Compare and merge workbook revisions

Use Edit > Compare Document when an edited copy has no recorded changes. Use Edit > Changes > Merge Document when related edited copies already contain recorded changes. The order in which you open the files matters.

Prepare local review copies

This exercise follows Apache OpenOffice Calc 4.1 desktop, English menus. It uses only disposable local files; it neither sends files to anyone nor enables shared-file mode. Native execution has not been performed.

Create budget-original.ods with A1:C3:

Item	Units	Unit cost
Chairs	10	40
Tables	2	150

Put =B2*C2 in D2, =B3*C3 in D3, and =SUM(D2:D3) in D5. Add appropriate headings. The original costs are 400 and 300, total 700. Save and keep this original unchanged.

For background on individual recorded changes, see Review comments and recorded changes. The new task here is reconciling separate files, not simply toggling recording in one document.

Compare an untracked copy in the correct direction

1. Save a separate copy as budget-untracked.ods. Leave change recording off for this branch.
2. Change B2 from 10 to 12 and C3 from 150 to 160. The total becomes 800: 480+320. Save the copy.
3. With budget-untracked.ods open, choose Edit > Compare Document.
4. In the file dialog select budget-original.ods, then click Insert.
5. Inspect the marked differences and open the Accept or Reject Changes dialog if it is not already displayed.

The open file is the edited version; the selected file is the original baseline. The guide states that data present only in the edited version is marked inserted, data removed from the original is marked deleted, and altered data is marked changed. Opening the baseline first would reverse the meaning of your review.

For a controlled outcome, accept the change to 12 chairs and reject the table price increase. The resulting total should be 780: 12×40+2×150. Verify the formulas still refer to input cells; recalculated totals are consequences of the reviewed inputs, not independent proposals to approve blindly.

Merge recorded branches separately

Start again from budget-original.ods, not from the comparison result. Turn on Edit > Changes > Record before creating tracked copies. Save two separate branches from this same starting state: budget-units.ods and budget-price.ods.

In budget-units.ods change B2 to 12 with recording active and save. In budget-price.ods change C3 to 160 with recording active and save. Both edited documents must contain recorded changes for the documented merge workflow.

Open a fresh working copy of the original. Choose Edit > Changes > Merge Document and select budget-units.ods. The Accept or Reject Changes dialog opens after merging. Close that dialog if you want to bring in the second file before deciding, then repeat Merge Document for budget-price.ods.

Review each input change. Accept both for this branch: D2 should become 480, D3 320 and D5 800. The comparison branch’s selectively approved 780 and this fully approved 800 are intentionally different outcomes. Do not mix their files.

Resolve uncertainty without overwriting the original

If a merge lacks expected changes, check that recording was enabled before each edit and that both branches came from the same baseline. Comparison is the appropriate alternative for an untracked copy; it is not a way to retroactively invent reviewer identity.

Do not use Accept All merely to remove markings. Inspect cell addresses, old values and new values. If two branches propose different values for the same input, decide that conflict explicitly rather than assuming both can apply together.

Save each reviewed outcome under a descriptive new filename. Close and reopen it, confirm totals and change-review state, and retain the untouched original plus submitted branches. Separate file copies provide recovery even if you later accept or reject a change incorrectly.

Official reference

Apache OpenOffice 4.1 Calc Guide, Chapter 11, Merging Documents and Comparing Documents. Recovered guide retrieved 19 October 2026; exact dialog behavior and file persistence remain native-verification tasks.