To compare two CSV files in VS Code, right-click the first file in Explorer and choose Select for Compare, then right-click the second and choose Compare with Selected. VS Code opens a diff editor showing the files’ text differences. You can also launch the comparison from the Command Palette or terminal.
Compare CSV files in Explorer
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Open the folder containing both CSV files in VS Code.
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In Explorer, right-click the first file and select Select for Compare.
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Right-click the second file and select Compare with Selected.
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Review the differences in the diff editor. VS Code’s documented file comparison workflow is described in its Basic editing guide.
For some contexts, VS Code also offers Compare Selected after selecting two Explorer items. Menu wording can vary with context; the two-step selection workflow above is the clear documented route. See the User interface guide.
Other ways to start the comparison
Use the Command Palette
To compare the active file with another file in the workspace, open the Command Palette and run File: Compare Active File With…, then choose the other file. This is useful when one of the files is already open. The command is documented in the Basic editing guide.
Use the terminal
If you know both file paths, run:
code --diff file1.csv file2.csv
The CLI’s --diff (or -d) option opens a file difference editor and takes two file paths. If your terminal does not recognize code, follow the official instructions for putting the VS Code command-line tool on your system path in the Command Line Interface guide.
Choose how the differences are displayed
The diff editor can show files side by side or inline. Its Automatic layout chooses a presentation based on the available editor width. Change the layout using the diff editor’s layout controls; the documented behavior is covered in VS Code’s staging and committing changes guide.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the CSV comparison tells you—and what it does not
This workflow compares file content as a diff. The cited VS Code documentation explains file differences and display layouts, but does not establish a CSV-aware mode that matches records by a chosen column or treats reordered rows as equivalent. If rows have moved, the diff may show changes based on their text and position rather than identify the same business record in both files.
For a comparison that must match rows by an ID or another key, or ignore row order, do not assume this built-in file diff answers that question. The documented workflow does not specify that kind of semantic CSV comparison.
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