WPS Highlight Rows and Columns on Windows: Introduction

WPS Highlight Rows and Columns on Windows helps you keep track of the active cell by emphasizing its row and column; this guide 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

Highlight Rows and Columns is a built-in viewing aid in WPS Spreadsheet for Windows. It helps you locate the active cell more quickly when you browse or edit large worksheets.

Core tasks include:

Turn Highlight Rows and Columns on or off from the View tab.
Switch the feature quickly from the bottom status bar.
Choose a custom highlight color for different worksheet themes and reading preferences.

This feature is useful for checking financial tables, entering data in long sheets, reviewing shared worksheets, and scanning large ranges. It changes on-screen display only and does not change cell content.

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
Operating system	A Windows device that can run WPS Office normally
App version	It is recommended to use the latest version of WPS Office
Network	No mandatory connection is required for local spreadsheet use; downloading, installation, and account-related services require internet access
Other	Open a WPS Spreadsheet file before using the feature

Download & Installation

Before you use Highlight Rows and Columns, install WPS Office for Windows and open a spreadsheet file.

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Check after installation	Start WPS Office, open a spreadsheet file, and look for the Highlight Rows and Columns entry on the View tab or the bottom status bar

Source: WPS download center

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	Built in row-and-column highlighting for the active cell, available from the View tab or the status bar, with custom color support.	Excel officially provides Focus Cell, which can be turned on from View and supports Focus Cell color changes. Microsoft also documents cell highlighting and conditional formatting.	Google Sheets officially documents the current cell and selection model, plus conditional formatting rules that can format rows or columns with formulas. No official native toggle for active row-and-column focus was found in the reviewed pages.	Notion officially focuses on database properties, views, rows, and columns for structured information management. No official spreadsheet-style active row-and-column highlight feature was found in the reviewed pages.	Adobe Acrobat officially provides PDF highlighting and commenting tools for document markup. No spreadsheet-style active row-and-column focus feature was found in the reviewed pages.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: WPS is designed for spreadsheet position tracking and offers both a ribbon entry and a status bar shortcut, plus custom highlight color.	Compared with WPS: Excel Focus Cell offers a similar row-and-column emphasis, but the reviewed official guidance centers on the View entry; WPS also includes a status bar shortcut in this feature flow.	Compared with WPS: Google Sheets official guidance focuses more on conditional formatting and selection concepts, so similar results are more rule-based than direct.	Compared with WPS: Notion is oriented toward database organization rather than cell-level spreadsheet navigation.	Compared with WPS: Adobe highlighting is for PDF content markup rather than active spreadsheet navigation.
Official Source	—	Increase ease of navigation with Focus Cell in Excel	Use conditional formatting rules in Google Sheets	Views, filters & sorts	Add comments in Acrobat

Overall Conclusion
If your main goal is to keep the active row and column visible while working in a spreadsheet, WPS provides a direct built-in workflow for that task. Microsoft Excel now offers a similar official feature, while Google Sheets, Notion, and Adobe focus more on adjacent scenarios such as conditional formatting, database views, or PDF markup.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable for	Main issue	How this feature helps
1	Reviewing long worksheets	Finance, admin, and operations users	It is easy to lose track of the current data position in large row-and-column ranges	Turn on Highlight Rows and Columns to keep the active row and column visible
2	Continuous data entry	Spreadsheet data entry users	It is easy to move into the wrong column while typing	Keep the feature on to confirm the current position during entry
3	Reviewing shared sheets	Team members	Complex worksheets are harder to scan quickly	Use row-and-column highlighting to focus on the current area
4	Adjusting display style	Users sensitive to color contrast	The default display may not stand out enough against the sheet theme	Choose a custom color for clearer contrast
5	Quick temporary switching	Users who turn viewing aids on and off often	Opening a menu each time takes extra steps	Use the bottom status bar for faster switching

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Feature item	Free users	WPS Premium
Turn Highlight Rows and Columns on or off	✅ Available	✅ Available
Custom highlight color	✅ Available	✅ Available
Additional advanced features and membership benefits	Some advanced capabilities may be limited	More advanced capabilities are available based on the selected plan

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Usage scenario	Recommended plan	Why
Everyday spreadsheet viewing and basic editing	Free plan	Highlight Rows and Columns itself has no membership restriction in this feature flow
Users who need more advanced office capabilities	WPS Premium	In addition to this feature, the selected plan can provide more advanced capabilities and services

WPS membership center: Subscribe now