Your workbook stays where you work.

GRIDFORGE is a local spreadsheet application that opens selected XLSX, CSV and GRIDFORGE workspace files in its own extension page. It supports a bounded set of cell editing, formatting, formulas and workbook operations. This policy covers version 1.0.0 and its bundled privacy page. GRIDFORGE is an independent product, not Microsoft Excel, and it does not claim full compatibility with every Excel feature.

Clicking the toolbar action opens the application in a separate tab. It does not replace the new-tab page or place controls inside websites. The launcher does not inspect the workbook content: it only opens the packaged application. There is no sign-in, cloud account, subscription login or requirement to install Microsoft Office in order to use the supported local editing functions.

When you open or create a workbook, the application handles cell values, text, formulas, sheet names, active-sheet selection, supported styles, dimensions and freeze-pane settings. It may also read a formula’s cached result from an XLSX file. Workbook content can contain confidential business data or personal information if you put such information in the cells. The application does not require those categories to operate.

A workspace includes a workbook name, schema version and creation timestamp. These identify your local document, not an account on a remote server. The supplied inventory workbook is clearly labeled sample data; it is not downloaded from a business database. There are no hidden customer records, remote price feeds or user identifiers mixed into your sheets by the application.

The application reads a file only after you select it through its file picker or drop it into the application. It does not crawl directories, monitor folders, index your drive or read neighboring files. Selecting a file grants access to the selected file object for that operation; it does not establish an ongoing directory-access handle or access to the rest of your computer.

XLSX files are unpacked and parsed locally. The reader applies compressed and expanded size limits, checks archive checksums and paths, rejects unsafe XML declarations, and limits sheets, cells and text. The supported XLSX file limit is 20 MB, with separate bounded expansion limits. CSV input is limited to 8 MB and GRIDFORGE project input to 12 MB. Oversized or malformed files are rejected rather than uploaded for conversion.

An accepted editable workbook is limited to 12 worksheets, a grid of 5,000 rows by 128 columns per sheet, and 50,000 populated or formatted cells across the workbook. Cell text is capped at 8,192 characters, combined workbook text at 2,000,000 characters, and serialized projects at 12 MB. Formulas use the supported English function names and A1 references. These limits are application safeguards, not a statement that every workbook below those sizes is compatible. Advanced structures can still require a read-only preview or rejection.

When the reader detects features that this version cannot preserve, it marks the entire workbook read-only and lists the compatibility issues. Examples include merged cells, drawings, tables, unsupported formulas or protected content. A read-only preview is not written into the editable local workspace, and export as a modified XLSX is disabled. The original selected file remains available for unchanged download during that tab session.

GRIDFORGE does not write over an input file. Export creates a new browser download: an XLSX workbook, a CSV of the current sheet, or a GRIDFORGE project file. The application does not choose a permanent folder handle or silently replace the original pathname. Your browser determines the destination according to its download settings and may show a save dialog.

The original file object is retained in memory for the current tab session so an unchanged copy can be downloaded, especially from a compatibility preview. The application does not persist the original ZIP bytes in IndexedDB. Closing the tab removes that in-memory reference; the original file still exists wherever you chose it from. The extension cannot delete files outside its own database merely by clearing a workspace.

Editable workspaces are stored, when the browser supports it, in the gridforge-v1 IndexedDB database and its workspace object store. A current record contains the latest successfully stored workbook. A previous record contains the prior successful snapshot for recovery. The extension does not use chrome.storage.local, chrome.storage.sync, cookies or a hosted document database to save your work.

When you clear a cell or replace a workbook, its earlier content may remain in the previous recovery record until that record is replaced or explicitly erased. The previous snapshot is not a permanent version history. Undo and redo history are held in the running application, bounded in length and memory, and are not included in a GRIDFORGE project export or restored as a complete historical editing log on restart.

Editing actions schedule a debounced save. The application serializes writes and reports a successful save only when the database transaction has completed. It attempts to flush pending work on tab hiding or closing, but a forced shutdown, full profile, storage failure or browser crash can prevent the most recent edit from being stored. Export a backup before relying on an important workbook being recoverable.

A browser Web Lock allows a single editing tab to own the workspace. Another tab is a viewer rather than a competing writer. If locking or storage is unavailable, a temporary-session message is shown and export is necessary to retain the work. The application does not bypass browser restrictions or hide a failed save behind a success indicator. A Web Lock coordinates local tabs; it is not a password or an identity service.

Formulas are tokenized and evaluated by a bounded calculation engine inside the extension. Cell text is not passed to eval or executed as JavaScript. A supported formula can reference other cells and worksheets in the same workbook. The application does not resolve external workbook URLs, query a web service, run Python or execute VBA/macros as part of formula evaluation.

Unknown formula functions and unsupported imported syntax are not silently replaced with zero. Compatibility previews can display stored cached results, which may be stale and are not represented as newly calculated answers. GRIDFORGE does not certify calculations for financial reporting, engineering or other high-stakes decisions. Check important results independently and retain the original workbook when exact Excel semantics are essential.

