SUBSTITUTE in WPS on Windows: Introduction

SUBSTITUTE in WPS on Windows is a text replacement function for spreadsheet formulas; 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	All listed tasks are available directly

About This Feature

Overview

The SUBSTITUTE function in WPS Spreadsheet for Windows replaces specified text in a text string with new text. It can replace every matching occurrence or only a specified occurrence, which makes it useful for text cleanup, naming standardization, and formula-based data preparation.

Core capabilities include:

Replace all matching text in a string for consistent wording updates.
Replace only a specified occurrence when you need targeted edits.
Combine with other formulas for more advanced text processing workflows.

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	Local formula calculation does not require a constant internet connection; download, installation, and account services do require network access
Other	You need to be able to open a spreadsheet file and edit formulas in cells

Download & Installation

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Post-install check	Open WPS Spreadsheet, select a cell, and enter `=SUBSTITUTE(...)` to confirm the function is available

Source: WPS download page

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	Supports `SUBSTITUTE(text, old_text, new_text, [instance_num])` style text replacement in spreadsheet formulas, including replacing all matches or a specified occurrence.	Excel provides the SUBSTITUTE function for replacing specific text in a string, with an optional argument to replace a specific occurrence.	Google Sheets provides SUBSTITUTE for replacing all matching text or a specified occurrence through `occurrence_number`.	Notion database formulas provide `replace` and `replaceAll` for text replacement, but this is a database formula workflow rather than a spreadsheet cell function.	Acrobat supports finding and replacing text in PDFs, which is a document editing workflow rather than a spreadsheet function.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: WPS handles this task directly as a spreadsheet formula in cells. Distinct: It supports both full replacement and occurrence-based replacement in the same formula workflow.	Compared with WPS: It offers a closely comparable spreadsheet function workflow.	Compared with WPS: It also supports formula-based text replacement in spreadsheets with similar syntax.	Compared with WPS: It can replace text, but the workflow is centered on database properties instead of spreadsheet cells.	Compared with WPS: It can replace text in PDFs, but it does not provide an equivalent spreadsheet function workflow.
Official Source	—	Excel SUBSTITUTE function	Google Sheets SUBSTITUTE	Notion formula syntax	Adobe Acrobat replace text

Overall Conclusion
For spreadsheet text replacement, WPS, Excel, and Google Sheets all provide closely aligned function-based workflows. Notion and Adobe can also replace text, but they are designed for database formulas and PDF editing rather than spreadsheet cell formulas.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable For	Main Pain Point	How It Helps
1	Standardizing product names	Operations and sales teams	Old and new names appear together in one column	Use SUBSTITUTE to replace old terms with updated names
2	Cleaning text markers	Data cleanup users	Text contains extra symbols or fixed prefixes and suffixes	Use SUBSTITUTE to remove or replace specific characters
3	Replacing only one occurrence	Finance and admin users	Only one occurrence in a string should be changed	Use SUBSTITUTE with the occurrence argument
4	Building nested text formulas	Advanced spreadsheet users	Text replacement needs to be combined with more logic	Nest SUBSTITUTE inside other formulas
5	Normalizing imported data	Team members handling imports	Imported text is not formatted consistently	Use SUBSTITUTE in helper columns to standardize values

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Capability	Free Users	WPS Premium
Basic use of the SUBSTITUTE function	✅ Available	✅ Available
Standard spreadsheet formula editing	✅ Available	✅ Available
Additional premium features	Use the free scope shown on the product page	Access the membership benefits listed on the pricing page

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Scenario	Recommended Plan	Why
Everyday text replacement and basic spreadsheet work	Free	The SUBSTITUTE function is available for regular spreadsheet tasks
You also need more PDF, template, cloud, or AI-related features	WPS Premium	A membership can be useful when your work also depends on broader account-level premium features

WPS membership center: Subscribe now