What your sheet needs
Most home-made journals already have everything required. You do not need to tidy the sheet first.
Required: one of these
Option A: you track P/L
Date, Symbol (Pair or Ticker), Direction (Buy/Sell or Long/Short) and a P/L column.
Option B: you track prices
Date, Symbol, Direction, Entry price, Exit price and Size (Lots or Qty). Journalit works out the P/L.
Forex and futures sheets without a P/L column also need a Contract size column.
Nice to have
- Exit date or time
- Commission, fees or swap
- Notes, tags, setup and mistakes
- Screenshots pasted next to your trades
- Anything else, such as R:R, Emotions or Session, can be kept as a custom field
No need to clean up
- Title rows above the headers
- Blank rows and a Totals row at the bottom
- Several tabs: you pick the sheet
- Formulas: the last calculated values are used
- No Result (Win/Loss) column needed: Journalit works it out from P/L
File types
.xlsx, .xls and .csv. Using Google Sheets? Choose File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or Comma-separated values (.csv).
Stop loss and take profit
These can't be imported as built-in fields yet. Keep them as custom fields so the values come across with each trade.
How to import your spreadsheet
Four steps from your own Excel or Google Sheets journal to trades in Journalit. You see every trade before anything is imported.
- 1
Upload the file 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 Excel. Your columns are matched to Journalit fields automatically (Date to Entry time, Pair to Symbol, Buy/Sell to Direction, P/L to Profit/Loss), and you can change any of them.
- 2
Answer "What is each row?"
Choose one trade per row, which fits most home-made journals, or orders/fills, which fits broker exports that list each buy and sell separately.
- 3
Confirm your date order if asked
If your dates could be read two ways, Journalit asks which one you mean, for example whether 02/03/2026 is 2 March or 3 February.
- 4
Preview every trade, then import
Check every trade with its date, open or closed status, P&L and screenshots, then import. Columns you did not map are listed under "Not imported", and you can keep any of them as a custom field in one click.
Built for home-made journals
Trade Import works with the sheet you already keep, including the columns and screenshots you added over the years.
Your own layout
Any column names. Columns are matched automatically, you can adjust any of them, and the result is saved as a template for next time.
P/L or prices
Import a P/L column, or let Journalit calculate P/L from entry, exit and size.
Your extra columns
Tags, setups, mistakes and notes come across, and any other column can be kept as a custom field.
Screenshots in your spreadsheet
Charts pasted next to a trade, over the row or in a cell, in Excel or Google Sheets, are added to that trade. You see them in the preview and can leave them out.
Messy sheets
Title rows, blank rows, totals rows and several tabs are fine.
Re-import safely
Trades you already have are recognised. Anything that only looks like a duplicate is shown so you can choose "Import anyway". Undo any import from "Manage past imports".
Your sheet → your journal
A typical home-made forex journal: a title row, 16 columns, a chart pasted next to every trade and a Total row. Here is where each column ends up.
| My Trading Journal – February 2026 | |||||||||||||||
| # | Date | Pair | Buy/Sell | Lots | Entry | SL | TP | Exit | Result | P/L ($) | R:R | Setup | Emotions | Notes | Screenshot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02/02/2026 | EURUSD | Buy | 0.5 | 1.0842 | 1.0822 | 1.0882 | 1.0879 | Win | 185 | 1.85 | Breakout | Calm | London open break of Asia high |  |
| 2 | 03/02/2026 | GBPJPY | Sell | 0.3 | 191.4 | 191.9 | 190.4 | 191.9 | Loss | -102.5 | -1 | Reversal | FOMO | Entered before confirmation |  |
| 3 | 05/02/2026 | XAUUSD | Buy | 0.1 | 2150.2 | 2140.2 | 2170.2 | 2170.2 | Win | 200 | 2 | Pullback | Confident | Clean retest of 2150 |  |
| … 7 more trades, then a blank row and a Total row | |||||||||||||||
- DateEntry timeJournalit field
- PairSymbolJournalit field
- Buy/SellDirectionJournalit field
- LotsQuantityJournalit field
- EntryEntry priceJournalit field
- ExitExit priceJournalit field
- P/L ($)Profit/LossJournalit field
- SetupSetupJournalit field
- NotesNotesJournalit field
- Emotions, SL, TP, R:RCustom fieldsKept in one click
- ScreenshotTrade imagesPictures in the column
- ResultWorked out from P/LNo column needed
Why traders eventually outgrow Excel journalling
Excel stores the history. Journalit makes the history easier to review and use.
Spreadsheets drift
- • Columns, formulas, and tabs change over time.
- • Notes and screenshots end up away from the trade.
- • Review becomes maintenance instead of reflection.
The journal stays useful
- • Trade records, notes, screenshots, and analytics stay together.
- • Built-in reviews turn history into repeatable practice.
- • Your imported data remains local and editable in Obsidian.
Questions before importing your spreadsheet
Free vs Pro
Journalit is free for journalling, dashboards, reviews, templates, and unlimited trades. Pro adds Trade Import, Trade Sync for supported brokers, the Economic Calendar, and prop-firm profiles.
Free
Manual journaling, flexible reviews, and analytics on your device.
INCLUDES
- Unlimited trades & accounts
- Journal stored on your device
- Custom fields & properties
- Rich markdown notes
- Analytics dashboard
Pro
Billed annually at $180/year
Skip the spreadsheet cleanup. Sync and import trades into the journal you already review.
EVERYTHING IN FREE, PLUS
- Automatic Trade Sync for supported brokers
- Trade Import for broker exports and statements
- Economic Calendar with weekly event imports
- Prop-firm profiles that prefill challenge rules
- Multi-account sync support
- Priority support