Guides

Understand formula protection in CSV downloads

Spreadsheet applications can interpret values beginning with =, +, -, or @ as formulas. A file imported from an untrusted person can therefore behave differently from plain text when opened. CSV quoting alone does not stop formula interpretation.

Ragve enables formula protection by default. It prefixes potentially risky values, including those preceded by whitespace, with an apostrophe. For example, =1+1 is written as '=1+1. The preview shows source values; the downloaded CSV includes the protective prefix.

This protection changes cell text and may affect negative numbers or programmatic imports. Disable it only for trusted data when exact text is needed. XLSX output stores values as string cells and does not write executable formulas.

No export option makes all downstream systems safe. Check how your destination application imports files, avoid unknown workbook macros and review sensitive data before sharing it.