Compare, doesn't show the three panes of Doc 1,2 and new document. Followed indications dozens of times and watched youtube videos. to no avail.

Unfortunately, many of the self-proclaimed authorities on the internet may be well versed in the specific feature of the specific version in a specific instance on the specific platform on which their article/video is based but have blinders on when it comes to other versions of the program. Most never even specify the version used in their experience & may not even be aware of differences on a Mac or even other editions of the Windows product.

The bottom line is that if it does not explicitly state that it pertains to the Mac version it most likely doesn't. Always check the program's Help in the main menu [Help> Word Help] first. If it doesn't provide what you need don't hesitate to come here. I can personally guarantee that experience of those who bear the MVP moniker spans a cumulative total of more than 150 years with literally every edition of Microsoft Office [both Mac & PC] released since day one.

One of the key distinctions is due to the fact that windowing is handled differently by the Mac operating system. On a Mac, each document requires a separate window, so unless you expressly open either or both of the documents being compared the feature does not open them for you. By default, you're presented only with one document in which markup identifies the differences between the ones being compared.

Additionally, Mac Word does not have a Side-by-Side window arrangement. You have to use macOS features or manually arrange multiple documents.

I believe you've had no success because the resources you've consulted are predicated on how the feature behaves in word for Windows. As Charles suggested, the Mac version is decidedly different in a number of ways. Neither is the AI script accurate in any way. Please see:

Compare and merge two versions of a document - Microsoft Support

Thanks Bob for your detailed reply. I conclude that I'm unable to see the three panes as is explained in various Youtube videos and in the Word help...So many thanks anyway

I'm writing from ignorance, I'm afraid; I no longer have Word for Mac.

The following indented text is generated by Microsoft's IA function and may be nonsense. It sounds like you have already tried to follow these instructions to no avail.

To compare two documents side by side in Word for Mac, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the two documents you want to compare.
2. Click on the "View" tab in the top menu bar.
3. Click on "View Side by Side" option.
4. If you want to compare specific parts of the documents, select the text you want to compare in each document.
5. Click on the "Compare" button in the "View Side by Side" tab.
6. A new document will open with three panes: the original document on the left, the revised document on the right, and the new document in the middle.

I do not know that the Compare function works the same on the Mac as it does in Windows.

Could you tell us which version/release of Word you are using?

Do you have Word in Print View?