Step 1: Open the project on GitHub

1. Go to the FinForge GitHub page in your web browser.
2. You don’t need to create a GitHub account to download the app.

Step 2: Download the app (ZIP file)

1. On the GitHub page, click the green Code button.
2. Click Download ZIP.
3. When the download finishes, open the ZIP file and extract it (right‑click → Extract All).

Step 3: Move the folder to a simple location (important on Windows)
To avoid Windows “long path” problems, move the extracted folder somewhere short, for example:

• C:\FinForge

Step 4: Run the setup

1. Open the FinForge folder you extracted.
2. Double‑click setup.bat.
3. Wait until it finishes (it installs what the app needs). This may take a few minutes the first time.

Step 5: Start the app
Double‑click launch_finforge.bat to open FinForge.

First-time Excel setup (only once)

FinForge uses an Excel dashboard, so Excel needs a couple of permissions:

1. Enable macros in Excel
   • In Excel: File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings → Macro Settings
   • Choose Enable all macros (or enable macros when prompted).
2. Unblock the Excel dashboard file (Windows security step)
   • In the FinForge folder, right‑click FinForge.xlsm → Properties
   • On the General tab, check Unblock (if you see it) → Apply → OK