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The answers to almost everything people email us. If yours isn't here, write us, a human reads it same day.

Getting set up

I installed it and the panel is empty
The extension reads Canvas pages as you browse them, so a fresh install knows nothing yet. Open your Canvas dashboard, then click into each course and its grades page once. Everything fills in as you go and stays cached after that. Full walkthrough on the setup guide.
My school's Canvas is at its own domain, not instructure.com
Usually nothing to do: GradeGem recognizes Canvas at any address, including something like canvas.yourschool.edu. If the panel stays empty there, open it on that page, accept the prompt to turn GradeGem on for your school's address, and reload.
Can I use GradeGem on Firefox?

Yes, today, though it takes a couple extra clicks because Firefox will not keep an unsigned add-on installed permanently yet:

  1. Download the Firefox zip from the download page.
  2. Open about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox, click Load Temporary Add-on, and pick the zip.
  3. Click the GradeGem icon in the toolbar and press Allow on Canvas sites. Firefox asks for that permission itself, so nothing is read until you say yes.
  4. Open your Canvas and press Open the panel; on Firefox the panel lives in the sidebar (View, Sidebar, GradeGem) instead of Chrome's side panel.

The catch: a temporary add-on like this is removed every time Firefox closes, so you reload it the same way after a restart. A permanent version needs Mozilla to sign it first, and GradeGem does not have that signature yet. Until then, reload it the same way.

What about Safari?

Not installable yet. Safari extensions have to ship inside a signed Mac or iOS app, not as a standalone file the way Chrome and Firefox use. That app is not ready yet, and it has no date.

Want it sooner? Say so through the ticket system (the headset icon, bottom right). Requests genuinely move the roadmap.

Does it work on my phone?
Yes, for your due dates, once the extension is set up on a computer. Open gradegem.com/app on your phone and add it to your home screen.
How do I install the phone app, and what does it actually show?

On iPhone: open gradegem.com/app in Safari, tap the Share icon, then Add to Home Screen. On Android: open it in Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, then Install app (Chrome sometimes offers this itself as a banner). Either way it opens full screen from then on, like a real app instead of a browser tab.

It shows what is due in the next week, across every course, plus a shortcut to the Solver. That list comes from the same snapshot your extension already syncs, so turn on Sync my dashboard to the desktop app first. It is in the extension's Settings, under Desktop app. A phone on its own cannot read Canvas. Class and assignment names, links, due dates and your progress sync; grades never leave your browser, on the phone or anywhere else.

It works offline too. Your last sync is cached on the phone, so a dead zone between classes still shows yesterday's due dates, labeled "Offline, showing your last sync."

What can GradeGem actually see, and what will it never do?

Short version: it reads Canvas pages as you browse them and keeps what it finds cached on your device. It sends a problem to our server only when you ask for a solve, and it syncs class and assignment names, links, due dates and your progress to your account only once you turn that on yourself.

It never clicks, types, or submits anything on a Canvas page for you, never reads a page you have not opened, and never runs an AI feature in a course until you have confirmed that course's rules allow it, including a recorded confirmation before it helps on a live quiz or exam. It does not upload your grades, scores, notes, or syllabus text, sync on or off, and it does not sell your data or show your instructor what you did.

The extension has this same list built in. Open the Assist tab and click "What GradeGem can see and do" near the bottom. The longer version is at gradegem.com/how-it-works.

Grades and due dates

My grade looks different from Canvas
Usually it's grading weights. If your syllabus lists weights but the course's assignments aren't labeled with matching group names in Canvas, our weighted math can differ from Canvas's. The grades panel shows the per-group breakdown so you can see exactly what's counted. When in doubt, Canvas is the source of truth.
An assignment is missing
Browse to the course's assignments or grades page in Canvas so the scraper sees it. Assignments the instructor hides or hasn't published can't be picked up, because you can't see them either.
Can I get due dates into my calendar?
Yes, and it's free: under the due list there's a "Subscribe to your due dates" card with a link you add once to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook. Your calendar re-checks it on its own, so a deadline that moves in Canvas moves in your calendar too, with no re-downloading.

