of the Draftable New Comparison Window

3

Look for the Conversion engine setting:

• Under the General settings, look for the Conversion engine section. It might be set to the Default Microsoft Word conversion engine.

4

Switch to the Draftable engine:

• Select the dropdown menu in this section and select the Draftable Engine.
• This will make Draftable the engine your software uses.

5

If you were not previously using the Draftable Engine, rerun your comparison:

• If you made a change in step 3, try and re-run the comparison to see if the problem is fixed.

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Microsoft Office Repair

1

Before you begin:

• Close any Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Make sure you have a stable internet connection (needed for Online Repair). Repairing Microsoft Office:

2

Right-click the Start button (lower-left corner) and select Installed apps on the pop-up menu.

3

4

Select the Microsoft Office product you want to repair, click the ellipses, and select Modify.

5

Note: This will repair the entire Office suite even if it’s just one application you want to repair such as Word or Excel. If you have a standalone app installed, then search for that application by name.

6

Depending on your Office installation type (Click-to-run or MSI-based), you’ll see the following options to proceed with the repair. Follow the steps for your installation type. Click-to-run In the window How would you like to repair your Office Programs, select Online Repair > Repair to make sure everything gets fixed. (The faster Quick Repair option is also available, but it only detects and then replaces corrupted files.) 

MSI-based In the Change your installation window, select Repair and then click Continue.

7

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the repair.After the Repair:

• Try opening a document in Word or any other Office application and see if the issue is resolved.
• If you were getting the error during a Draftable Desktop comparison, try comparing your documents again to see if it’s fixed.

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Microsoft Repair in Draftable Settings

1

Open Draftable via the Windows Search Bar

2

Open the Settings menu in the top right corner of the Draftable New Comparison Window

3

Find the Add-Ins setting:

• A new window will appear with the Settings information about Draftable. Look for the “Add-Ins” Settings.
• Under this, look for the Word Add-in setting. If there are Word Add-in issues, you will have the option to repair the Add-In.

4

Run the Word Add-in repair:

• Click on the Repair Word Add-in button. It all happens in the background, so nothing will pop up on the screen, but it will have run the repair.

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After the Repair:

• Close the Draftable settings window.
• Try opening a document in Word or any other Office application and see if the issue is resolved.
• If you were getting the error during a Draftable Desktop comparison, try comparing your documents again to see if it’s fixed.

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What if the problem persists?