Formats you can trust
Save operational workbooks as .xlsx. Keep a copy as .xls only for a museum of old machines. CSV is for interchange, not for formatted reports — you will lose types and encodings.
Formulas
Common Excel functions (SUM, IF, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP depending on build, INDEX/MATCH, TEXT, dates) are the daily drivers. If a sheet uses a Microsoft 365-only dynamic array trick, test it before you promise a client. When in doubt, calculate a sample in both Excel and WPS.
Make large files usable
- Switch automatic calculation to manual; press F9 when you mean it.
- Do not apply formulas or conditional formats to entire columns.
- Save locally, not on a lagging cloud folder, during heavy recalc.
- Use the 64-bit desktop edition.
- Split archive sheets into another file.
VBA and macros
Macro support differs by version and platform. Community consensus is blunt: let one suite own a macro workbook. Open it read-only in the other. Security is also a reason — do not enable macros from email just because WPS asked nicely.
Charts for people who hate charts
Pick one chart, label axes, and stop decorating. WPS can generate charts from a prompt via WPS AI; still check that the series is the column you think it is.
Reader story: Daniel and the overnight close.
Number formats and dates
A value that looks like a date may still be text. ISTEXT and a helper column catch it. Agree on ISO dates (2026-08-20) when files cross countries. Leading zeros in phone numbers and postcodes need a text format — a CSV round-trip will eat them otherwise. Full formula notes: Excel formulas in WPS.
Freeze panes and print
Freeze the header row. Repeat it on each printed page. Fit to one page wide, not “fit entire sheet,” unless you enjoy 8-point type. Print setup is its own chapter: printing.
Protect a sheet without pretending it is security
Sheet protection stops a colleague overwriting a formula by accident. It is not encryption. A password on a XLSX is a courtesy lock. Payroll and health data belong in a tool your counsel already approved, with real access control. Safety.
Import from CSV and instruments
Lab machines still emit CSV. Import UTF-8, set the delimiter, and check the first ten rows before you chart anything. Keep the raw dump on a separate sheet named raw so you can re-run the clean. Related: students · teachers.