Trade Import Setup Guide | Journalit Docs

This trade import setup guide shows how to bring broker exports, spreadsheets, supported HTML statements, and older trade journals into Journalit without rebuilding everything by hand.

Want a shorter overview page? See trade import for your Obsidian trading journal.

What Trade Import is really for

The goal is not just to ingest files. The goal is to convert messy trade exports into clean, structured Journalit records that work with Trade Log, reviews, accounts, and dashboards.

Trade Import Overview

Trade Import main interface showing file upload and adapter selection

Access Trade Import from the Home View quick links, or open the command palette with Ctrl+P and search for the trade import command.

Built-in adapters

Use broker-specific import logic when Journalit already knows the export format.

Manual mapping

Map custom CSV or Excel columns yourself when the broker is not built in.

AI-assisted mapping

Get a suggested mapping when the file structure is unfamiliar or inconsistent.

Template reuse

Save working mappings so you do not have to solve the same import problem twice.

Built-In Broker Adapters

If your broker or platform is already supported, use the adapter first. That is usually the fastest and safest path.

Tradovate

Futures imports with adapter logic tailored to Tradovate export structure.

TopstepX

Futures trade-history imports from the TopstepX Trades module.

Sierra Chart

Trade activity exports mapped for Sierra Chart workflows.

MotiveWave

Standard MotiveWave trade exports with entry, exit, and fee handling.

ATAS

XLSX journal exports from ATAS Statistics, including the Journal sheet workflow.

Trading Technologies

Execution-level pairing with support for scale-in and scale-out flows.

Rithmic

Completed-order exports with pairing logic for sectioned execution data.

DeepCharts

Strategy Report Trade List CSV imports with signed quantity, closed-trade timing, and broker-reported P&L.

MetaTrader reports must be in English

MetaTrader 4 / 5 Statement import currently does not support reports in other languages. Set MetaTrader to English, restart if prompted, and upload a fresh original HTML or HTM export using the dedicated adapter. Do not use Manual Mapping for a translated MetaTrader report.

Best practice

If a built-in adapter exists for your platform, use that before reaching for manual mapping. The adapter usually handles broker-specific quirks you would otherwise need to rediscover yourself.

Three-Step Import Flow

Trade Import uses a three-step flow: upload the file, review the parsed data, then confirm the import. The flow is intentionally staged so you can catch file, mapping, and duplicate issues before anything is written to your vault.

Preview before upgrading

Sign in with a free Journalit account to analyse and preview a supported import file. Pro is required only when you confirm the import and write the prepared trades to your vault.

Free accounts can run up to 12 analyses and 12 previews per hour, with up to 10,000 trades retained in stored previews. If a limit is reached, Trade Import shows the relevant limit instead of presenting it as a mapping failure.

Upload

Create the CSV, XLSX, XLS, or supported HTML export from the source platform. If you are unsure where to find the correct export, check the Broker Export Guides.

The upload step opens on a grid titled Where are these trades from?. Search by name, or pick a tile. Once a source is chosen, the account, asset type, and upload controls appear beneath a summary bar with the source logo, a How to export link, a star to make it your default, and a Change button. Upload the original export file. Use the export link when you need the exact settings for a supported platform.

If your file is not from a listed source, choose the Own spreadsheet or other file tile for manual or AI mapping. When the analysis recognises that a file belongs to a different supported source, Journalit offers a Continue with action for the recommended source.

Where are these trades from? broker grid with a search field and tiles for Tradovate, cTrader, MetaTrader, Hyperliquid, Rithmic, and other sources

Choose the matching export source, manual mapping, or AI mapping path. The selector is labelled Export source / platform because it describes where the file was exported, rather than the broker used for execution.

Review

Before confirming the import, verify trade count, dates, prices, P&L, validation warnings, and any broker-specific edge cases.

The review summary also shows the history range, symbols, recovered trade count, duplicates, and rows that need attention. Use those totals to confirm that the export covers the period you intended to bring across.

The preview reports one of three outcomes:

Completed: parsing finished and the preview shows the available import actions.
Partially completed: valid trades are available, while diagnostics identify failed or incomplete source rows. You can import the eligible trades or correct the source first.
Failed: the file could not produce writable trades. Confirmation stays disabled while the preview explains what to check.

A completed preview can still contain only duplicates or blocked items. That is a matching result rather than a parsing failure.

Wrong export recovery keeps the uploaded file and offers a one click source switch for recognised DeepCharts Trade List and MotiveWave execution exports, alongside the existing MetaTrader, Tradovate, and TradingView guidance. The switch clears incompatible manual mapping state and reruns analysis automatically.

Import

The import step shows the trades that are ready to write, their status, and any message from matching or duplicate detection. Confirm the import only after the preview set matches what you expect.

After completion, Journalit shows the account, broker, and recently imported trades. View N trades opens the Trade Log scoped to the notes written by that import, while Review now opens the recommended review period. You can also open the account view or start another import from the same screen.

Quick Import

Quick Import is for traders who use the same account, broker adapter, and asset type repeatedly. Instead of walking through the full three-step flow every time, save a favourite Trade Import setup and drop the next broker export straight into the modal.

