Getting Started

Get up and running with Formula Foundry in under two minutes.

Installation

Google Sheets

1. Open any Google Sheets spreadsheet.
2. Navigate to Extensions → Add-ons → Get add-ons.
3. Search for “Formula Foundry” in the Google Workspace Marketplace.
4. Click Install and grant the required permissions.
5. Launch it via Extensions → Formula Foundry → Launch.

The Formula Foundry menu also offers Launch (Larger) and Launch (Smaller) for different screen sizes, plus Open Cell in Editor and Open Cell in Visual Builder — shortcuts that jump straight into the active cell’s formula.

Microsoft Excel

1. Open Excel (web or desktop).
2. Go to Insert → Get Add-ins (or Home → Add-ins on some versions).
3. Search for “Formula Foundry” in the Office Add-ins store.
4. Click Add to install.
5. The Formula Foundry panel will appear in your sidebar.

First steps

Once launched, the Formula Foundry window opens inside your spreadsheet. Here’s what to try first:

1. Click into any cell — the Formula Editor activates and shows the current cell’s formula (if any).
2. Start typing a formula — enjoy syntax highlighting, auto-complete suggestions, and live error checking.
3. Try the AI Assistant — click the sparkles icon on the side rail and describe the formula you need in plain English.
4. Save a snippet — wrote a formula you’ll reuse? Save it to your Snippet Library for one-click access later.

Signing in

Formula Foundry offers a free tier. To unlock all features, you’ll need an account — but in most cases you won’t have to sign in manually.

Google Sheets — automatic sign-in

On Google Sheets there’s no sign-in screen. When you launch Formula Foundry, the add-on uses the Google account you’re already signed into Sheets with and signs you in silently in the background.

If that silent sign-in can’t complete — for example, after revoked permissions or an unusual session state — a fallback sign-in screen appears with a Sign in with Google button. Click it and you’ll be returned to your spreadsheet.

If you instead see “Your Google Workspace is blocking some permissions”, your organization’s admin policy has restricted the add-on. See Google Workspace approval — it explains what to do, whether or not you’re the admin.

Microsoft Excel — one-time sign-in

On Excel the first launch shows a sign-in screen with Sign in with Microsoft and Sign in with Google buttons. Pick whichever account you’d like to use; a popup handles the OAuth flow and closes itself once you’ve authenticated. The add-in then loads signed in, and subsequent launches reuse that session.

If the sign-in screen says “Your Microsoft 365 admin hasn’t approved Formula Foundry yet”, your organization requires admin approval for work-account sign-in. You can still sign in with Google; see Microsoft 365 approval for what to send your admin.

Your account syncs across Google Sheets, Excel, and the web portal at app.formulafoundry.io .

Next steps

• Explore the Formula Editor to learn about the editor’s full capabilities.
• Set up Custom Variables to make your formulas readable.
• Build formulas visually with the Visual Builder.