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Guides

Learn PowerLens by trying it

Each walkthrough sits beside a working replica of the workspace. Read a step and its part lights up; click any part to find out what it does.

Walkthroughs

One for each kind of file. The toolbar and the view change to suit what you are comparing.

How to…

Short recipes for the things people do most.

  • Round trip with Google Docs

    1. In Google Docs, choose File › Download › Microsoft Word (.docx) for each version. Or select everything, copy, and use Replace › Paste from Google Docs or Word.
    2. Compare the two and copy the changes you want.
    3. Export › Download Word document, then in Google Docs use File › Open › Upload. Or Export › Copy formatted text and paste it over the original.

  • Send a redline to someone

    1. Load the original as A and the new draft as B.
    2. Turn on Review mode (R) to add notes, and accept or reject changes if you like.
    3. Click the redline button (the download arrow) in the toolbar: B downloads as a Word file with every change tracked and your notes as comments. Choose PDF for a read-only copy.

  • Hand over a review

    1. Click Share in the toolbar and add a password if the documents are private.
    2. Send the .powerlens file however you like.
    3. Whoever opens it in PowerLens sees both documents with your notes, highlights and decisions, and can carry on.

  • Compare many versions

    1. Choose three or more drafts at once, on the start page or with Replace.
    2. They are put in order by name (v2 before v10), and the last two are compared.
    3. The version bar steps through the pairs, and History across the versions shows one paragraph in every draft.

Looking for something specific? The help page answers common questions and lists every keyboard shortcut. To try things out on real files, open one of the samples.