1988–2000: Super-WPS on DOS, then Windows
WPS began as Super-WPS, a Chinese-language word processor for DOS, sold into mainland China when Microsoft Office was not yet the default. Kingsoft’s chief architect Pak Kwan Kau personally funded a leap to Windows in the late 1990s. WPS 97 and WPS 2000 targeted 16-bit Windows with 32-bit compatibility. In 2001 the product became a full suite with spreadsheet and presentation apps.
2004–2012: Storm, 2005, and the international experiment
WPS Office Storm (2004) claimed Microsoft format compatibility and, unusually, was based on OpenOffice.org — the first WPS to leave Windows-only land. WPS Office 2005 shrank the install and refreshed the UI. Kingsoft Office 2007 tried English and Japanese under a different international name. Android arrived around 2012. Linux work was announced the same year, rebuilt on Qt after earlier Storm/Wine detours.
2014: everyone is called WPS again
On 6 June 2014 Kingsoft Office products were renamed WPS Office worldwide. A 2014 Windows build experimented with subscriptions. By 2016 WPS 2016 shipped as freemium: core editing free, extras paid. That is still the economic model in 2026, even as AI and PDF toolkits grew.
Linux’s awkward middle
In 2017 Kingsoft tweeted that Linux development had halted, then reversed course days later. Wikipedia notes community support around 2019. By 2022 a full freeware Linux build was downloadable again from WPS. Ubuntu users still meet Windows symbol fonts. That is history showing up as a dialog. Linux guide · fonts.
2019–2024: PDF, HarmonyOS, Apple silicon
WPS Office 2019 pushed PDF as a first-class citizen. HarmonyOS builds followed Huawei’s platform. Mac builds now advertise M1–M4. Fire tablets have shipped with WPS preinstalled. Monthly active users were cited at 494 million in 2022; Kingsoft’s later marketing uses 600 million. Treat MAU as marketing unless you have a filing.
What the history is useful for
Old “Kingsoft Office 2013” leftovers on a PC cause ghost file associations. Ancient community Debs on Ubuntu cause Qt errors. The Microsoft Store UWP tile and the website EXE are both “WPS” with different update stories. History is why this handbook keeps saying: pick one official channel and stay there. Downloads · Safety.