WPS Auto Hide Content on Android: Introduction

WPS Auto Hide Content is a privacy display control feature for Smart Spreadsheet on Android; it covers 3 core tasks, with 3 available without membership and 0 membership-related items.

At a Glance

Metric	Value	Notes
Core tasks	3	Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index
Available without membership	3	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

Auto Hide Content is a privacy feature in WPS Office Smart Spreadsheet on Android. It hides the visible content of selected columns during collaboration or shared viewing. After it is turned on, protected cells are shown as ●, while the document owner, form filler, and designated users can still view the original values.

Core tasks include:

Turn on Auto Hide Content for a selected column or a cell within that column.
Manage hiding rules, including whether header rows stay visible.
Keep original data unchanged while only changing how content is displayed.

This feature is useful for data collection, team collaboration, and visibility control for sensitive fields.

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
Operating system	An Android device that can run WPS Office normally
App version	The latest version of WPS Office is recommended
Network	A stable network connection is recommended for online spreadsheets and collaboration
Other	You need access to Smart Spreadsheet files and the required document permissions

Download & Installation

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Post-install check	Open WPS Office, then open a Smart Spreadsheet and confirm that the Auto Hide Content entry is available from the bottom toolbar or floating edit bar

Source: WPS Download Center

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	Lets you turn on Auto Hide Content for selected columns in Smart Spreadsheet on Android. Hidden content is shown as `●`, while the owner, filler, and designated users can still view original values.	Microsoft Word can mark parts of a document as read-only and allow selected people to edit specific sections. It focuses on editing permissions rather than automatic hidden display for spreadsheet cell content.	Google Sheets can protect sheets or ranges and limit who can edit them. It can also hide sheets, but Google states that this is not a security measure and hidden sheets can still be accessed by viewers in some cases.	Notion databases support roles such as Can edit content and page-level access control. These controls focus on database structure and page permissions rather than masked display of spreadsheet cell values.	Adobe Acrobat Pro can redact sensitive content and remove hidden information in PDFs. It is designed for document sanitization rather than dynamic hidden display in collaborative spreadsheets.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: Built for column-level display control in Smart Spreadsheet on Android, with a direct mobile workflow and no change to original data.	Compared with WPS: Focuses on protected document sections and editing rights, not masked spreadsheet-style display with symbol placeholders on mobile.	Compared with WPS: Mainly limits editing, and the official help page states that protection should not be used as a security measure. Hidden sheets are also not equivalent to hidden cell content in collaborative use.	Compared with WPS: Better suited to database permissions and page access management, but less direct for column-level hidden display in spreadsheet collaboration.	Compared with WPS: Better suited to final PDF redaction and hidden-information removal, with a more static output than live spreadsheet collaboration.
Official Source	—	Allow changes to parts of a protected Word document	Protect, hide & edit sheets	Assign custom database permissions	Redact sensitive content in PDFs in Acrobat Pro

Overall Conclusion
If you need a direct way to hide sensitive column content in a Smart Spreadsheet on Android while keeping original values available to authorized users, WPS provides a more focused mobile workflow. The alternatives are centered more on document permissions, sheet protection, database permissions, or PDF redaction, so their use cases differ from spreadsheet display control.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable for	Main challenge	How this feature helps
1	Collecting private information	Form creators	Phone numbers, ID numbers, and similar fields should not be visible to every collaborator	Turn on Auto Hide Content for the related columns
2	Team-based data entry	Project members	Some sensitive fields should stay less visible during collaboration	Hide selected areas while keeping authorized viewing
3	Keeping headers visible	Data maintainers	Content should be hidden while field names remain easy to identify	Use the Ignore Header setting
4	Temporarily restoring visibility	Document owners	All collaborators may need to see the content again at a certain stage	Turn off Auto Hide Content in the management panel
5	Fast mobile handling	Android users	Privacy display control needs to be completed directly on a phone	Use the bottom toolbar or floating edit bar

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Capability	Free	WPS Premium
Auto Hide Content	✅ Available	✅ Available
Basic PDF features	✅ Available	✅ Available
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB
Templates	Partial access	More advanced templates and benefits

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Scenario	Recommended plan	Why
You mainly need Auto Hide Content for everyday collaboration	Free	This feature is available without membership
You also need more cloud storage or broader office benefits	WPS Premium	Suitable for users who want additional cross-feature benefits

WPS membership center: Subscribe now