Get started with Formatter

Formatter is Zapier's built-in utility tool for transforming text, numbers, and other data into the format you need. Add a Formatter step when:

• Data from one app does not match the format another app expects (e.g., phone numbers, dates, number types).
• You need to split, extract, or combine text fields.
• You need to translate values between apps (e.g., product IDs to friendly names).
• You need to set a default value for empty or missing data so later steps do not fail.

You can also use Formatter with AI to discover formatting options as you map your fields. Describe what you need in plain language, and Zapier will draft the relevant Formatter step for you.

Common use cases

Date and time transforms

Use these transforms to adjust, compare, or reformat dates and times between apps.

• Add or subtract dates and times in Zaps
• Compare dates and times in Zaps
• Modify dates and times formats in Zaps

Number transforms

Use these transforms to convert number formats, standardize phone numbers, or perform calculations.

• Modify number formats in Zaps
• Perform maths operations in Zaps
• Select a random number in Zaps
• Use spreadsheet-style formulas in Zaps to work with both text and numbers

Use the Format Phone Number transform to standardize phone numbers to E.164 format, and the Format Number transform to convert strings like "26.24" to numeric values that apps like Notion and Zoho accept.

Text transforms

Use these transforms to split, extract, replace, or reformat text data in your Zaps.

• Count the number of characters or words in your Zap fields
• Use Formatter to decode and encode HTML in Zaps
• Remove extra text from your Zap data
• Convert the letter casing in a text string in your Zaps
• Use Formatter to split text in Zaps
• Modify large data for your AI prompts
• Extract data in Zaps
• Find and replace values in your Zaps
• Change your Zap data to HTML, Markdown, ASCII, or plain text
• Use regular expressions (regex) to find text in Zaps

The Split Text transform is useful for separating combined fields (like full names into first and last). The Extract Data transform can pull emails, URLs, or other patterns from longer text.

Utility transforms

Use these transforms to map values between apps, work with line items, or import CSV data.

• Create lookup tables in Zaps
• Create line items in Zaps
• Convert line items into text strings
• Pick from a list of items in Zaps
• Import CSV files into Zaps

Troubleshoot Formatter

If your Formatter step is not working as expected, these articles cover common issues and error messages.

• Common problems with Formatter
• Formatted data is incorrect in later Zap steps
• Formatter: errors importing CSV file
• Formatter error: Invalid Syntax: Only numeric values are allowed
• Formatter error: 413 Request Entity Too Large