SharePoint Document Issues

Fix Microsoft Lists Number Format Displaying Encoded Space Characters

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users need to resolve an issue where custom number formats in Microsoft Lists display URL-encoded text sequences instead of standard spaces.

Product: Microsoft Lists and SharePoint Online
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting numbers using custom rules that involve entering or removing space characters within lists.
Observed behavior: The system incorrectly renders encoded string sequences such as %252520%2520%20 rather than displaying blank spaces.

Before you start

Verify if the issue persists across different web browsers to confirm it is a tenant-wide formatting defect rather than a local caching problem.

Solution 1Recommended

Escalate the Defect to Microsoft 365 Support

Since this behavior is a reproducible defect across multiple environments, opening a service request via your administrator is required for Microsoft to investigate.

Extensive testing has confirmed that this encoding error is reproducible across various browsers, operating systems, accounts, and tenants. It is recognized as a potential backend defect in Microsoft Lists and SharePoint Online.

As there are currently no known client-side workarounds or active service-health incidents related to this, the development team requires logs from affected tenants to implement a fix.

Contact your Administrator

Reach out to your organization's Microsoft 365 global administrator or IT department and explain the custom number formatting issue.

Access the M365 Admin Center

Have the administrator log into the Microsoft 365 admin center using their administrative credentials.

Submit a Service Request

Navigate to the Support section, select 'New service request', and describe the encoded space (%252520) defect. Request that the support agent collect logs and escalate the issue to the SharePoint development team.

Service Health Check: Before submitting a ticket, ask your admin to check the Service Health dashboard to see if Microsoft has recently acknowledged this formatting bug as an ongoing incident.

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Manage Your Data Securely with WPS Spreadsheet

If cloud-based list formatting issues are disrupting your workflow, consider managing your structured data using WPS Spreadsheet. It provides a robust, lightweight, and completely free alternative for data organization with reliable number formatting.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free WPS Office suite for your operating system.
2. Export Your List Data: Export your current Microsoft List to a CSV or Excel file to back up your data safely.
3. Open with WPS Spreadsheet: Open the exported file in WPS Spreadsheet to confidently format numbers and organize your workflow without encountering cloud rendering bugs.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls) and CSV formats.Reliable custom number formatting without unexpected URL encoding defects.Lightweight installation with a familiar, easy-to-use interface.Advanced offline and local data management features for secure list building.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does %252520%2520%20 appear instead of spaces in my Microsoft Lists?

This specific string is a URL-encoded representation of space characters. Due to a current rendering defect in SharePoint Online and Microsoft Lists, the application fails to decode these sequences back into blank spaces, making the raw encoded text visible in custom number formats.

Can I fix this custom number format issue by clearing my browser cache?

No. The issue has been proven to be reproducible across multiple browsers, user accounts, and entirely different tenants. This indicates it is a server-side software defect that Microsoft must patch.

Are there any temporary workarounds for custom number formatting in Lists?

Until Microsoft resolves the defect, the best workaround is to avoid using space characters in your custom number format strings. Rely on standard default number formats, or use alternative separators like commas or hyphens if permitted by your formatting requirements.

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