FORECAST in WPS on Windows: Introduction

FORECAST in WPS is a spreadsheet forecasting function used to calculate the predicted y-value for a specified x based on existing x and y data; 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

About This Feature

Overview

FORECAST is a formula function in WPS Spreadsheets for data calculation and analysis. You can enter it directly in a cell or in the formula bar. When you type FORECAST(, WPS shows syntax guidance, supports cross-sheet references and nested calculations, and updates results automatically when referenced data changes.

This function is useful for sales trend estimation, inventory planning, classroom demonstrations of linear prediction, and everyday spreadsheet analysis that needs quick regression-based forecasting.

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
Network	No mandatory internet connection is required for local formula calculation; internet access is needed for download, installation, and account services
Other	You need access to WPS Spreadsheets and permission to edit formulas in cells

Download & Installation

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Post-install check	Open WPS Spreadsheets, create or open a workbook, and type `=FORECAST(` in a cell to confirm that function guidance appears

Source: WPS download page

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	Provides direct FORECAST formula entry, syntax guidance, cross-sheet references, nested calculations, and automatic recalculation in a spreadsheet workflow.	Excel provides FORECAST and FORECAST.LINEAR for predicting a future value from existing values with linear regression, and its documentation explains arguments and error returns.	Google Sheets provides the FORECAST function to calculate the expected y-value for a specified x based on linear regression of a dataset.	Notion formulas can perform calculations with database properties, built-ins, and functions, but its official documentation focuses on database formulas rather than a spreadsheet-style FORECAST equivalent.	Adobe Acrobat supports calculated PDF form fields such as sum, product, average, minimum, and maximum, focusing on form calculations rather than spreadsheet forecasting functions.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: You can use FORECAST directly in spreadsheet cells and combine it with cross-sheet references, nested formulas, and automatic recalculation in one worksheet workflow.	Compared with WPS: Excel offers equivalent forecasting coverage, but Microsoft notes that the older FORECAST function was replaced by FORECAST.LINEAR in newer forecasting functions.	Compared with WPS: Google Sheets also supports linear forecasting, while the WPS feature set here also highlights syntax guidance, cross-sheet references, and nested calculation use in the spreadsheet editing flow.	Compared with WPS: Notion is oriented toward database property formulas and automations instead of cell-based spreadsheet forecasting.	Compared with WPS: Adobe calculation features are designed for PDF form behavior, not for spreadsheet forecasting analysis.
Official Source	—	FORECAST and FORECAST.LINEAR functions	FORECAST	Intro to formulas	Configure form field calculations in Acrobat

Overall Conclusion
FORECAST in WPS fits users who want to complete prediction formulas directly in a spreadsheet. Compared with the other official solutions listed here, WPS stays closer to a worksheet-based formula workflow, while Notion and Adobe focus on database formulas and PDF form calculations.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable Users	Core Need	How FORECAST Helps
1	Sales trend forecasting	Sales teams, operations teams	Estimate future values from historical data	Use FORECAST to calculate predicted results from known data ranges
2	Inventory planning	Purchasing teams, warehouse teams	Estimate future stock demand more quickly	Reference historical inventory and time data in a worksheet formula
3	Teaching demonstrations	Teachers, students	Show how a linear forecasting function is written and used	Type `FORECAST(` in a cell and follow the syntax guidance
4	Cross-sheet analysis	Finance teams, analysts	Work with data stored across multiple worksheets	Build formulas with cross-sheet references and nested calculations

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Capability	Free Users	WPS Premium
FORECAST function usage	✅ Available	✅ Available
Basic PDF features	✅ Available	✅ Available
Template resources	Basic templates	More advanced templates
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB
AI tools	Limited access to some features	More AI features and higher usage allowance

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Usage Scenario	Recommended Plan	Why
Everyday spreadsheet calculation and formula learning	Free	FORECAST itself has no membership restriction in this feature guide
More templates, cloud storage, or extended tools	WPS Premium	Better suited to users who also need broader resources and added services

WPS membership center: Subscribe to WPS Premium