SERCHB in WPS on Windows: Introduction

SERCHB in WPS on Windows is a text search function in WPS Sheets; it includes 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

SERCHB is a text function in WPS Sheets on Windows that finds the position of specified content within a text string and returns the starting position number. It fits text lookup scenarios involving double-byte characters such as Chinese, and it can also work with other functions for extraction, checks, and cleanup.

Core capabilities include:

Finding specified text in a cell and returning its position.
Showing syntax hints while you type the function.
Supporting cross-sheet references and combinations with other functions.
Recalculating automatically when referenced data changes.

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
OS	A Windows device that can run WPS Office normally
App version	It is recommended to use the latest version of WPS Office
Network	Local function calculation does not require a constant internet connection; downloading, installation, and account-related actions require internet access
Other	You need to be able to open a spreadsheet file and have permission to edit cells

Download & Installation

Item	Notes
Official Download	WPS Office Free Download
Post-install Check	Launch WPS Office, open a spreadsheet, and type `=SERCHB(` in a cell to confirm that the function hint appears

Source: WPS Download Center

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	Provides the SERCHB function to find the position of specified text in a string, with syntax hints, cross-sheet references, and automatic recalculation in spreadsheet workflows.	Excel provides SEARCH and SEARCHB functions that return the starting position of one text string within another and support an optional start position.	The Google Docs product page focuses on online document creation, collaboration, and AI writing rather than a directly comparable spreadsheet text-position function.	Notion formulas support text and list operations such as `contains`, `find`, `findIndex`, and `replaceAll`, mainly for database property calculations.	Adobe Acrobat supports searching text in one PDF or multiple PDFs with advanced search options, focusing on document retrieval rather than spreadsheet formula calculation.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: SERCHB works directly in spreadsheet cells for text position lookup and fits double-byte text processing and formula-based data handling.	Compared with WPS: Excel also offers SEARCHB, and its official documentation notes that DBCS language settings affect how SEARCHB counts characters.	Compared with WPS: Google Docs is positioned around document collaboration, not spreadsheet formula entry for text position results.	Compared with WPS: Notion formulas are designed for database properties rather than traditional cell-by-cell spreadsheet formulas.	Compared with WPS: Acrobat search is built for PDF content lookup and does not return spreadsheet formula results in cells.
Official Source	—	SEARCH and SEARCHB functions	Google Docs product page	Formula syntax and functions	How to search a PDF

Overall Conclusion
If your main task is to find text positions with formulas in a spreadsheet, SERCHB in WPS fits that workflow directly. The other products also provide search or formula-related capabilities, but their official use cases are centered on spreadsheets, online documents, databases, or PDF retrieval.

Use Cases

#	Scenario	Target Users	Core Pain Point	Solution
1	Find keyword positions	Data organizers	They need to locate text before extracting more content	Use SERCHB to return the starting position of the target text
2	Combine text functions	Spreadsheet analysts	A single function is not enough for complete cleanup	Combine SERCHB with MID, LEFT, RIGHT, and similar functions
3	Search with cross-sheet references	Multi-sheet maintainers	The target text and source data are on different sheets	Reference cells from another worksheet in the formula
4	Keep results updated automatically	Report maintainers	Results need to update after source text changes	Rely on automatic recalculation to keep results in sync

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Feature	Free User	WPS Member
SERCHB function usage	Available	Available
Basic spreadsheet editing	Available	Available
More advanced PDF, template, and extended benefits	Some features are limited	More benefits are available
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB for some plans

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Use Case	Recommended Plan	Reason
Everyday formula entry and basic spreadsheet work	Free	SERCHB itself is available directly and fits routine text search and calculation tasks
Work that also needs more cloud storage or broader extended capabilities	WPS Member	Suitable for users who often work with multiple document types and want more added benefits

WPS membership page: Subscribe now