MID in WPS on Windows: Introduction

MID in WPS Spreadsheet is a text extraction function for spreadsheet work on Windows; this guide covers 4 core tasks, with 4 available without membership and 0 membership-related items.

At a Glance

Metric	Value	Notes
Core tasks	4	Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index
Available without membership	4	Matches the number of Free rows in the index
Membership-related items	0	Matches the number of membership-related rows in the index
Version scope	No version restriction	Available in WPS Spreadsheet across supported versions
Membership limit	None for this function	You can use MID directly

About This Feature

Overview

The MID function in WPS Spreadsheet extracts a specified number of characters from a text string based on a starting position and length. It is useful for data calculation, text cleanup, and structured field extraction in spreadsheets.

Core capabilities include:

Entering the MID function quickly for text extraction tasks.
Using flexible parameters to control the start position and returned length.
Working with cross-sheet references and nested formulas.
Updating results automatically when source data changes.

This function is useful for splitting codes, extracting phone number segments, cleaning imported text, and handling structured text fields in spreadsheet workflows.

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
Operating system	A Windows device that can run WPS Office normally
App version	The latest version of WPS Office is recommended; MID is available in WPS Spreadsheet
Network	No constant internet connection is required for local formula calculation; internet is needed for download, installation, and account-related actions
Other	You need permission to open or edit a spreadsheet file

Download & Installation

Before using the MID function, install WPS Office and open WPS Spreadsheet.

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Installation method	Download and install WPS Office, then open WPS Spreadsheet
Post-install check	Open any spreadsheet, select a cell, and enter `=MID(` in the formula bar

Source: WPS download page

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	WPS Spreadsheet provides the MID function to extract part of a text string by text, start position, and character count, with support for cross-sheet references and nested formulas.	Excel provides `MID(text, start_num, num_chars)` to return a specific number of characters from a text string.	Google Sheets provides `MID(string, starting_at, extract_length)` to return a segment of a string.	Notion formulas provide `substring()` to return text from a start index to an end index, but the workflow is database-formula based rather than cell-formula based.	Adobe Acrobat focuses on PDF text editing and document workflows; its official help content does not describe a spreadsheet MID-equivalent function.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: You can enter MID directly in a spreadsheet formula bar and combine it with cross-sheet references and nested formulas. Distinct: The source feature description shows no membership restriction for this function.	Compared with WPS: Excel offers a very similar MID syntax and is used in the same spreadsheet category.	Compared with WPS: Google Sheets supports similar text extraction, but it is more tied to a browser-based spreadsheet environment.	Compared with WPS: Notion supports substring extraction in formulas, but it is oriented to database properties instead of traditional worksheet cells.	Compared with WPS: Adobe help content centers on editing PDF text rather than worksheet formula calculation.
Official Source	—	MID function	MID	Formula syntax and functions	Edit text

Overall Conclusion
If your main task is extracting parts of text inside spreadsheet cells, MID in WPS covers common text-splitting and formula-linking needs on Windows. Compared with Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, the workflow is familiar for spreadsheet users. Compared with Notion and Adobe Acrobat, WPS is closer to a standard worksheet formula experience.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable for	Main challenge	How MID helps
1	Extracting phone number segments	Admin, sales, support teams	A long string contains fixed-position content that must be separated	Use MID to return the required segment by start position and length
2	Splitting coded fields	Data processing staff	Codes may contain region, batch, or category parts in one string	Use MID to extract each section for separate analysis
3	Cleaning text with nested formulas	Finance and operations teams	One function alone may not finish the cleanup task	Combine MID with other formulas in the same worksheet
4	Referencing text across sheets	Multi-sheet collaborators	Data is stored in different worksheets	Reference another sheet and extract the needed part with MID
5	Keeping results updated automatically	Report maintainers	Source values change and results must refresh	MID recalculates when referenced data changes

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Capability	Free users	WPS Premium
MID function usage	✅ Available	✅ Available
Basic spreadsheet formula editing	✅ Available	✅ Available
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB
Template downloads	Limited	More available
Advanced PDF-related tools	Basic access	More advanced features

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Scenario	Recommended plan	Why
You mainly need MID and other basic spreadsheet formulas	Free	MID itself has no membership restriction in this feature guide
You also need more cloud storage, templates, or broader office features	WPS Premium	Better suited for users with wider document and workflow needs

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