This guide introduces WPS Area Permissions in WPS Sheets on Windows, including 5 core tasks, with 5 available without membership and 0 membership-related items.
At a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Core tasks | 5 |
| Available without membership | 5 |
| Membership-related items | 0 |
| Platform | WPS Sheets for Windows |
| Typical use | Set view or edit permissions for specific ranges in a collaborative spreadsheet |
About This Feature
Overview
Area Permissions is a collaborative spreadsheet permission feature in WPS Sheets that lets the spreadsheet creator set separate view or edit permissions for specific cell ranges, helping reduce accidental edits and unnecessary access to sensitive data.
System Requirements
- Use WPS Sheets on a Windows device.
- Open a spreadsheet that supports collaboration so multiple people can work in the file.
- If you want to assign permissions to specific collaborators, those collaborators need access to the shared spreadsheet.
Download & Installation
- Visit the official WPS Office download page and install WPS Office for Windows.
- After installation, open WPS Sheets and sign in to your account.
- Open the spreadsheet you want to collaborate on, then check the Collaboration tab for the related entry.
Source: WPS Office download page
Compare with Alternatives
| Comparison Area | WPS | Microsoft | Notion | Adobe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capability Summary | Supports setting view or edit permissions for specific cell ranges or the current worksheet in a collaborative spreadsheet, with separate management for each protected area. | Excel supports locking or unlocking specific areas on a protected worksheet and managing editable areas with Allow Edit Ranges. | Google Sheets supports protecting sheets or ranges and limiting who can edit them. | Notion supports permissions for pages, teamspaces, and database pages. | Adobe Acrobat supports password protection for opening or editing PDF documents. |
| WPS Advantages | Advantage: More aligned with spreadsheet collaboration scenarios that need range-level view or edit permissions directly on cell areas. | Focuses more on editable ranges within protected worksheets. | Its official help page states that you cannot use a password to protect spreadsheets and presentations. | Better suited to document and workspace permissions rather than spreadsheet cell-range protection. | Focuses on PDF document protection rather than spreadsheet range permissions. |
| Official Source | — | Allow specific users to edit ranges in a protected worksheet | Protect, hide, and edit sheets | Sharing & permissions | Protect PDFs with passwords |
Overall Conclusion: If your main goal is to assign view or edit permissions by cell range in a collaborative spreadsheet, WPS Area Permissions fits this worksheet collaboration scenario more directly. Microsoft and Google also provide spreadsheet protection features, but their focus is different, while Notion and Adobe are better suited to page permissions or document protection scenarios.
Use Cases
- Allow only specific people to edit budget ranges in a finance sheet while others can view them.
- Assign different data areas to different team members in a project spreadsheet.
- Limit access to sensitive ranges in HR or operations sheets.
- Set multiple protected ranges in one worksheet and manage them separately.
Membership & Benefits
Free vs WPS Premium
Area Permissions itself is available without a membership requirement. If you also need more cloud storage or additional office benefits, you can compare plans before upgrading.
| Item | Free | WPS Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Area Permissions | Available | Available |
| Cloud storage | Basic cloud storage | More cloud storage |
| Suitable for | Everyday collaboration and basic permission management | Users who need more storage or additional office benefits |
Source: WPS Office pricing page
Recommendations
- If you only need to set area permissions in a collaborative spreadsheet, the free plan is suitable for basic use.
- If you also need more cloud storage or broader office benefits, a paid plan may be more suitable.
How to Subscribe
- Open the official WPS purchase page.
- Review the benefits included in each plan.
- Choose the plan that fits your personal or team needs and complete the purchase.
Source: WPS Office pricing page