Favourite setup

Quick Import reuses your chosen account, broker adapter, and asset type so routine imports start from the right configuration.

Sidebar access

Open it from the Quick Import button in the Tools section of the Journalit sidebar.

Command palette

Open it from Obsidian's command palette when you prefer keyboard-driven workflows.

Hotkey-ready

Assign an Obsidian hotkey to the Quick Import command when importing is part of your daily routine.

Import Your Own Spreadsheet

Keep a home-made trading journal in Excel or Google Sheets? Trade Import reads it as it is. You do not need to reformat the sheet or start a new journal.

Preview free, import with Pro

With a free account you can upload your own sheet and preview every trade it will create. Pro is needed only when you import the trades.

What Your Sheet Needs

Your sheet needs one of these combinations of columns:

You track P/L

Date, Symbol (Pair or Ticker), Direction (Buy/Sell or Long/Short) and a P/L column.

You track prices

Date, Symbol, Direction, Entry price, Exit price and Size (Lots or Qty). Journalit works out the P/L.

Forex and futures without a P/L column

To calculate P/L from prices, forex and futures sheets also need a Contract size column. Without one, map your P/L column instead.

Nice to have

Exit date or time, commission, fees or swap, notes, tags, setup, mistakes and screenshots.

No need to clean up

Title rows above the headers, blank rows, a Totals row at the bottom and several tabs are fine. You pick the sheet.

Formulas

Cells with formulas are read using their last calculated values.

No Result column needed

You do not need a Win/Loss column. Journalit works out the result from P/L.

File types: .xlsx, .xls and .csv. In Google Sheets, choose File → Download and pick .xlsx or .csv.
Extra columns: anything without a Journalit field, such as R:R, Emotions or Session, can be kept as a custom field.
Stop loss and take profit: these cannot be imported as built-in fields yet. Keep them as custom fields.

Import Steps

Upload and check the column matches

In Trade Import, pick Own spreadsheet / other file and upload your .xlsx, .xls or .csv file. Pick the sheet and the header row if needed. Row numbers match the ones you see in Excel.

Trade Import Upload step with Own spreadsheet or other file selected, account and asset type chosen, and journalit-sample-trading-journal.xlsx ready to analyse

Review step showing sheet Journal and header row 2 selected, with the spreadsheet rows underneath

Your columns are matched to Journalit fields automatically, for example Date to Entry time, Pair to Symbol, Buy/Sell to Direction and P/L to Profit/Loss. You can change any of them.

Column mapping showing Exit matched to Exit Price, P/L ($) to Profit/Loss, and Result and R:R set to Do not import

Answer "What is each row?"

Choose One trade per row for most home-made journals, or Orders or fills for broker exports that list each buy and sell as its own row.

What is each row? set to One trade per row (uses P/L), with Date, Pair and Buy/Sell matched to Entry Time, Symbol and Direction

Confirm your date order if asked

If your dates could be read two ways, Journalit asks which one you mean. For example, is 02/03/2026 2 March or 3 February? Dotted formats such as 25.12.2024 and 2024.12.25 are supported too.

Import step asking Your dates look like 02/03/2026. Which date is that? with February 3, 2026 and March 2, 2026 as the choices

Preview, then import

The preview shows every trade with its date, open or closed status, P&L and screenshots. Columns you did not map are listed under Not imported. Use Keep as custom field to bring any of them across, then import.

Not imported (7) list with #, SL, TP, Result, R:R, Emotions and Screenshot, each with a Keep as custom field button, and 9 of 16 columns mapped

Keep Emotions as a custom field dialog with the field name Emotions and the Choice list type selected

Import preview summary: we found 10 trades in February 2026 across 7 symbols, 10 ready to import, 0 possible duplicates, with one incomplete row skipped

Import complete: 10 trades imported into Main Account, screenshots added from your spreadsheet: 10, with Review now, View 10 trades and Undo this import

Importing again later

When your sheet grows, upload it again. Trades you already imported are recognised and skipped. Anything that only looks like a duplicate is shown so you can choose Import anyway. To undo an import, open Manage past imports, which deletes that import's trades.

Excel And XLSX Workflows

Journalit supports direct Excel imports and selected HTML statement workflows because many brokers and tools do not produce a clean CSV.

XLSX and XLS support

Useful when the source exporter is Excel-native or when the CSV output is unreliable.

Custom-field mapping

Map source columns directly into your own custom trade fields during import.

Embedded image extraction

Extract images from supported workbooks and review them before confirming the import.

Direct P&L and extra fees

Import final realised P&L and additional fee columns when price reconstruction is incomplete or unnecessary.

Direct P&L note

Manual direct P&L imports work without a quantity mapping. If your file has trustworthy final P&L but no quantity column, you can still import it.

Embedded Images From Excel

Import preview with Add the screenshots from your spreadsheet to their trades ticked and each trade showing its chart screenshot

Screenshots in your spreadsheet come across with your trades. Pictures pasted over a trade's row, or placed in a cell, in Excel or Google Sheets, are matched to that row's trade. They appear with the trade in the preview, and you can leave any of them out before importing.

