Decimal Point & Thousands Separators

Notes Calculator reads numbers written with thousands separators the same way it shows them, so you can type or paste a grouped number like 1.234.567 and get its value.

Which character is the decimal point and which is the thousands separator is controlled by the Use dot as decimal point setting.

The two conventions

Setting	Decimal point	Thousands separator	Example input	Value
Off	, comma	. dot	1.234.567,89	1234567.89
On	. dot	, comma	1,234,567.89	1234567.89

With the setting off: comma is the decimal point, dot groups the thousands:

Notes CalculatorCopy

Calculation example

Calculation	Result
11.234.567	1.234.567
21.234.567,89	1.234.567,89
318,5	18,50
42 * 1.234.567	2.469.134

With Use dot as decimal point turned on: dot is the decimal point, comma groups the thousands:

Notes CalculatorCopy

Calculation example

Calculation	Result
11,234,567	1,234,567
21,234,567.89	1,234,567.89
318.5	18.50

It starts from your device’s region

There is no fixed default any more. Until you pick a side, the setting follows the region your device formats numbers in:

• A United States, United Kingdom, Indian, Japanese, Chinese or Korean region starts with the dot as the decimal point.
• A German, Italian, French, Spanish, Brazilian or Dutch region starts with the comma.
• The region wins over the language. English with an Italian region gets the comma, because that is how macOS and iOS format numbers there.
• If the region can’t be recognised, the comma is used.

Choosing the setting yourself always wins over the region, and the lines you already wrote are re-read straight away. If you are signed in, your choice is remembered for the account, so every device you use shows the same separator.

Rules

The setting is strict: only your decimal point can start a decimal part. The other separator is always read as a thousands separator, so it is skipped when reading the number, wherever it sits. With the comma as the decimal point:

You type	Shows	Value
1.234	1.234	one thousand two hundred thirty-four
1.234,5	1.234,50	one thousand two hundred thirty-four and a half
1,5	1,50	one and a half
1.5	15	fifteen: the dot is skipped
3.14	314	three hundred fourteen
0.001	1	one

Notes CalculatorCopy

Calculation example

Calculation	Result
11.234 + 1	1.235
22.391 - 2.298	93
33.14	314

With Use dot as decimal point on, it works the other way round: 1,000 is one thousand, 1.5 is one and a half, and 1,5 is fifteen.

Underscores for readability

You can also group the digits of a whole number with underscores, just as many programming languages do. Underscores are purely visual, so they work the same way whatever your decimal-point setting is:

Notes CalculatorCopy

Calculation example

Calculation	Result
11_000_000	1.000.000
2123_456_789	123.456.789
32 * 1_000	2.000

An underscore has to sit between two digits: a leading, trailing, or doubled underscore (_1000, 1000_, 1__000) isn’t a valid number, so the line just stays blank. Underscores group the whole-number part only; they aren’t read inside the decimal part or an exponent.

Inside functions, commas separate arguments

A comma is also how you separate function arguments, so a comma inside a function call is treated as an argument separator rather than a thousands group:

Notes CalculatorCopy

Calculation example

Calculation	Result
1sum(100, 200, 300)	600

With Use dot as decimal point on, sum(1,234,567) is therefore read as the three arguments 1, 234, 567 (which sum to 802), not as one grouped number. To pass a grouped number as a single argument, wrap it in parentheses:

Notes CalculatorCopy

Calculation example

Calculation	Result
1sum((1,234,567), 3)	1,234,570