One note per trade
Symbol, direction, lots, entry and exit, commission, swap, P&L, the MT4 account, and any stop loss or take profit you set come straight from the report.
How the MT4 trading journal works
MetaTrader 4 publishes account reports to Journalit on a schedule. Journalit processes them hourly and turns each open or closed trade into a note you can annotate and review.
- 1
MT4 publishes a report over FTP
MetaTrader 4 has built-in FTP report publishing. You give it the FTP login Journalit generates, and the terminal uploads an English HTML account report on the schedule you set, usually every 60 minutes. - 2
Journalit syncs new and changed trades
Journalit processes uploaded reports hourly. Repeated reports do not duplicate trades, and a trade that was open in one report is updated in the same note when it closes. Use Sync Now if you want the latest report before the next cycle. - 3
Each MT4 account is linked once
The first time a new MT4 account number appears, Journalit asks which Journalit account it belongs to. After that its trades land in the right place automatically. - 4
You review the trades
Synced trades show up in the Trade Log, dashboards, and daily and weekly reviews, next to anything you logged manually.
Using MetaTrader 5?
MT5 is supported through a different path. Current MetaTrader 5 builds no longer publish reports over FTP, so MT5 trades come in by exporting an English HTML statement and uploading it through Trade Import. You get the same trade notes and reviews, but each import is a manual step rather than an hourly sync.
What you get once MT4 trades sync
Getting trades out of MetaTrader is only the first step. The point of a journal is what you do with them afterwards.
Your reasoning next to the numbers
Add the setup, thesis, tags, mistakes, and chart screenshots to the same note, so the trade and the reason you took it stay together.
Analytics across your history
Filter the Trade Log and dashboards by symbol, setup, tag, account, or date range to see where your P&L, drawdown, and win rate actually come from.
Daily and weekly reviews
Reviews pick up synced trades automatically, so an end-of-day or weekend review starts from complete data instead of a copy-paste session.
Multiple MT4 accounts
Link several MT4 accounts, such as a live account and prop-firm challenges, then review each one separately or all together.
Files on your device
Trades are written as plain Markdown notes in Obsidian on your computer, so your journal is not locked inside a web app.
MT4 sync setup
Four steps across Journalit and MetaTrader 4. MT5 statement import is covered below.
- 1
Create FTP credentials
In Journalit, open Settings, then Account & Sync, Trade Sync, and the MetaTrader tab. Generate the FTP login and password for your MT4 terminal. - 2
Enter them in MT4
In MetaTrader 4, open Tools, then Options, then the FTP tab. Enter the server, login, and password, and turn on passive mode. - 3
Turn on report publishing
Enable automatic publishing with a 60-minute refresh and keep the terminal language set to English. MT4 only publishes while the terminal is running. - 4
Link the account
When the first report arrives, Journalit detects the MT4 account number and asks you to link it. Repeat steps 2 to 4 for each extra MT4 account.
The MetaTrader tab in Journalit's Trade Sync settings, where FTP credentials, Sync Now, and linked MT4 accounts live.
MT5 statement import
- Set MetaTrader 5 to English and restart it if prompted.
- In the History tab, choose the date range, right-click the table, and pick Save as Report. Keep the HTML file exactly as exported.
- In Journalit's Trade Import, choose the destination account and the MetaTrader 4 / 5 Statement adapter, then check the preview before confirming.
The same statement import also works for backfilling older MT4 history.
Hourly, not live
MT4 sync is built for journalling, not live trade monitoring. Reports are processed hourly, and MetaTrader reports need to be in English.
Need a trade in the journal right now? Log it with Manual Entry. Sync Now processes the latest MT4 report without waiting for the hourly cycle.
MT4's Journal tab vs a trading journal
MetaTrader 4 has its own tab called Journal. It does a different job from a trading journal.
The Journal tab in MetaTrader 4
A terminal activity log. MetaQuotes describes it as information about the actions of the trader and the terminal within the current session, with each entry marked as information, a warning, or an error. It is useful for troubleshooting, and the Account History tab lists closed orders, but neither is built for recording why you took a trade or reviewing it later.
A trading journal like Journalit
A record of your decisions. Each MT4 trade becomes a note with the execution data plus your setup, screenshots, and lessons, and the analytics and reviews look across weeks and months of trades rather than one terminal session.
MT4 and MT5 journal questions
Yes. Once MetaTrader 4 is set to publish reports to Journalit over FTP, new and updated trades sync without manual exports. Journalit processes the reports hourly, and Sync Now pulls the latest report on demand. It is not a real-time feed.
No. MetaTrader 4 publishes scheduled English HTML reports for hourly sync. MetaTrader 5 no longer publishes reports over FTP, so you export an original English HTML statement from MT5 and upload it through Trade Import.
Yes. MT4 only publishes reports while the terminal is running and logged in to the account. Traders who want steady hourly updates usually leave MT4 running on an always-on computer or VPS.
Yes. Each MT4 account that publishes with your FTP credentials is detected by its account number and linked to a Journalit account once. MT5 statements are imported into whichever account you choose. You can review accounts separately or together.
MT4 Trade Sync and MT5 statement import are Pro features, and first-time Pro users can start with a 14-day trial. The free plan still covers manual trade entry, notes, analytics, and reviews.
Report language. MetaTrader reports must be in English for both MT4 sync and MT5 import. Reports in other languages are currently unsupported and can fail to parse or come through incomplete.
Use Trade Import for a supported broker export, or enter trades manually when the platform does not provide a compatible file.
Free vs Pro
Journalit is free for journalling, analytics, reviews, and templates. Pro unlocks Trade Import, automatic trade sync, the Economic Calendar, and prop-firm profiles.
Free
$0forever
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
SAVE 21%
Pro
$15/month
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