MIDB in WPS on Windows: Introduction

MIDB in WPS Spreadsheet on Windows is a text function for extracting part of a string by start position and byte length; this guide covers 1 core task, with 1 available without membership and 0 membership-related items.

At a Glance

Metric	Value	Notes
Core tasks	1	Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index
Available without membership	1	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 on Windows

About This Feature

Overview

MIDB is a built-in text function in WPS Spreadsheet on Windows. It is used to extract part of a text string from a specified starting position with a specified byte length. It is useful for mixed-language text, fixed-length fields, and spreadsheet data that needs byte-based text extraction.

Core capabilities include:

Extract text by byte length for double-byte character scenarios.
Enter the formula directly in a worksheet cell.
View syntax prompts while typing the function.
Use cross-sheet references and nested calculations.
Update results automatically when referenced data changes.

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 internet connection is required for local formula calculation; internet access is needed for download and account services
Other	You need to be able to open WPS Spreadsheet and edit formulas in cells

Download & Installation

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Check after installation	Open WPS Office, launch WPS Spreadsheet, select any cell, and type `=MIDB(` to confirm that the function can be entered and calculated

Source: WPS Download Center

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	MIDB can be entered directly in a spreadsheet cell in WPS. It supports syntax prompts, cross-sheet references, nested calculations, and automatic recalculation.	Microsoft Support documents the MID function for returning characters from text, and Microsoft documentation also notes MidB for byte data in double-byte character set language scenarios.	Google Sheets officially provides the MIDB function to return part of a string by starting position and byte length, and notes that MIDB matches MID when the input contains only single-byte characters.	Notion formulas support text functions such as `substring()` for index-based text extraction, but this is designed for database formula properties rather than spreadsheet cell formulas.	Adobe Acrobat Analyzer can extract matching text from document content for analysis and export, which is a document-analysis workflow rather than a spreadsheet formula workflow.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: WPS keeps byte-based text extraction inside the spreadsheet cell workflow, which is convenient when combining MIDB with other worksheet formulas.	Compared with WPS: Excel offers similar text extraction, but the main MID support page focuses on character-based extraction and byte-specific guidance is documented separately.	Compared with WPS: Google Sheets also offers MIDB with clear syntax; WPS fits a desktop spreadsheet editing workflow on Windows.	Compared with WPS: Notion is better suited to database property formulas and does not present a direct MIDB-style spreadsheet function workflow.	Compared with WPS: Adobe focuses on document analysis and extracted attributes instead of everyday spreadsheet text formulas.
Official Source	—	MID function	MIDB function	Formula syntax and functions	Create custom attributes

Overall Conclusion: If your work centers on byte-based text extraction inside spreadsheets, WPS MIDB fits routine worksheet processing well. Google Sheets also provides a direct MIDB function, while Notion and Adobe focus on different formula or document-processing models.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable For	Main Pain Point	How MIDB Helps
1	Mixed-language text extraction	Data processing staff	Character-based extraction may not match the expected output length	Use MIDB to extract text by byte length
2	Fixed-field splitting	Finance and operations teams	Codes, IDs, or notes need to be split by length	Enter MIDB in a cell to extract the required segment
3	Nested text cleanup formulas	Heavy spreadsheet users	A single function is not enough for more complex text processing	Combine MIDB with other functions in nested formulas
4	Cross-sheet text processing	Users working across multiple sheets	Source data is stored in different worksheets	Reference cells from other sheets inside MIDB
5	Dynamic result updates	Report maintenance staff	Source data changes require repeated manual processing	Let formula recalculation update the result automatically

Membership & Benefits

Membership information for MIDB is straightforward: the function itself is available without membership, while WPS Premium adds broader product benefits such as expanded cloud storage and more advanced features.

Free vs WPS Premium

Capability	Free	WPS Premium
Basic MIDB function use	✅ Available	✅ Available
Basic spreadsheet editing	✅ Available	✅ Available
Additional advanced benefits	Available within the free scope shown on the pricing page	Includes more advanced features and membership benefits
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Scenario	Recommended Plan	Why
Everyday study and basic text extraction	Free	MIDB itself does not require membership for standard use
Broader advanced workflows and more cloud storage	WPS Premium	Suitable if you also need more advanced tools and expanded membership benefits

WPS membership page: Subscribe to WPS Premium