SEARCHB in WPS on Windows: Introduction

SEARCHB in WPS is a spreadsheet text-search function that returns the starting position of one text string within another by byte position; 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
Version recommendation	Use the latest WPS Office	Helps provide a stable formula editing experience

About This Feature

Overview

SEARCHB in WPS on Windows is a spreadsheet function for locating one text string inside another and returning the starting position of the match. It is suitable for text-position tasks that involve double-byte characters, and it can also work with other formulas for extraction, replacement, and cleanup.

Core capabilities include:

Locate text positions: find target content in a text string and return its starting position.
Control the search start point: continue searching from a specified byte position.
Combine with other formulas: use SEARCHB with functions such as MID and REPLACE for follow-up processing.

Common scenarios include imported data cleanup, mixed-text splitting, and field structure checks. It helps reduce manual cell-by-cell review when you need to find keywords in spreadsheet data.

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-related actions
Other	You need to be able to open spreadsheet files and edit cells to enter formulas

Download & Installation

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Installation method	Download the Windows installer and complete setup by following the on-screen prompts
Post-install check	Open WPS Spreadsheet, select a cell, and type `=SEARCHB(` to confirm that the formula input area or syntax hint appears

Source: WPS Download Center

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	Provides the SEARCHB function to find text in another text string and return the starting position; syntax hints appear during formula entry.	Excel provides SEARCH and SEARCHB functions for locating text and returning the starting position, with an optional start argument.	Google Sheets provides find-and-replace, regular-expression search, and search-in-formulas options, with more emphasis on interface search and replacement workflows.	Notion Enterprise Search is designed for searching across workspace content and connected apps rather than cell-level spreadsheet formulas.	Acrobat provides PDF search and indexing for long documents, which supports document-level retrieval rather than spreadsheet formula calculation.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: SEARCHB can be used directly in spreadsheet cells for formula-based text positioning. Distinct: syntax hints in the formula bar support continuous spreadsheet workflows.	Compared with WPS: Microsoft offers closely related function documentation within the Excel formula system.	Compared with WPS: Google focuses more on find-and-replace and pattern search in the sheet interface than on a SEARCHB-style byte-position formula workflow.	Compared with WPS: Notion focuses on knowledge and workspace search, so it does not replace text-position formulas in spreadsheet cells.	Compared with WPS: Adobe focuses on PDF search and indexing rather than spreadsheet text formulas.
Official Source	—	SEARCH, SEARCHB functions	Search and use find and replace	Enterprise Search	Creating PDF indexes

Overall Conclusion
If your work centers on locating text inside spreadsheet cells and continuing with formula-based processing, SEARCHB in WPS fits that workflow directly. The other products also provide search capabilities, but they focus on spreadsheet function systems, interface search, workspace search, or document retrieval.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable For	Core Need	How SEARCHB Helps
1	Find key positions in mixed text	Data staff	Mixed numbers, letters, and Chinese text are hard to inspect manually	Use SEARCHB to return the starting position, then combine it with other formulas for extraction
2	Check whether imported fields contain target words	Office users	Imported records are difficult to review one by one	Use SEARCHB in a helper column to identify keyword positions
3	Build combined text-processing formulas	Advanced spreadsheet users	A search result often needs follow-up replacement or splitting	Combine SEARCHB with MID, REPLACE, and related formulas
4	Search again from a specific position	Finance and operations users	Similar content appears more than once in the same string	Use the start-position argument to control where the search begins
5	Learn formula input patterns	New users	Function arguments can be hard to remember	Type `=SEARCHB(` and follow the syntax hint while entering arguments

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Feature Area	Free Users	WPS Premium
Basic SEARCHB usage	Available	Available
Basic spreadsheet editing	Available	Available
Additional services and extended benefits	Refer to the product page for current details	Includes more extended benefits and services
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB, based on the current page display

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Scenario	Recommended Plan	Why
Learning formulas and handling everyday text search tasks	Free	Basic SEARCHB usage does not require membership
Needing more cloud storage or broader office benefits	WPS Premium	Suitable if you also use additional membership services

WPS membership page: Subscribe now