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Opening Files

There are several ways to load files into a comparison. Use whichever method fits your workflow.

Note

Diffract detects whether each path is a file or directory and opens the appropriate comparison type automatically.

Path Bar

  1. Click the path field on the left or right side.
  2. Type or paste a full file path.
  3. Press Enter.

The file loads immediately. Repeat for the other side to start the comparison.

File Picker

  1. Click the folder icon on either path bar.
  2. The native OS file picker opens.
  3. Select one file and confirm.

The selected path populates that side. Use the other side's picker to load the second file.

Drag and Drop

Drag one or two files from your OS file manager and drop them onto Diffract:

  • Drop onto the welcome screen (no tabs open): opens a new comparison tab with the dropped file on the left side. If you drop two files at once, both sides are loaded immediately.
  • Drop onto an open panel: updates only that side. A "Left" or "Right" overlay appears as you hover to indicate which panel will receive the file.
  • Drop two files onto the welcome screen: both paths are loaded and the comparison starts immediately.

OS Context Menu

Right-click a file in Explorer, Finder, or Nautilus:

  1. Choose Select left for Diffract to store the path as the left side.
  2. Navigate to the second file, right-click, and choose Compare with left in Diffract to open the comparison.

If you select exactly two files before right-clicking, a single Compare in Diffract entry appears instead - use it to open both files in one step.

See Context Menu for setup instructions.

CLI

Pass both file paths as arguments from a terminal:

diffract file_a.txt file_b.txt

If Diffract is already running, the comparison opens in the existing window. Otherwise a new window launches.

See CLI Reference for the full list of arguments.