Insert Columns in WPS on Windows: Introduction

Insert Columns in WPS on Windows helps you create side-by-side content layouts in documents; this guide covers 5 core tasks, with 5 available without membership and 0 membership-related items.

At a Glance

Metric	Value	Notes
Core tasks	5	Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index
Available without membership	5	Matches the number of Free rows in the index
Membership-related items	0	Matches the number of membership-related rows in the index

About This Feature

Overview

Insert Columns is a document layout feature in WPS Office for Windows. It lets you divide content into two or more side-by-side columns for comparison layouts, image-and-text pages, and clearer information grouping.

Core tasks include:

Insert columns from the top ribbon for standard document layout work.
Insert columns with a slash command for faster editing flow.
Choose the number of columns for common two-column or three-column layouts.
Enter content separately in each column area.
Remove the column layout when you want to return to a regular page structure.

Common use cases include comparison documents, mixed media pages, and structured note layouts.

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
Operating system	A Windows device in a currently supported system environment
App version	The latest version of WPS Office is recommended
Network	The column feature itself does not require a constant connection; downloading, installation, and account actions require internet access
Other	WPS Office should already be installed and able to open the document editing interface normally

Source: System Requirements for WPS Office

Download & Installation

Before you use Insert Columns, install WPS Office on your Windows device and make sure you can open the document editor normally.

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Check after installation	Open WPS Office, create or open a document, and confirm that Insert-related controls and the editing area are available

Source: WPS download page

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	Supports creating columns in a document from the Insert menu or with a slash command, then entering content in each column separately.	Word supports Layout > Columns for a whole document or selected paragraphs, with additional column formatting options.	Google Docs supports putting selected text into columns, changing column formatting, and adding a column break.	Notion supports drag-and-drop page columns, column removal, and column resizing, but it is oriented more toward page block layout.	Acrobat official help focuses on PDF text editing and does not describe a directly equivalent document multi-column layout feature.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: WPS provides both a top-menu entry and a slash-command entry, which fits quick document editing workflows.	Compared with WPS: Word focuses more on traditional page layout through the Layout menu and column formatting controls.	Compared with WPS: Google Docs requires the document to be in pages format before column features are available.	Compared with WPS: Notion columns are page-block based rather than traditional document column layout.	Compared with WPS: Acrobat documentation here focuses on PDF editing rather than document column layout.
Official Source	—	Create columns in Word	Add or delete columns in a document	Format your page	Edit text in Acrobat

Overall Conclusion
If you want to build side-by-side content areas quickly inside a document, WPS Insert Columns is a practical option for direct editing. It combines a standard menu path with a faster command-based entry and stays closer to document layout work than page-block tools.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable users	Main challenge	How Insert Columns helps
1	Side-by-side explanations	Teachers and trainers	Two sets of information need to appear together	Put explanations and examples into separate columns
2	Image-and-text pages	Content editors	Stacked layouts take too much vertical space	Place images and descriptions in parallel columns
3	Meeting notes organization	Team members	Main points and supporting notes are hard to separate	Use columns to split primary notes and extra remarks
4	Study note formatting	Students	Key points and examples are hard to view together	Show concepts and examples in a two-column layout
5	Card-style document sections	Office users	Page hierarchy is not clear enough	Organize different information blocks with multiple columns

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Feature area	Free	WPS Premium
Basic Insert Columns feature	Available	Available
Basic PDF features	Available	Available with a broader feature range
Templates	Basic templates	More advanced templates
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB or more depending on the plan shown on the pricing page
AI tools	Limited access	More AI-related features and higher usage allowances

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Scenario	Recommended plan	Why
Everyday document editing and occasional column layouts	Free	Insert Columns is available for regular document work
Frequent template, PDF, or larger cloud storage needs	WPS Premium	Better suited to broader office tasks and extra resources
More AI assistance and cross-device work	WPS Premium	Better for higher-frequency content work across devices

Membership page: Subscribe to WPS Premium