WPS Sidebar on macOS: Introduction

WPS Sidebar is the file information panel on the WPS Office home page for macOS; 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

Sidebar is the built-in information panel on the right side of the file list on the WPS Office home page for macOS. After you select a file, the panel automatically shows information related to that file, so you can review file status without opening extra windows.

Its main capabilities include:

View file tags to identify and organize files more quickly.
View sharing settings and start sharing directly.
View version history to check document updates.
View more details such as owner, last modified time, creation time, size, and file type.

This feature is useful for file organization, pre-sharing checks, version review, and quick file property confirmation.

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
Operating system	A Mac device that can run WPS Office normally
App version	The latest version of WPS Office for Mac is recommended
Network	Basic local file details do not require a network connection; sharing and some cloud-related details work better with network access
Other	Open the WPS Office home page and select a file in the file list

Download & Installation

Install WPS Office for Mac before using Sidebar.

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Post-install check	Open WPS Office, go to the home page file list, select a file, and confirm that the information panel appears on the right

Source: WPS download center

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	After you select a file on the home page, Sidebar can show tags, sharing settings, version history, and more file details in one place.	Microsoft Office lets users view document properties such as author, title, subject, and keywords. Version history is available when files are stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.	Google Docs can show sharing access details and version history. Some activity visibility depends on account type and permissions.	Notion lets users open Share at the top of a page to manage access, permissions, and links. Page updates, page history, and properties are available in separate areas.	Adobe Acrobat provides document properties and metadata for PDF files, along with sharing and review workflows centered on PDFs.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: Sidebar brings multiple file details together in the right-side panel on the home page, so the path to review is shorter. Distinct: sharing entry points are available in the same panel as file details.	Compared with WPS: file properties, sharing, and version history are often accessed from separate menus or storage-dependent flows.	Compared with WPS: sharing and version history are available, but activity visibility and some details depend on workspace conditions and permissions.	Compared with WPS: sharing, page history, and database properties are spread across different page-level entry points and are more page-management oriented.	Compared with WPS: Adobe focuses on PDF metadata and review workflows rather than a home-page file list sidebar for mixed file overview.
Official Source	—	Office file properties Version history in Office files	Change sharing settings Find what changed in a file	Sharing & permissions settings	Document properties and metadata overview in Acrobat

Overall Conclusion
WPS Sidebar is well suited to quick file review on the home page, especially when you want to check several file details without opening each file. For workflows that involve repeated file inspection from a file list, this centralized panel is more direct, while other products often split properties, sharing, and history across separate menus or pages.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable For	Main Pain Point	How Sidebar Helps
1	Quick checks before file cleanup	Everyday office users	Opening files one by one takes time	Select a file on the home page and review more details directly
2	Permission review before sharing	Collaboration users	Current sharing status is unclear	Check sharing settings in the panel and open Share directly
3	Reviewing update records	Document maintainers	Need to confirm whether earlier versions exist	Use the version history area in the panel
4	Distinguishing similar files	Project members	Similar file names are hard to tell apart	Use tags, size, type, and time details to identify files
5	Browsing multiple files in sequence	Content managers	Rechecking file details is inefficient	Select files one after another and let the panel update automatically

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Capability	Free	WPS Premium
View basic file details in Sidebar	✅	✅
View tags, sharing settings, and version history entry points	✅	✅
Advanced PDF editing and more advanced tools	Some features are limited	More advanced capabilities are available
Cloud storage and some value-added services	Basic quota	Higher quota or more benefits

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Scenario	Recommended Plan	Why
You mainly need to review file details and basic collaboration entry points on the home page	Free	Sidebar itself does not require membership and works well for everyday review and management
You also need more PDF tools, cloud storage, or broader advanced office features	WPS Premium	Better suited to users with ongoing needs for advanced tools and expanded benefits

WPS membership center: Subscribe now