Paper-based devices have attracted extensive attention due to the growing demand for disposable flexible electronics. Herein, we integrate semiconducting devices on cellulose paper substrate through a simple abrasion technique that yields high-performance photodetectors. A solvent-free WS2 film deposited on paper favors an effective electron-hole separation and hampers recombination. The as-prepared paper-based WS2 photodetectors exhibit a sensitive photore-sponse over a wide spectral range spanning from ultraviolet (365 nm) to near-infrared (940 nm). Their responsivity value reaches up to ~270 mA W−1 at 35 V under a power density of 35 mW cm−2. A high performance photodetector was achieved by controlling the environmental exposure as the ambient oxygen molecules were found to decrease the photoresponse and stability of the WS2 photodetector. Furthermore, we have built a spectrometer using such a paper-based WS2 device as the photodetecting component to illustrate its potential application. The present work could pro-mote the development of cost-effective disposable photodetection devices. © The Author(s) 2023.