Imported NAS100 trade note showing the chart screenshot that was pasted in its spreadsheet row

Other Fees And Direct P&L

Trade Import mapping options showing local mapping template, AI mapping suggestions, and Direct P&L import mode

The mapping options sit together in the manual import flow. Use Direct P&L mode when your export already contains authoritative final P&L or when broker fee breakdowns matter more than reconstructing every fill manually. From the same area, you can load a local mapping template or request AI mapping suggestions.

Manual Mapping

Manual mapping is the fallback when a built-in adapter does not exist or the file format has drifted too far from the expected broker export.

Upload the file

Start with the CSV, XLSX, or XLS file you want to import.

Choose Own Spreadsheet Or Other File

Pick Own spreadsheet / other file instead of a broker adapter.

Map the source columns

Connect each source column to the corresponding Journalit field, including any custom trade fields or additional fee columns you want to preserve.

Handle format details

Adjust date, time, and number-format assumptions if the export uses something non-standard.

Preview and save the template

Review the parsed trades, then save the mapping if you expect to reuse the same format later.

Minimum data needed

Manual mapping needs enough information to build a valid trade. At minimum, you need symbol, entry timing, direction, and either full price/size data or a trustworthy direct P&L field.

Required trade identity

Symbol or ticker, entry date and time, and direction.

Calculation path

Either entry price + exit price + quantity, or a direct P&L field that you trust.

Convenience memory

Journalit remembers your recent broker and account selections to reduce repetitive setup.

Required mappings are validated before preview. Price based and direct PnL imports each list their missing required fields beside the preview action, and Generate preview stays disabled until every required mapping for the selected mode is complete. Mapping validation is header aware, so empty or stale template mappings do not count as valid.

AI-Powered Mapping

Trade Import mapping options showing the Request AI mapping suggestions control beside import mode settings

AI mapping exists to reduce the pain of unfamiliar exports, not to replace your review judgement. It is available from the same mapping options area as local templates and Direct P&L mode, so you can combine saved mappings, AI suggestions, and the right calculation mode for the file in front of you.

Upload the file and choose AI Mapping

Start the import and select AI Mapping.

Let the model suggest the mapping

Journalit analyses the column names and sample rows to infer likely field assignments.

Review the suggestion

Confirm that dates, prices, quantities, direction, fees, and P&L are mapped correctly before importing.

Save the working configuration

If the mapping is correct, save it as a reusable template for later imports.

Privacy note

AI mapping sends column headers and small samples for mapping help, not your full trade history. You should still review the result like any other import.

Journalit Trade Templates let you reuse and share import configurations.

Save working mappings

Turn a successful manual or AI mapping into a reusable import template.

Export template codes

Generate a shareable template code after the mapping is working correctly.

Import someone else's template

Paste a shared template code and use it like another adapter in your list.

Import Matching And Duplicates

Duplicate detection warning showing matched trades with skip and import options

Journalit previews imports through the Journalit backend before writing local markdown notes. The preview classifies each row or trade group, identifies matches where possible, and shows which items can be imported, skipped, updated, or require manual review.

Backend preview

The preview uses canonical import IDs and classifications before anything is written to your vault.

Commit then project

Selected items are committed through the backend, then Journalit projects the committed trades into local markdown notes.

Duplicate protection

Duplicate or blocked items are not offered as normal writes, which keeps repeated imports from creating extra notes.

Import summary

The result shows what was created, updated, skipped, or blocked for review.

Instrument cost rules configured in Settings apply during preview and when eligible imported trades are written. A broker-provided non-zero commission takes precedence. When the export has no commission, or reports zero, the local per-side or round-trip rule can supply the cost and reduce the displayed net P&L.

Restoring Imported Trade Notes

Trade Import restore panel showing vault identity and imported trade notes available to restore

Imported trades are treated as backend records with local Obsidian notes as the vault projection. That lets Journalit restore missing local notes without re-importing the source file or creating duplicate backend trades.

Use the restore panel in Trade Import settings when imported trade notes are missing from the current vault, were deleted locally, or need to be projected into another vault that uses the same Journalit account.

Vault-aware restore

The panel shows the active vault identity and the imported trades that can be projected into that vault.

Local note recovery

Selected trades are written back as local markdown notes while the backend trade record remains the source of truth.

No duplicate commit

Restoring a projection does not run the import as a fresh commit, so the same imported trade is not duplicated.

Import Reliability Improvements

Timezone-safe timestamps

Import parsing is designed to avoid quiet time shifts between the source file and the final note data.

Break-even consistency

Imported trades are classified in line with your Journalit break-even settings.

Adapter maintenance

Supported adapters continue to receive fixes for commission handling, symbols, and broker-specific quirks.

Troubleshooting And Support Reports

Need help?

Join the Discord community if you need import help or if a broker export has changed unexpectedly.

Bottom line

Trade Import is the migration path for getting existing trade history into Journalit without rebuilding it manually. Use built-in adapters when possible, fall back to manual or AI mapping when necessary, and save working templates so the problem only needs to be solved once.