WPS Highlight Rows and Columns on Windows: Introduction

WPS Highlight Rows and Columns helps you highlight the active cell’s row and column while working in spreadsheets; 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

Highlight Rows and Columns is a viewing aid in WPS Spreadsheets that automatically highlights the full row and column of the currently selected cell, making it easier to locate your position in large worksheets.

Core capabilities include:

Turn on Highlight Rows and Columns from the View tab.
Switch the feature quickly from the bottom status bar.
Change the highlight color with preset options or Other Colors.

This feature is useful when reviewing large data tables, checking row-and-column intersections, and reducing positioning errors during spreadsheet browsing. The highlight effect is for on-screen editing and viewing, and it does not change printed content.

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	No mandatory network connection is required for this local highlighting feature
Other	You need to be able to open a WPS spreadsheet file and enter the editing interface

Download & Installation

Item	Details
Official download	WPS Office Free Download
Installation	Download and install WPS Office for Windows, then open WPS Spreadsheets
Check after installation	Launch WPS Spreadsheets, open the View tab, and confirm that the Highlight Rows and Columns entry is available

Source: WPS download page

Compare with Alternatives

Dimension	WPS	Microsoft	Google	Notion	Adobe
Capability Summary	Highlights the current cell’s row and column directly in the spreadsheet interface, with quick access from the feature button or status bar and color adjustment options.	Excel support pages describe selection highlight color changes and cell highlighting through fill color or styles, but the cited pages do not describe a built-in current-row-and-column linked highlight view like this feature.	Google Sheets supports conditional formatting so cells, rows, or columns can change color based on rules and formulas.	Notion table view supports table databases, bulk editing, row and column rearrangement, wrap text, and calculations.	Acrobat provides reading-order highlights and markup-related highlighting for PDF viewing, accessibility, and review workflows.
WPS Advantages	Advantage: WPS provides a direct current-row-and-column linked highlight view inside spreadsheet editing, plus quick switching and color changes from visible UI entry points.	Compared with WPS: Microsoft documentation here focuses on selection color or manual cell highlighting rather than a dedicated current-row-and-column tracking view in spreadsheets.	Compared with WPS: Google Sheets is stronger for rule-based formatting across ranges, while WPS is more direct for following the active cell position instantly during editing.	Compared with WPS: Notion focuses on database-style table organization rather than active-cell row-and-column positioning in a spreadsheet grid.	Compared with WPS: Adobe focuses on PDF reading, accessibility, and markup workflows instead of spreadsheet row-and-column positioning.
Official Source	—	Change the highlight color of selected cells, Highlight cells	Use conditional formatting rules in Google Sheets	Table view	Reading Order tool for PDFs

Overall Conclusion
WPS Highlight Rows and Columns is useful for spreadsheet users who need to track the active cell position quickly in large worksheets. Other products provide highlighting, formatting, table management, or PDF review features, but their official documentation emphasizes different workflows.

Use Cases

No.	Scenario	Suitable for	Main pain point	How this feature helps
1	Locating positions in large data sheets	Finance, admin, and data-processing users	It is easy to lose track of the current row and column in the middle of a large sheet	Turn on Highlight Rows and Columns to follow the selected cell automatically
2	Checking data entry intersections	Users who review data row by row and column by column	It is easy to read the wrong intersecting cell	Use row-and-column highlighting to keep the current input position clear
3	Improving visibility with color	Users who spend a long time reviewing spreadsheets	The default highlight color may not stand out enough	Change the highlight color to fit the worksheet background better
4	Switching the guide on and off quickly	Users who often change viewing modes	Opening menus repeatedly slows down the workflow	Use the status bar button for quick switching
5	Reviewing before printing	Users who want to confirm print output	They may worry that the visual guide will affect printed content	Use the feature for on-screen positioning while keeping print content unchanged

Membership & Benefits

Free vs WPS Premium

Capability	Free users	WPS Premium
Highlight Rows and Columns	Available	Available
Highlight color adjustment	Available	Available
Basic office features	Available	Available
More advanced PDF, template, and extended features	Partially limited	More benefits available
Cloud storage	1 GB	20 GB

Source: WPS Office pricing page

Recommendations

Usage scenario	Recommended plan	Why
Everyday spreadsheet viewing and editing	Free	Highlight Rows and Columns is available directly for regular positioning needs
Users who also need more cloud storage or broader office benefits	WPS Premium	In addition to spreadsheet tools, the plan includes more membership benefits and extended capabilities

Subscribe through the WPS Office pricing page.