Make use of the zfill() helper method to left-pad any string, integer or float with zeros; it's valid for both Python 2.x and Python 3.x.
It important to note that Python 2 is no longer supported.
Sample usage:
print(str(1).zfill(3))
# Expected output: 001
Description:
When applied to a value, zfill() returns a value left-padded with zeros when the length of the initial string value less than that of the applied width value, otherwise, the initial string value as is.
Syntax:
str(string).zfill(width)
# Where string represents a string, an integer or a float, and
# width, the desired length to left-pad.
Top answer 1 of 5
216
Make use of the zfill() helper method to left-pad any string, integer or float with zeros; it's valid for both Python 2.x and Python 3.x.
It important to note that Python 2 is no longer supported.
Sample usage:
print(str(1).zfill(3))
# Expected output: 001
Description:
When applied to a value, zfill() returns a value left-padded with zeros when the length of the initial string value less than that of the applied width value, otherwise, the initial string value as is.
Syntax:
str(string).zfill(width)
# Where string represents a string, an integer or a float, and
# width, the desired length to left-pad.
2 of 5
185
Since python 3.6 you can use f-string :
>>> length = "1"
>>> print(f'length = {length:03}')
length = 100
>>> print(f'length = {length:>03}')
length = 001
Python Engineer
python-engineer.com › posts › pad-zeros-string
How to pad zeros to a String in Python - Python Engineer
zfill is the best method to pad zeros from the left side as it can also handle a leading '+' or '-' sign. It returns a copy of the string left filled with '0' digits to make a string of length width.
python - How do I pad a string with zeros? - Stack Overflow
How do I pad a numeric string with zeroes to the left, so that the string has a specific length? More on stackoverflow.com
How can I easily pad a float with x zeros on the left and round/pad to y decimal places on the right?
I think this should work: "%05.2f". It's padding to a minimum overall length of 5 (which includes the decimal point) and pads with 0 instead of spaces. More on reddit.com
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May 8, 2023How to format numbers so numbers with leading zeros can be present?
Three of many possible base R solutions, sprintf("%04d", numbers) gettextf("%04d", numbers) formatC(numbers, width = 4, flag = "0") or you could roll your own, numbers <- substring(paste0(strrep("0", 4L), numbers), nchar(numbers) + 1L) sort(numbers) [1] "0123" "0124" "0125" "0126" "0127" "0128" "0129" "0134" "0135" "0136" [11] "0137" "0138" "0139" "0145" "0146" "0147" "0148" "0149" "0156" "0157" [21] "0158" "0159" "0167" "0168" "0169" "0178" "0179" "0189" "0234" "0235" [31] "0236" "0237" "0238" "0239" "0245" "0246" "0247" "0248" "0249" "0256" [41] "0257" "0258" "0259" "0267" "0268" "0269" "0278" "0279" "0289" "0345" [51] "0346" "0347" "0348" "0349" "0356" "0357" "0358" "0359" "0367" "0368" [61] "0369" "0378" "0379" "0389" "0456" "0457" "0458" "0459" "0467" "0468" [71] "0469" "0478" "0479" "0489" "0567" "0568" "0569" "0578" "0579" "0589" [81] "0678" "0679" "0689" "0789" "1234" "1235" "1236" "1237" "1238" "1239" [91] "1245" "1246" "1247" "1248" "1249" "1256" "1257" "1258" "1259" "1267" [101] "1268" "1269" "1278" "1279" "1289" "1345" "1346" "1347" "1348" "1349" [111] "1356" "1357" "1358" "1359" "1367" "1368" "1369" "1378" "1379" "1389" [121] "1456" "1457" "1458" "1459" "1467" "1468" "1469" "1478" "1479" "1489" [131] "1567" "1568" "1569" "1578" "1579" "1589" "1678" "1679" "1689" "1789" [141] "2345" "2346" "2347" "2348" "2349" "2356" "2357" "2358" "2359" "2367" [151] "2368" "2369" "2378" "2379" "2389" "2456" "2457" "2458" "2459" "2467" [161] "2468" "2469" "2478" "2479" "2489" "2567" "2568" "2569" "2578" "2579" [171] "2589" "2678" "2679" "2689" "2789" "3456" "3457" "3458" "3459" "3467" [181] "3468" "3469" "3478" "3479" "3489" "3567" "3568" "3569" "3578" "3579" [191] "3589" "3678" "3679" "3689" "3789" "4567" "4568" "4569" "4578" "4579" [201] "4589" "4678" "4679" "4689" "4789" "5678" "5679" "5689" "5789" "6789" All four of these give the same result. EDIT: For fun here's another, local({ x <- "0000" noquote(unname(sapply(as.character(numbers), \(y) {substring(x, 5L - nchar(y)) <- y; x}))) }) or if you're not on 4.1 yet, local({ x <- "0000" noquote(unname(sapply(as.character(numbers), function(y) {substring(x, 5L - nchar(y)) <- y; x}))) }) More on reddit.com
