How to Use WPS Goal Seek on macOS

Use WPS Goal Seek on macOS in 3 practical topics, all available directly on Mac; start from the How-to Index, then follow the feature entry and steps for each task.

How-to Index

How-to Guide

1. Open Goal Seek

Feature entry: Data → What-If Analysis → Goal Seek

1. Open a WPS Spreadsheet file on your Mac that already contains a formula.
2. Click the Data tab at the top of the window.
3. Click the What-If Analysis drop-down menu.
4. Select Goal Seek from the menu.
5. Wait for the Goal Seek settings window to open.

Success Criteria

• Interface result: the Goal Seek settings window is visible.
• You can continue: you can enter the target cell, target value, and changing cell.

Tips While Using

• Common mistake: if the current file is not open in the spreadsheet editing view, the feature entry may not appear.
• Environment note: make sure the worksheet already contains a formula cell for the result you want to solve.

2. Set the target cell and changing cell

Feature entry: Goal Seek settings window

1. In Target cell, select the formula cell that stores the calculation result.
2. In Target value, enter the result you want to reach, such as 15000.
3. In Changing cell, select the variable cell you want WPS to solve for.
4. Check that the formula in the target cell references the changing cell.
5. Click OK to start the calculation.

Success Criteria

• Interface result: all three key fields in the settings window are filled in.
• You can continue: after you click OK, WPS starts the solving process.

Tips While Using

• Common mistake: if the target cell is not a formula cell, Goal Seek may not return a valid result.
• Environment note: Goal Seek works with one variable only and cannot solve multiple changing values at the same time.

3. Review and keep the result

Feature entry: Goal Seek Status window

1. Wait for WPS to finish the automatic calculation.
2. In the Goal Seek Status window, review the solving result.
3. Return to the worksheet and confirm that the changing cell now shows a new value.
4. Click OK in the status window to keep the result.
5. If you want to continue testing, record the current result and run Goal Seek again with a different target value.

Success Criteria

• Interface result: the status window shows that the calculation is complete, and the changing cell displays a new value.
• You can continue: the result can be saved, reviewed, or used in later calculations.
• No side effect: the original formula structure stays unchanged, and only the changing cell value is updated.

Tips While Using

• Common mistake: if the target value is outside the range the formula can reach, the result may not match your expectation.
• Environment note: the solved value is written directly into the changing cell, so it is a good idea to save a copy before testing important data.