Contact
Email: ribbon@craftclay.com
When contacting support, please include your macOS version and the app version shown in RibbonDiff → About (or the App Store “Version History”).
Pro access (Free / Trial / Lifetime)
RibbonDiff is free to download and works in Limited mode for comparing typed/pasted text. File workflows are available in Pro.
Limited (Free)
- Compare and edit text in both panes (typed / pasted).
- Live diff updates + center ribbon connectors.
Pro (Trial or Lifetime)
- Open files from disk (
⌘O) - Drag & drop files from Finder
- Save / Save As… per pane (
⌘S/⇧⌘S) - Optional per-pane Line Endings and Encoding controls (when enabled in Settings)
How to start the Pro Trial (7 days)
Open RibbonDiff → Settings… → Pro, then click Start 7-Day Pro Trial. The trial is one-time, lasts 7 days, and does not auto-renew.
How to unlock Pro Lifetime
Open RibbonDiff → Settings… → Pro, then click Unlock Pro Lifetime. This is a one-time purchase.
Restore Purchases
If Pro access doesn’t appear (after reinstalling or switching Macs), go to Settings → Pro → Restore Purchases.
Legacy paid customers: if you previously purchased RibbonDiff when it was a paid App Store download, it should automatically unlock Pro Lifetime on the same Apple ID. If it doesn’t, use Restore Purchases.
Quick help
- Full documentation: see the User Guide for detailed workflows and shortcuts.
- Compare text: paste or type into the left and right panes. The diff updates automatically.
- Open files (Pro): drag & drop a file onto a pane, or click a pane then press ⌘O.
- Save (Pro): click inside a pane to make it active, then use ⌘S / ⇧⌘S. Saving always applies to the active pane.
- Find in either pane: use the per-pane Find field, or press ⌘F, then ⌘G/⇧⌘G to jump between matches.
- Word wrap: toggle wrap to avoid horizontal scrolling on long lines.
- Line Endings / Encoding (optional): enable the badges in Settings → General. These affect how files are written when saving, but they are normalized for diffing (LF vs CRLF usually won’t create a diff by itself).
- Themes: customize diff colors/backgrounds, and import/export themes as JSON.
- Multiple comparisons: use macOS window tabs (New Tab) to keep several diffs open.
Preferences / Settings
Open Settings
In the menu bar choose RibbonDiff → Settings… (shortcut: ⌘,).
Sections you may use
- Pro: view your access level, start the 7-day trial, unlock Pro Lifetime, or restore purchases.
- General: line numbers (per pane), default word wrap for new windows, and optional Line Endings / Encoding badges.
- Appearance: tweak diff highlight colors (Added/Removed/Modified) and the center connector (“ribbon”) color.
- Backgrounds: choose System backgrounds (follows Light/Dark Mode) or switch to Custom colors.
- Syntax: enable custom syntax colors and edit separate Light/Dark palettes.
- Themes: switch between built-in themes or your own saved themes.
Import a theme (JSON)
Go to Settings → Theme, click Import Theme…, then select a
.json file.
Imported themes appear under User Themes.
Export a theme (JSON)
Go to Settings → Theme, click Export Theme…, give it a name, then
choose where to save the .json file.
Tip: If you imported a theme but don’t see it in the list, close and reopen Settings and check the Theme section again.
Troubleshooting
I can’t open / drag & drop / save files
File workflows are a Pro feature. Check RibbonDiff → Settings… → Pro to confirm you’re in Pro Trial or Pro Lifetime. If you already purchased, use Restore Purchases.
My Pro Trial ended — what happens?
After 7 days, RibbonDiff returns to Limited mode (file open/drag-drop/save are disabled). You can continue to compare typed/pasted text, or unlock Pro Lifetime.
Restore Purchases didn’t unlock Pro
Confirm you’re signed into the same Apple ID on this Mac that was used for the original purchase. Then quit and relaunch RibbonDiff and try Settings → Pro → Restore Purchases again. If it still fails, email support with your app version + macOS version (no sensitive data needed).
Text looks garbled (mojibake) after opening a file
The file may have been decoded using the wrong encoding. Enable the Encoding badge in Settings → General, select a different encoding, then re-open the file.
I changed Line Endings or Encoding and the file rewrote, but the text looks the same
This is expected. RibbonDiff normalizes line endings/encoding internally, so changing only the badge can rewrite file storage details without changing visible text.
Text looks out of sync after a large paste
Try clicking into the pane and scrolling once, or toggle Word Wrap off/on to refresh layout.
Performance with very large text
Very large comparisons may take a moment to compute. If it feels slow, try comparing smaller sections or splitting the input.
Theme import/export issues
Make sure the file is valid JSON and matches RibbonDiff’s theme format. If you imported a theme but don’t see it, reopen Settings and check the Theme menu.
Feature requests & feedback
Send suggestions to ribbon@craftclay.com. If possible, include a short example input (non-sensitive) and what you expected to see.
Last updated: 2026-02-19