Formatter: clean up text, numbers and dates

Data from one app often arrives in a shape the next app won't accept. A date written "03/04/2026" when the CRM wants "2026-04-03". A full name when the mailing tool wants first and last name separately. Formatter by Zapier is a built-in step that converts data between steps.

It has four groups:

• Text: split text ("Ana Lopez" into "Ana" and "Lopez"), change capitalisation, find and replace, extract an email address or URL from a longer message, remove extra spaces.
• Numbers: format currency and phone numbers, do simple maths (add tax), run spreadsheet-style formulas.
• Date / Time: change a date's format, convert time zones, add or subtract time ("due date = today + 7 days").
• Utilities: lookup tables, line-item tools, pick a value from a list, import a CSV file (a simple spreadsheet saved as text).

A lookup table maps one value to another, like a small dictionary: product code P-01 becomes "Coffee mug". You can also set a fallback value for codes not in the table.

After a Formatter step, map its Output field in later steps, not the original field. This is the most common mistake.

Formatter is predictable: the same input always gives the same output. For messy text that needs understanding ("what is this email about?"), use an AI step instead. For simple reshaping, Formatter is cheaper and more reliable.