Overview
Polar’s General Settings let you control the core account-level preferences that affect how data is displayed across your workspace. These settings are important because they help ensure your reporting matches the way your business operates, from the currency you report in to the time zone used for refreshes and the formatting your team sees in dashboards. These settings apply to the full account and can only be changed by an Admin.
In this article, readers will learn how to:
Update their account currency and understand how Polar handles currency conversion.
Set the correct time zone for refresh accuracy.
Adjust number formatting for clearer reporting.
Choose the first day of the week for reporting consistency.
Change the language of the Polar interface.
Section 1: Before You Update General Settings
General Settings in Polar are foundational account configurations. They affect all users in the account, so they should be updated carefully and only by someone with Admin access. This makes them especially important for teams that rely on consistent reporting across stores, users, and business functions.
To access these settings:
Log in to your Polar account.
Open Settings.
Review the available options for currency, time zone, number formatting, first day of the week, and language.
A good practice is to review these settings when you first configure your account and again whenever you expand into new markets, add stores in different currencies, or update your team’s reporting standards.
Section 2: Configure Currency and Time Zone
Currency settings
If your stores operate in different currencies, Polar automatically converts them into your main currency so data stays consistent across stores. Polar uses a universal exchange-rate API and refreshes exchange rates daily. You can verify the exchange rates we use by checking the Currency Exchange Rate.
To update your currency:
Go to Settings in your Polar account.
Select your preferred currency from the available options.
Important details to include:
Exchange rates are applied daily.
Historical data is not recalculated using newer exchange rates.
When viewing a date range, daily sales are summed in your selected currency using the exchange rate applied on each individual day.
Example of Currency Conversion
Example of Currency Conversion
If your primary currency is USD and you receive sales in Euros, Polar converts them like this:
On October 1st, €100 equals $103
On October 4th, €50 equals $52.5
On October 5th, €70 equals $74.9
On October 6th, €110 equals $116.6
For the period, the total of €330 is converted to $347 using the respective exchange rates for each day.
Tip: If you work with multiple currencies, consider using a View with a Global Filter to unify the data. Learn more about setting this up here.
Time zone settings
Your selected time zone determines when data updates occur, which directly affects daily reporting and analysis. Setting the correct time zone helps your refresh schedule align with your business operations.
To update your time zone:
Go to Settings in your Polar account.
Select your preferred time zone from the available options.
Best practices to include:
Make sure connected platforms such as Shopify, Google Analytics, and Facebook Ads use the same time zone when possible.
If connected accounts use different time zones, choose the latest one so data stays as up to date as possible.
Refresh note: Because Polar depends on connected platform APIs, refresh delays can occasionally happen.
Section 3: Adjust Display Preferences
Number formatting
Polar lets you control how numbers appear in reports so data is easier to read and matches your team’s preferences. Available options include:
Short Numbers, such as displaying 1k instead of 1,000.
Thousands Separator, such as displaying 1,000 instead of 1000.
To update number formatting:
Go to Settings in your Polar account.
Select Number Formatting.
Choose your preferred display options.
Tip: You can use Custom Metrics to update a metrics formatting.
Choose between currency, number, or percentage formats.
Define how numbers should appear, including decimals or whole numbers.
Add prefixes or suffixes to your data.
Formatting is applied per Custom Metric, so these changes will not affect all metrics in your account. Learn more about setting this up here.
Start of the week
Polar allows you to define the first day of the week for reporting. This helps keep dashboards and reporting cycles aligned with how your business operates. You can choose either Monday or Sunday.
To set the first day of the week:
Go to Settings > First Day of the Week.
Choose Monday or Sunday from the drop-down menu.
A useful tip is to choose the option that matches your company’s reporting cadence so teams stay consistent across reports.
Language settings
Polar supports multiple interface languages, including English, French, and German. This makes it easier for teams to work in the language they are most comfortable using.
To change the language:
Open Settings in your Polar account.
Select Language from the drop-down menu.
Choose your preferred language.
Conclusion
General Settings in Polar help ensure your account is set up for accurate, consistent, and easy-to-read reporting. By reviewing your currency, time zone, number formatting, reporting week start, and language settings, you can make sure Polar reflects the way your business actually operates. These settings apply at the account level, so it is worth reviewing them carefully before making changes.