CSV import displays a delimiter preview and an option to convert plain numbers and Boolean values. Leading-zero identifiers and long integer-like identifiers remain text. Formula-like CSV strings are imported as literal text, not executed as formulas. CSV export is values-only and prefixes potentially formula-like text with an apostrophe for safer opening in another spreadsheet program; it is not a way to preserve styles or multiple sheets.

Copy and paste operate on user-triggered browser clipboard events or an internal copied range. There is no clipboardRead or clipboardWrite permission, background clipboard polling or clipboard history service. Copying a range can place its visible values on your system clipboard when you use the standard copy gesture. Other software with clipboard access may read that content under your operating system’s rules.

The manifest declares no permissions and no host_permissions. There are no content scripts and no request to read browser history, bookmarks, browsing activity, existing tab titles, geolocation, camera or microphone input. GRIDFORGE cannot import a sheet from a website by secretly inspecting that website. You choose a supported local file or enter data in the spreadsheet itself.

Ordinary page capabilities still allow local rendering, selected-file reading, Blob downloads, database storage and tab coordination. The toolbar worker uses the browser’s tab-opening function only to launch the packaged page. An administrator may prohibit installation or disable required capabilities. The application does not edit those policies and does not claim that a no-permission manifest guarantees availability in every managed environment.

Workbook import, calculation, filtering, sorting and export do not send document data to a server. Application scripts, styles and icons are packaged locally; no CDN, remote font, online conversion endpoint, analytics service or AI API is required. The application has no fetch, WebSocket or telemetry feature. Its connection policy disallows network connections from the application code.

There is no embedded advertising, cloud backup, social login, payment integration, collaborative editing server or remote crash reporter. The browser and extension distribution store may independently process installation, security, update or download activity under their own terms. Sending an exported workbook by email or uploading it to another service is an action outside GRIDFORGE’s automatic local processing.

The current and previous database records have no automatic expiration date. They stay until replaced, erased or removed by browser/profile management. Local capacity is bounded by browser and device conditions. This extension does not ask for unlimitedStorage. A full profile or failed transaction can leave a save pending, in which case the interface warns you to export rather than assume the workbook is safely stored.

Open Workspace, choose Erase local workspace data and confirm to remove both current and previous records. The application returns to a fresh workbook; subsequent edits can create a new local save. Browser removal or clearing the extension’s stored data is another control. Erasing does not remove your XLSX, CSV or project downloads, original input files, operating-system backups, or copies held by people with whom you shared documents.

The reader validates archive paths, checksums and expanded sizes and refuses XML external-entity declarations. Macros are not executed. Unsupported workbook features are blocked from destructive re-export, and compatibility notices distinguish cached preview values from editable calculated data. These protections reduce risk but do not guarantee freedom from every software bug or vulnerability in the browser and operating system.

GRIDFORGE does not add password encryption to IndexedDB, XLSX exports or project files. A person with access to your unlocked device, browser profile or downloads may be able to read them. Do not use the extension as a secure vault or assume clearing a cell provides forensic deletion. Follow your organization’s rules for handling confidential data and protect the device and profile appropriately.

You decide what file to open, whether to edit, when to export, what sheet to export as CSV and when to erase the workspace. A view filter changes what rows are shown; it is not a data-deletion control. Range operations still apply to underlying rows, including hidden ones. Undo can recover recent changes within the current session, but it is not a substitute for an exported backup.

The extension has no server-side copy that a developer can retrieve for you. If your profile is lost, a transaction never completed, or a download was deleted, recovery depends on local recovery records and backups that actually exist. Do not send a complete sensitive workbook for routine support. A small sanitized example and the exact visible error are usually safer diagnostic materials.

GRIDFORGE has no age field, registration flow, chat or targeted advertising and does not deliberately request children’s personal information. A parent or institution can control whether it is installed and what files may be handled. The application’s local-only design does not override a school or organization’s rules for record retention, device security or approved spreadsheet software.

Anyone using the same browser profile can encounter that profile’s workspace. There are no independent login-protected workbooks or named user accounts within the extension. Use separate browser profiles or operating-system accounts for separation between users. In-memory clipboard data, previous snapshots and exported copies also need to be considered when a computer is shared.

This policy is dated 7 September 2026 and describes version 1.0.0. Later versions should revise the policy and distribution declarations when behavior changes. The application has no background acceptance tracker or policy-read beacon. Read the documentation accompanying an update before depending on a new feature, especially one involving compatibility, storage or external services.

The responsible publisher is the developer named on the Chrome Web Store listing from which you obtain GRIDFORGE. Use that listing’s verified developer contact for privacy questions. For an unpacked development copy, contact its supplier. This release package does not fabricate a legal entity, support mailbox or privacy URL; the publisher must supply genuine contact information and a public hosted policy before publishing.