chalkline
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Opening your downloads

How to open each type of Chalkline file, step by step.

Getting your files

After payment you are taken to an order page with your download links, and the same links are emailed to you. Links work for a limited time and a limited number of downloads, so save your files somewhere safe straight away. Many products arrive as a ZIP file: open it (double-click on Windows or Mac, or use the Files app on a phone or tablet) to see the files inside.

Spreadsheets (XLSX)

In Microsoft Excel

Open the file. If Excel shows a Protected View bar, choose Enable Editing. Type in the highlighted input cells. Other cells are formulas, so leave them alone.

In Google Sheets

  1. Upload the XLSX file to Google Drive.
  2. Right-click the file and choose Open with, then Google Sheets.
  3. Use File, then Save as Google Sheets if you want to keep working in Sheets.

Charts and progress bars can look slightly different between apps. Excel shows them most faithfully.

Hyperlinked planners and journals (PDF)

GoodNotes

  1. Save the PDF to your iPad (Files app, iCloud Drive or Dropbox).
  2. Open GoodNotes, tap the plus button and choose Import.
  3. Pick the PDF. It opens as a new notebook with its links working.

Notability

  1. Open Notability and tap the plus button, then Import.
  2. Choose the PDF from Files. Notability keeps the links.

Other PDF annotation apps, such as Noteshelf, Xodo and Samsung Notes, work too, though link support can vary slightly between apps. If the links do not respond, check you are in the app's reading or pen mode rather than editing mode.

Fillable PDFs

Open fillable PDFs, such as the Life Admin Binder, in a reader that supports form fields, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click a field and type. Save the file to keep what you entered. You can also print the pages and write by hand.

Word templates (DOCX)

Open the file in Microsoft Word. For Google Docs, upload the DOCX to Google Drive, right-click it and choose Open with, then Google Docs. Check spacing and fonts after editing. Our resume templates use common fonts so they look the same on most computers.

Printing

Choose Actual size or 100 percent in the print dialog, and the paper size the product states (A4 or US Letter). Printing at Fit to page can shrink the layout.

Still stuck?

Email [email protected] with the product name and what you see on screen. If a file is broken or missing, we will fix it the same week.