Diff Viewer
The Diff Viewer lets you compare any two .env* files side-by-side to see what variables have been added, removed, or changed between environments.
Opening the Diff Viewer
Click the Compare icon in the Environment Files panel toolbar, or run ENV Manager: Compare Two .env Files from the Command Palette.
You'll be prompted to pick two files:
- The left file (base)
- The right file (target)
What the Diff Shows
The diff viewer uses VS Code's built-in diff editor, so you get the same familiar interface used for git diffs:
- Green lines — keys present in the right file but not the left (additions)
- Red lines — keys present in the left file but not the right (deletions)
- Yellow lines — keys present in both but with different values (changes)
Values are shown with masking (••••) for secret-looking keys so sensitive data isn't exposed in the diff view.
Common Use Cases
Checking what changed between environments:
Compare .env.development and .env.production to find keys that exist in development but are missing from production.
After pulling from cloud:
After a Vercel or Doppler sync, compare your local .env with a backup to verify only expected changes came through.
Onboarding:
Compare .env.example with .env to see exactly which variables you still need to fill in.