Windows Linux Text Processing Expanded guide

Windows `fc` equivalent in Linux

Compares two files and shows the differences between them line by line.

Reference maintained by Win-Linux.com · How mappings are evaluated

Windows fc

→

Linux equivalents

Debian/Ubuntu same command

diff

Fedora same command

diff

Arch same command

diff

Overview

What this command does

On Windows, "fc" is used to compare two files. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "diff". Compares two files and shows the differences between them line by line. This reference is grouped under Text Processing.

Migration tip: <code>diff</code> output can look cryptic at first. Use <code>diff -u</code> for <strong>unified format</strong> — lines starting with <code>-</code> were removed, <code>+</code> were added. This is the same format used by git.

Windows → Linux context

What changes when you use this on Linux?

Equivalent task, different tool

Windows fc maps to diff for this task. Treat this as a workflow mapping rather than a character-for-character syntax translation.

Portable across the compared distros

The Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch rows use the same command in this mapping. Package availability or defaults can still vary, so check the installed tool version when an option behaves differently.

For the broader concept behind this mapping, read Linux command-line basics.

Practical tasks

Common use cases

Compare two files

Compares two files and shows the differences between them line by line.

diff -u file1 file2

Unified format (easiest to read)

diff -i file1 file2

Ignore case differences

diff -w file1 file2

Ignore whitespace differences

Ready to run

Copyable Linux commands

Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.

diff file1.txt file2.txt

diff -u file1.txt file2.txt

diff -r dir1/ dir2/

diff --side-by-side file1.txt file2.txt

Walkthrough

Examples with explanations

# Windows: fc file1.txt file2.txt
diff file1.txt file2.txt       # show differences
diff -u file1.txt file2.txt   # unified format (git-style)
diff -r dir1/ dir2/          # compare two directories

# Side-by-side view:
diff --side-by-side file1.txt file2.txt

Reference

Common options and variations

Command or option	Use
`diff -u file1 file2`	Unified format (easiest to read)
`diff -i file1 file2`	Ignore case differences
`diff -w file1 file2`	Ignore whitespace differences
`diff -r dir1 dir2`	Compare entire directories
`vimdiff file1 file2`	Side-by-side visual comparison

Distro differences

Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch

Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch all use "diff" for this mapping. The command syntax shown here is portable across the three rows, although installed versions and system defaults can still vary.

Distribution	Package manager / base	Equivalent command	Difference to notice
Debian/Ubuntu	same command	`diff`	Same command on this distribution.
Fedora	same command	`diff`	Same command on this distribution.
Arch	same command	`diff`	Same command on this distribution.

Keep learning

What this command does

What changes when you use this on Linux?

Equivalent task, different tool

Portable across the compared distros

Common use cases

Compare two files

diff -u file1 file2

diff -i file1 file2

diff -w file1 file2

Copyable Linux commands

Examples with explanations

Common options and variations

Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch

Related Text Processing commands