The Solver and study features

Is AI help even okay to use for school?
Often yes, and it depends on the course, which is why every AI feature here is gated behind per-course consent. It teaches the method first instead of handing over answers, and how it works says what it will never do.
Why are these features locked?
Course permission still applies. Purchased credits pay for Solver without a subscription; Tutor and the study tools come with a Study or Full Assist plan. Each Solver request has a fixed credit cost for its kind, 1 credit for an ordinary solve and more for larger kinds, shown before you solve. Existing purchases keep their original rights and allowances, shown on your account.
A solve failed. Did I lose the credit?
Check your account's credit balance. Contact support with the approximate time if a failed or declined request leaves your balance wrong; we can check the recorded charge and any release or refund.
What is included after a solve?
Each paid solve includes 3 follow-up or Check questions about it for 24 hours, shared between the two. Practice questions based on it are included within daily limits. After the third question, run a new solve to keep asking; a credit is not an unlimited conversation. In the Workspace, each question in a Solve it chat is its own solve, priced before you send it.
When do credits expire?
Monthly credits expire at the end of the paid invoice period and do not roll over. Packs and semester purchases use GradeGem's May 31 or December 31 term end; if fewer than 21 days remain when you buy, they last through the following term. Semester credits are granted once per purchase, with no monthly replenishment. Exam Week credits and Study access last seven days from successful payment. Existing purchases retain their original expiry and allowances.
Can it help during a quiz or exam?
Only with your confirmation. Anything that looks like a live quiz or exam pauses first, and Solver asks you to confirm your instructor allows AI on that assessment (common for practice quizzes and open-AI exams). Check the box and it helps; skip it and the request is declined server-side with your credit refunded. The confirmation is recorded.
Where do the Solver's sources come from?
The Solver's sources are the files and course pages you give it. It does not search the web, so its sources never include web links. It may suggest a textbook to check, but it has not read that book. Pure math usually lists no sources.

The desktop app

Where do I download the Windows app?
From the setup guide (step 4) or straight from the download page. Both point at the same zip. Windows 10 or 11 only, small, no installer to run. Unzip it before opening GradeGem.exe; see the next question if that trips you up.
Nothing happens (or it errors) when I run it

Nine times out of ten you're running GradeGem.exe from inside the zip preview. Windows opens zips like folders, but programs can't run from in there. The fix takes fifteen seconds:

  1. Right click the downloaded zip and choose Extract All.
  2. Open the extracted GradeGem folder (the real one, not the zip).
  3. Double click GradeGem.exe.
It says WebView2Loader.dll was not found

The app is two files that live together: GradeGem.exe and WebView2Loader.dll. This error means the .exe wandered off alone. Bring the pair back:

  1. Grab the download zip again if you deleted it.
  2. Right click it, Extract All, keep the whole GradeGem folder together.
  3. Run GradeGem.exe from inside that folder.

Want it on your desktop? Right click the .exe and Create shortcut. Move the shortcut, never the .exe.

The window opens but stays blank

The app draws with Microsoft's WebView2. It ships with Windows 10 and 11, but a few older or stripped-down installs are missing it:

  1. Install the free WebView2 runtime from Microsoft (pick Evergreen Bootstrapper).
  2. Start GradeGem again.

Still blank? Check you're online. The app needs the internet, same as the site.

Windows says it protected my PC

That's SmartScreen being cautious about a new publisher, not a virus detection:

  1. Click More info on the blue screen.
  2. Click Run anyway.

We're getting the app code-signed, which makes this warning go away for everyone.

Account and billing

How do I connect the extension to my account?
Sign in on the account page, hit "Get a link code", and paste the code into the extension's Assist tab. Codes work once and expire in 10 minutes.
How many devices can I use?
There is no device limit. Use the desktop app and browser extension on as many computers or phones as you like. Everyone using the same account shares its plan, solve credits and daily allowances. You do not need to register a device or buy an extra slot.
How do refunds work?
Credits pay for Solver requests. Contact support to check a request's charge or refund, and see the refund policy for unused purchases and failed requests. Contact support if a charge needs review.
How do I get my data out, or delete my account?
Both live on the account page, on every plan. Export downloads one file with the records we keep about you: your course AI permissions, purchases, credits and usage, plus the class and assignment names, links, due dates and progress you chose to sync, and any study work you saved. Grades stay on your device and are never uploaded. To delete your account, type "DELETE" to confirm: it stops your subscription and removes your personal data right away. Records of your course AI permissions are kept, because they can never be deleted, but without anything that identifies you. The privacy policy covers exactly what we hold.
Still stuck?

Open a ticket with the headset icon in the bottom right. A human reads every one, usually the same day, and replies land right there when you're signed in.