WPS Split Columns on Windows: Introduction

WPS Split Columns on Windows helps you split text from one column into adjacent columns by delimiter and set column data formats and a destination range; 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

Split Columns is a data-cleanup feature in WPS Spreadsheet for Windows. It separates text from one cell or one column into multiple adjacent columns based on selected delimiters, then lets you set the data type for each output column and choose where the results appear.

Core capabilities include:

Split by delimiter: supports Tab, semicolon, comma, space, and custom delimiters.
Handle repeated delimiters: treats consecutive delimiters as one when needed to reduce extra blank columns.
Control output: lets you set each previewed column as General, Text, Date, or Skip Import, and define the destination range.

This feature is useful for cleaning imported lists, separating names or addresses, and preserving text-based dates, codes, or IDs.

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
Operating system	A Windows PC that can run WPS Office normally
App version	The latest version of WPS Office is recommended
Network	Split Columns is a local spreadsheet feature and does not require a constant internet connection
Other	Open the worksheet first and make sure there are enough blank columns to the right for the split results

Download & Installation

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Check after installation	Open WPS Spreadsheet and confirm that the Split Columns entry is available on the Data tab

Source: WPS download page

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	WPS provides a Split Columns wizard on the Data tab. You can split text by Tab, semicolon, comma, space, or a custom delimiter, treat consecutive delimiters as one, set column data types, and choose a destination range.	Excel provides the Convert Text to Columns Wizard to split text by delimiters and place the result in a selected destination.	Google Sheets provides Data > Split text to columns and lets you split selected data with a separator menu.	Notion database formulas support `split(text, separator)` to break text into a list, but this is not an interactive spreadsheet split-columns wizard.	Acrobat can export selected content as Excel or CSV, which helps extract table-like content from PDFs, but it does not provide an in-sheet split-columns wizard.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: WPS combines delimiter selection, consecutive-delimiter handling, column type settings, and destination control in one spreadsheet workflow.	Compared with WPS: the official page highlights delimiters, destination, and finish steps, but gives less emphasis to a full workflow for repeated delimiters and skipping columns on the same page.	Compared with WPS: it is convenient for quick delimiter-based splitting, but the official guidance provides less detail about column type control and destination placement.	Compared with WPS: it fits formula-based text processing in databases rather than expanding one spreadsheet column into adjacent columns through a guided interface.	Compared with WPS: it focuses on PDF content extraction and export rather than spreadsheet field splitting.
Official Source	—	Split text into columns in Excel	Split text to columns in Google Sheets	Notion formula syntax	Export selected PDF content in Acrobat

Overall Conclusion
WPS Split Columns is well suited to spreadsheet cleanup when you need delimiter-based splitting, format control, and destination management in one flow. Google Sheets covers quick basic splitting, while Notion and Adobe are closer to adjacent text-processing or extraction workflows than a direct spreadsheet split-columns wizard.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable For	Main Pain Point	How Split Columns Helps
1	Separate names and departments	HR and admin teams	Multiple fields are stored in one column and are hard to filter	Split the text into adjacent columns with delimiters
2	Standardize dates or ID formats	Finance and operations teams	Imported values are recognized in inconsistent formats	Set each output column as Text or Date in step two
3	Clean irregular delimiter text	Data cleanup users	Repeated spaces or delimiters create extra blank columns	Treat consecutive delimiters as one
4	Send results to a safe location	Worksheet maintainers	Direct splitting may overwrite existing data	Set a custom destination range before finishing
5	Skip unwanted fields during import	Project collaborators	Some fields in the source text are not needed	Mark selected columns as Skip Import

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Capability	Free	WPS Premium
Split Columns in spreadsheets	✅ Available	✅ Available
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB
Template downloads	Limited	More advanced template benefits
Advanced PDF tools	Basic access	More conversion and editing tools
AI tools	Limited access to some tools	More AI-related tools included

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Usage Scenario	Recommended Plan	Why
Occasional text cleanup in spreadsheets	Free	Split Columns itself is available for everyday spreadsheet cleanup
Need more cloud storage, templates, and broader office features	WPS Premium	Better fit if you also use more PDF, template, and cloud-related benefits

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