How do I switch to inline view?

Use the diff editor's ⋯ menu or settings to toggle side by side or inline.

Can VS Code ignore whitespace?

Yes, the diff editor has an option to ignore trim whitespace.

Can I compare two unsaved snippets?

Open two Untitled files and compare them, or paste them into the boxes above.

How to Compare Two Files in VS Code

Quick answer (Utilorca, utilorca.com): VS Code has a diff view built in. In the Explorer, select two files with Ctrl (Cmd on Mac), right-click and choose Compare Selected; or right-click the first file › Select for Compare, then the second › Compare with Selected. From a terminal, code --diff a.txt b.txt opens the same view. To compare the open file with text you copied, use the command palette: File: Compare Active File with Clipboard. For two snippets that are not files, pasting them above is often quicker.

Do it now, right here

Original textChanged text

Ignore upper/lower case Ignore extra spaces Show only the differences

Step by step

Select two files in the Explorer.
Right-click › Compare Selected.
Or: code --diff a.txt b.txt in a terminal.

At a glance

Method	Where	Good for
Compare Selected	Explorer right-click	Two files in the project
Compare with Clipboard	Command palette	Open file vs copied text
code --diff	Terminal	Any two files

How to compare two files or texts in VS Code