This page lists the different row limits that can be found across Looker. The rule of thumb is as follows:
- If results are being displayed in the browser, the row limit is 5,000.
- If results are being exported from Looker, users can choose to export all results. However, the All Results option is unavailable if the query cannot stream. See the Downloading content documentation page for an explanation of limitations on downloading with All Results.
Explores, Looks, dashboards, SQL Runner
Queries that are created with the Explore page will have a maximum limit of 5,000 rows. This limit also applies to Looks, dashboards, and queries that are created in SQL Runner.
Downloading
In most cases, it is possible to download the unlimited result set from an
Explore, a Look, or a dashboard. It is only possible to download all results if the result set streams and
if the user downloading has the
download_without_limit
permission.
If these conditions are not met, then a custom limit can be set in the download modal instead. This custom limit has a default maximum of 100,000 rows.
Note: Downloading specifically for dashboards is discussed in greater detail on the Downloading content documentation page in the Downloading data from a dashboard section.
Delivering content
Schedules to email can send up to 20 MB of data (for emails with inline content) or 15 MB of data (for emails with attachments), as long as the results stream. All emails with the All Results option applied are subject to the 20 MB or 15 MB size limits.
Schedules delivered with a webhook or to an Amazon S3 bucket or SFTP server can send an unlimited result set as long as the result set streams.
File format matters
When you are downloading or delivering content, PDF and PNG file formats will maintain the browser row limit of 5,000. The All Results option is typically only available for Markdown, Text, CSV, JSON - Simple, XLSX, or HTML formats for scheduling, sending, and downloading. The data formats available for sending and scheduling data depend on the destination and type of content. The Using the Looker Scheduler to deliver content documentation page provides links to documentation about delivering each type of Looker content. The Downloading content documentation page provides more information about file format options for downloading.
API
API calls are subject to the row limits of the context they are called in. API calls based on an Explore, a Look, or a dashboard are subject to the 5,000 row limit, while certain download and schedule file formats can be unlimited.
To download unlimited results with the API, use the appropriate Run call (such as Run Inline Query or Run Look) with the limit parameter set to -1 (negative one). -1 is the number that Looker uses to represent unlimited results.
Check the limits referenced in these sections as appropriate to the type of API call you're using.