32
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June 2, 2021[deleted by user]
Regex generally isn't the right tool for this job. You can use Regex to capture the single digits, then whatever math/string function in your programming language to pad the number. But since we're always dealing with single-digit numbers, it's pretty simple. Also, did you post a question and say that you made some progress, but didn't post the Regex pattern that you came up with? Here's your answer: Regex101.com/r/HoA7YB/1 (26 steps) Regex pattern: _(\d)_ Substitution: _0\1_ A bit more complex: Regex101.com/r/HoA7YB/2 (117 steps) Regex pattern: (?<=_)(\d)(?=_) Substitution: 0\1 Even more complex: Regex101.com/r/HoA7YB/3 (131 steps) Regex pattern: (?<=_)(?=\d_) Substitution: 0 Complex isn't always better. In this case, additional complexity also increases the number of steps the Regex engine has to take when matching. Probably best to use #1 in this case. #2 and #3 both use positive lookbehinds and positive lookaheads to match but not consume characters (so we aren't replacing a character with itself). Let me know if you want me to explain further. More on reddit.com
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February 25, 2021How to pad zeroes to a string in Python
03:50
Python Zero-Padding Magic: Format Numbers Like a Pro - YouTube
01:14
How to pad a Python string with zeroes - YouTube
01:16
PYTHON : How to pad a string with leading zeros in Python 3 - YouTube
00:55
How To Add Leading Zeros In Python Using FStrings - YouTube
Better Stack
betterstack.com › community › questions › how-to-pad-string-with-zeroes-in-python
How do I pad a string with zeroes in Python? | Better Stack Community
February 3, 2023 - You can pad a string with zeros in Python by using the zfill() method.
Linux Hint
linuxhint.com › python-pad-a-string-with-leading-zeros
Python Pad a String with Leading Zeros – Linux Hint
For padding a string with leading zeros in Python, the “zfill()” method can be used. It takes a number providing the required length of any Python string as an argument and adds zeros at the left side of the string until it is of the specified length.
Medium
medium.com › vicipyweb3 › mastering-leading-zero-magic-a-friendly-guide-to-formatting-leading-zeros-in-python-3cb934d7aa4f
Mastering Leading Zero Magic: A Friendly Guide to Formatting Leading Zeros in Python | by PythonistaSage | ViciPyWeb3 | Medium
May 3, 2023 - This method offers a straightforward ... number to a string using str(number) and then call the zfill() method to pad it with leading zeros until it has a width of 2 characters....
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › how-to-add-leading-zeros-to-a-number-in-python
How to Add leading Zeros to a Number in Python - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - The string itself can be prepared similarly to how str.format would be used (). F-strings offer a clear and practical method for formatting python expressions inside of string literals. ... One approach that is not mentioned in the article is using the rjust() method of the built-in str class to add leading zeros to a number. The rjust() method returns a right-justified string, with optional padding, based on a specified width.
iO Flood
ioflood.com › blog › python-zfill
Python's 'zfill()' Method | Guide To Padding Numeric Strings
February 14, 2024 - As you become more comfortable with Python’s zfill method, you’ll find it can handle a variety of scenarios beyond simple string padding. One such case is dealing with negative numbers.
