WPS Split Columns on macOS: Introduction

WPS Split Columns on macOS helps you split text in a cell into multiple columns by delimiter, fixed width, or more detailed rules; it includes 3 core tasks, with 1 available without membership and 2 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	1	Matches the number of Free rows in the index
Membership-related items	2	Matches the number of membership-related rows in the index

About This Feature

Overview

Split Columns is a data-processing feature in WPS Spreadsheets for Mac. It helps you split the content of one cell into multiple columns, which is useful for imported lists, IDs, addresses, and mixed text fields.

Core tasks include:

Basic Split Columns: split text by delimiter or fixed width for common data such as commas, spaces, or tabs.
Advanced Split Columns from the Data tab: split by fixed characters, specific content, or character type for more complex cleanup tasks.
Advanced Split Columns from Smart Toolbox: open the advanced split tool from a membership entry for repeated complex text processing.

Common scenarios include imported contact lists, order fields, address cleanup, and structured ID processing. This feature helps reduce manual copy-and-paste work and improves efficiency when organizing spreadsheet data. A practical advantage is that WPS provides both a basic split flow and a more detailed advanced split flow in the same spreadsheet workflow.

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
Operating system	A macOS device that can run WPS Office normally
App version	It is recommended to use the latest version of WPS Office for Mac
Network	Basic split tasks can be used locally; membership verification may require an active network connection
Other	Open a WPS spreadsheet file and leave enough blank columns for the split results

Download & Installation

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Check after installation	Launch WPS Office, open a 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 Spreadsheets provides Data > Split Columns for basic splitting and also offers advanced split options for fixed characters, specific content, or character type.	Microsoft Excel provides Data > Text to Columns to split text by delimiters and choose a destination area.	Google Sheets provides Data > Split text to columns for splitting selected cell content by separators.	Notion does not provide a built-in spreadsheet wizard for splitting one cell into multiple columns, and text splitting is typically handled with the split() formula function.	Adobe focuses on splitting PDF pages and files rather than splitting spreadsheet cell content into columns.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: WPS covers both basic split tasks and more detailed advanced split entries in one spreadsheet workflow. Distinct: It supports simple and more complex text-splitting paths within the same feature area.	Compared with WPS: the official Excel page focuses on the standard Text to Columns wizard and does not describe a comparable character-type split entry on that page.	Compared with WPS: the official Google Sheets page focuses on separator-based splitting, with a narrower rule set in the documented workflow.	Compared with WPS: Notion is more formula-driven for text processing and is not centered on a direct spreadsheet split-button workflow.	Compared with WPS: Adobe's official split capability is designed for PDF page separation, not spreadsheet data splitting.
Official Source	—	Text to Columns Wizard	Split text to columns	Formula syntax	Split PDF

Overall Conclusion: If your main task is splitting text inside spreadsheet cells, WPS on macOS provides a continuous workflow from basic splitting to more detailed advanced splitting. Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets both cover common split scenarios, while Notion and Adobe are oriented toward different text or document workflows.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable for	Main pain point	Solution
1	Split names and contact details	Admin staff, sales teams	One column contains both names and phone numbers	Use Basic Split Columns with delimiters
2	Split fixed-length codes	Finance teams, operations teams	Fixed-length codes are slow to separate manually	Use fixed-width splitting
3	Clean mixed text fields	Data-processing staff	Text contains multiple character patterns	Use Advanced Split Columns by character type
4	Organize imported lists	Teachers, HR teams	Imported list fields are not structured	Start with basic splitting and review the result columns
5	Handle more detailed membership workflows	Frequent spreadsheet users	More detailed split rules are needed	Use the advanced split entry

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Capability	Free users	WPS Premium
Basic Split Columns	✅ Available	✅ Available
Advanced Split Columns from the Data tab	❌ Membership required	✅ Available
Advanced Split Columns from Smart Toolbox	❌ Membership required	✅ Available
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB
Template downloads	Limited	More template benefits

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Usage scenario	Recommended plan	Why
Occasional simple text splitting	Free	Basic Split Columns is enough for delimiter-based or fixed-width splitting
Frequent complex field cleanup	WPS Premium	Advanced split entries support more detailed splitting rules
Shared spreadsheet workflows for a team	WPS Premium	Helps standardize access to fuller spreadsheet and cloud benefits

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