# Localizing number formatting

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** Number format localization is often set in conjunction with model localization and user-interface language selection. To learn more about those topics, visit the [Localizing your LookML model](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/model-localization) and [Supported user-interface languages](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/supported-user-interface-languages) documentation pages.

Looker's default number format setting for numbers that appear in data tables and visualizations is **1,234.56**. However, the number format can be set to any of the following:

- **1,234.56**: Thousands separated with commas; decimals separated with a period
- **1.234,56**: Thousands separated with periods; decimals separated with a comma
- **1 234,56**: Thousands separated with spaces; decimals separated with a comma

### Setting number formats for users

You can set a number format through one of the following methods:

- **To set a number format for individual users:** Select the desired format from the **Number format** drop-down menu on the [**Edit User** page](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/admin-panel-users-users#editing_users) in the **Admin** panel and click **Save** at the bottom of the page.
- **To set a number format for a user group:** Assign the desired format to the `number_format` user attribute for [a particular user group](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/admin-panel-users-user-attributes#assigning_values_to_user_groups). If users within the group have set a custom value for `number_format`, the custom value will override any value that you assign to the group. To prevent the `number_format` that you assign from being overriden, ensure that the **User Access** setting for the `number_format` user attribute is *not* set to **Edit**.
- **To set a number format for an entire instance:** Assign one of the codes in the previous table to the **Number format** field on the [**Localization** page](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/admin-panel-general-localization) of the **Admin** panel.

The default number format in Looker --- **1,234.56** --- displays numbers in thousands separated with commas, and decimals separated with a period.

For example, suppose you have an Explore with a column chart and data table that displays values for **Orders Order Count** , **Order Items Average Sale Price** , and **Order Items Total Sales Price** grouped by **Orders Created Month** . Values with the default setting will take the format **x,xxx.xx**.

If you change the **Number format** setting to **1.234,56** , the values in visualizations and data tables will take the format **x.xxx,xx**:


### The Number format setting with other methods of number formatting

If you use the LookML parameters [`value_format_name`](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/reference/param-field-value-format-name) or [`value_format`](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/reference/param-field-value-format) to format fields in your models, the number format selected in the **Number format** setting or `number_format` user attribute is applied on top of the format given in the LookML parameters. For example, suppose you have a measure that represents the count of pies with a specified `value_format` defined in LookML:

    measure: count {
      type: count
      value_format: "####.0\"pies\""
      drill_fields: [detail*]
    }

With the **Number format** setting set to **1.234,56** , and the LookML `value_format: "####.0\"pies\""`, visualizations and data tables display values in the format **xxxx,xx pies** . The **Number format** setting swaps a comma for the period for the `value_format: "####.0\"pies\""`. A **Count** of 9,849 pies will display as 9849,0 pies.

Similarly, if you use the [**Value Format** field](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/custom-formatting) in a visualization's **Edit** menu, the number format that is set in the **Number format** setting or the `number_format` user attribute will be applied on top of the format that is specified in the visualization **Value Format** field.

For example, if a user inputs the format `###0.000` in the **Value Format** field for a column chart, and the **Number format** is set to **1.234,56** , the visualization will display values in the format **xxxx,xxxx** . The **Number format** setting swaps a comma for the period for the visualization **Value Format** setting `###0.000`. A **Count** of 8,474 orders in the visualization will appear as **8474,000**.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** You cannot use LookML parameters or the **Value Format** field in a visualization's **Edit** menu to set formatting to 1.234,56 or 1 234,56. To set those formats, you must use the **Number format** setting or the `number_format` user attribute. `value_format`, `value_format_name`, and the **Value Format** field use [Excel-style formatting strings](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/reference/param-field-value-format#common_formatting_strings).


### Overriding the Number format setting with `strict_value_format`

Typically, the number formatting set in the **Number format** setting or `number_format` user attribute is applied on top of formats applied by LookML parameters.

However, if you want to create a number format that is not affected by the **Number format** setting or the `number_format` user attribute, you can use the [`named_value_format`](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/reference/param-model-named-value-format) model parameter to create a number format and set its `strict_number_format` subparameter to `yes`. You can apply that format to fields by using the [`value_format_name`](https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/reference/param-field-value-format-name) parameter, and those fields will not be affected by the **Number format** setting or the `number_format` user attribute.

For example, suppose that a custom format called `dollar_formatting` is defined in a model file. The custom format has a `strict_value_format` subparameter that is set to `yes`:

    named_value_format: dollar_formatting {
      value_format: "$#,###.00"
      strict_value_format: yes
    }

The `order_items` view file in the project has two measures, `average_sale_price` and `average_spend_per_user`. The `dollar_formatting` custom format is applied to the `average_sale_price` measure, but not to the `average_spend_per_user`:

    measure: average_sale_price {
      type: average
      value_format_name: dollar_formatting
      sql: ${sale_price} ;;
    }

    measure: average_spend_per_user {
        type: average
        sql: ${user_order_total_price} ;;
    }

The number formatting in the **Number format** setting is set to **1.234,56**.

In data tables and visualizations, the values for the **Order Items Average Sale Price** measure will appear in the format **$x,xxx.xx** and will *not* be affected by the **Number format** setting. For example, an **Average Sale Price** of 45.63 will appear as **$45.63** in visualizations and data tables.

In data tables and visualizations, the values for the **Order Items Average Spend per User** measure *will* be affected by the **Number format** setting and will appear in the format **$x.xxx,xx** . For example, an **Average Spend per User** of 47.64 will appear as **$47,64** in visualizations and data tables.