Codecademy
codecademy.com › docs › python › strings › .zfill()
Python | Strings | .zfill() | Codecademy
November 19, 2023 - Returns a string with zeros padding the left side based on the integer given.
Note.nkmk.me
note.nkmk.me › home › python
Pad Strings and Numbers with Zeros in Python (Zero-padding) | note.nkmk.me
May 18, 2023 - The original string will be ... the original string will be returned as it is. ... If a leading sign prefix (-, +) exists, the string is filled with zeros after the sign....
Stack Abuse
stackabuse.com › bytes › add-leading-zeros-to-a-number-in-python
Add Leading Zeros to a Number in Python
July 2, 2022 - Strings in Python have a zfill method that can be used to pad a string with zeros to a certain length.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › how-to-pad-a-string-to-a-fixed-length-with-zeros-in-python
How to Pad a String to a Fixed Length with Zeros in Python - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - The simplest way to pad a string with zeros is by using Python’s built-in zfill() method. This method adds zeros to the left of a string until it reaches the desired length.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python-add-leading-zeros-to-string
Add Leading Zeros to String - Python - GeeksforGeeks
January 17, 2025 - Explanation: zfill() pads the string with zeros to reach the specified width. Here, 4 + len(s) ensures the string s is padded with 4 zeros. In this method, we are multiplying the 0 as a string with the number of zeros required and using Python ...
Python Guides
pythonguides.com › pad-numbers-with-leading-zeros-in-python
How To Pad Numbers With Leading Zeros In Python?
March 19, 2025 - F-strings, introduced in Python 3.6, provide a concise and readable way to format strings. You can use f-strings to pad numbers with leading zeros by specifying the width and using the :0 format specifier.
Vultr Docs
docs.vultr.com › python › standard-library › str › zfill
Python str zfill() - Pad String with Zeros | Vultr Docs
December 31, 2024 - The str.zfill() method in Python is a straightforward approach for padding a string with zeros on the left side until it reaches a specified length.
Finxter
blog.finxter.com › home › learn python blog › python how to pad zeros to a string?
Python How to Pad Zeros to a String? - Be on the Right Side of Change
November 16, 2020 - To convert an integer i to a string with leading zeros so that it consists of 5 characters, use the format string f'{i:05d}'. The d flag in this expression defines that the result is a decimal value.
Appdividend
appdividend.com › pad-a-string-with-zeros-in-python
How to Pad a String with Zeros in Python
September 7, 2025 - Zero-padding in Python: Efficiently format strings with leading zeros using zfill(), rjust(), f-strings, or format().
datagy
datagy.io › home › python posts › python strings › python zfill & rjust: pad a string in python
Python zfill & rjust: Pad a String in Python • datagy
December 16, 2022 - By zero padding a number-like string allows you to safely reformat your data to be able to merge it across dataframes. The Python zfill method is used to create a copy of a string with zeros padding the string to a particular width.
Python Guides
pythonguides.com › pad-a-string-with-zeros-in-python
How To Pad A String With Zeros In Python?
January 29, 2025 - Another approach is to use Python’s string formatting capabilities. You can use the % operator or the format() method to pad strings with zeros.
Spark By {Examples}
sparkbyexamples.com › home › python › python pad string with zeros
Python Pad String With Zeros - Spark By {Examples}
May 21, 2024 - How to pad string with zeros in Python? Adding some characters/values to the string is known as Padding. In Python, zfill() and rjust() methods are used
Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 339007 › how-do-i-pad-a-string-with-zeros
python - How do I pad a string with zeros? - Stack Overflow
How do I pad a numeric string with zeroes to the left, so that the string has a specific length?