Easy Tech TutsHow to Change Number Units to Lakh and Crore in Power BI (Indian Format) Easily 2026
By Impran M N
Standard Power BI number formatting defaults to thousands and millions, which doesn't match how Indian businesses read financial figures in lakhs and crores. This guide covers understanding the lakh-crore system and applying custom formatting so your numbers display correctly for that audience. It's aimed at analysts building reports for Indian stakeholders or teams.
01Understand lakh and crore units
A lakh equals 100,000 and a crore equals 10,000,000, which is a different grouping structure than the standard thousand-million system Power BI uses by default.
02Apply step-by-step formatting
Use a custom number format string in the field or visual formatting pane that inserts commas and unit labels according to the lakh-crore grouping instead of the default.
03Review use cases in business
This formatting matters most for financial reports, budget dashboards, or sales figures presented to teams and stakeholders based in India.
04Explore automation tips
Once the custom format is set at the field level, it applies automatically across every visual using that field without needing to reformat each one.
Frequently asked questions
Does Power BI have a built-in lakh and crore format option?
Power BI doesn't include a native lakh-crore format by default, so it typically requires a custom number format string applied to the field or measure.
How is a crore different from a million in formatting terms?
A crore equals 10 million, and the comma grouping in the Indian numbering system places commas differently than the standard international thousand-based grouping.
Can I apply lakh-crore formatting to just one visual instead of the whole report?
Yes, you can apply the custom format at the visual level if you only need it in specific charts, though setting it at the field level is more consistent across the report.
Will lakh-crore formatting work correctly with currency symbols?
Yes, you can combine a currency symbol with the custom lakh-crore number format string so figures display as properly formatted Indian rupee values.
Watch the full walkthrough
The same steps, demonstrated on screen from start to finish.
