WPS Text Direction is a document layout feature for changing how text is arranged; it includes 2 core tasks, with 2 available without membership and 0 membership-related items.
At a Glance
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core tasks | 2 | Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index |
| Available without membership | 2 | Matches the number of Free rows in the index |
| Membership-related items | 0 | Matches the number of membership-related rows in the index |
| Version limits | No specific limit stated | Available in standard WPS Writer use on Windows |
About This Feature
Overview
Text Direction in WPS helps you change how text is arranged in a document. It supports horizontal text, vertical text from left to right, and vertical text from right to left. You can also open Text Direction Options to set where the change applies.
Core tasks include:
- Set a preset text direction: Quickly switch between horizontal and vertical layouts for document formatting.
- Customize text direction: Choose a direction in the dialog box and set the apply range for the whole document or content after the insertion point.
This feature is useful for notices, bilingual layouts, special page formatting, and document design that needs a different reading direction.
System Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| OS | A Windows device that can run WPS Office normally |
| App version | It is recommended to use the latest version of WPS Office |
| Network | No required internet connection for local text direction changes |
| Other | WPS Office should be installed, and a WPS Writer document should be open |
Download & Installation
Before you use Text Direction, install WPS Office on your Windows device and open WPS Writer.
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Official Download | WPS Office Free Download |
| Post-install Check | Launch WPS Office, open WPS Writer, and confirm that the Text Direction entry is available on the Page tab |
Source: WPS Download Center
Compare with Alternatives
| Dimension | WPS | Microsoft | Notion | Adobe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capability Summary | In WPS Writer, you can open the Page tab and directly choose Horizontal, Vertical (Left to Right), or Vertical (Right to Left), then use Text Direction Options to set the apply range. | Microsoft Word officially documents text direction controls for shapes or text boxes, including horizontal or vertical text and vertical alignment settings. | Google Docs officially documents right-to-left controls and paragraph direction changes, mainly for documents with right-to-left language content. | Notion officially documents page formatting such as columns, headings, and table of contents, but it does not document a document-level text direction switch. | Adobe Acrobat officially documents editing PDF text, including moving, rotating, or resizing text boxes in PDF editing workflows. |
| WPS Advantages | Advantage: The text direction controls are placed in the page layout workflow and include preset directions plus apply-range settings in one feature path. | Compared with WPS: Word documentation here focuses on shapes or text boxes rather than a document page text direction menu in the main writing workflow. | Compared with WPS: Google Docs documentation focuses more on right-to-left language controls than on preset page text direction choices for general document layout. | Compared with WPS: Notion focuses on content structure and page organization, and its official help does not describe an equivalent text direction setting. | Compared with WPS: Acrobat is oriented toward PDF text box editing and rotation rather than document layout text direction changes during word processing. |
| Official Source | — | Set text direction and position in a shape or text box in Word | Edit and view text from right to left | Format your page | Edit text in PDFs |
Overall Conclusion: If you want to change text direction directly during document layout work and control where the change applies, WPS provides a more direct workflow for this task. Other products offer related text-direction or text-box capabilities, but their documented focus is more on shapes, right-to-left language support, page structure, or PDF editing.
Use Cases
| # | Scenario | Target Users | Core Pain Point | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notice and document formatting | Administrative and office users | The page needs a quick switch between horizontal and vertical layouts | Choose a preset text direction on the Page tab |
| 2 | Partial layout adjustment | Editors and layout users | Only content after the insertion point should use a different direction | Use Text Direction Options to set the apply range |
| 3 | Special reading-direction documents | Education and design users | The document needs left-to-right or right-to-left vertical text | Select the matching vertical preset direction |
Membership & Benefits
Free vs WPS Premium
| Feature | Free User | WPS Member |
|---|---|---|
| Text direction settings | Available | Available |
| Basic document editing | Available | Available |
| More advanced office and PDF tools | Some features are limited | More advanced tools and expanded capabilities are available |
Source: WPS Office pricing page
Recommendations
| Use Case | Recommended Plan | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday document formatting and text direction changes | Free | Text Direction is available for regular editing needs |
| Users who also need more advanced office or PDF tools | WPS Premium | Suitable when you need broader tool coverage beyond basic document formatting |
How to Subscribe
- WPS membership center: Subscribe now
Source: WPS Office pricing page