How to import trades via CSV into your trading journal

Manually entering hundreds of past trades into a journal takes hours and invites data entry errors. If you're switching from a spreadsheet, another platform, or just have historical broker data gathering dust, a CSV import saves time and ensures accuracy.

But CSV imports can be finicky. The wrong date format, a stray dollar sign, or a missing required column and your entire import fails. You end up re-entering trades manually anyway.

This guide walks you through the CSV import process, shows you what a good import file looks like, and helps you avoid the common pitfalls that derail most traders.

Where Your Trade Data Lives

Before you can import, you need to know where your data lives. Here are the most common sources.

Broker Exports

Most brokers let you export trade history as CSV or Excel:

• Interactive Brokers — Account Statement > Activity > Trades CSV export
• Tastytrade — Positions tab > Export to CSV
• TD Ameritrade — Monitor tab > Account > Download transactions
• Forex/Crypto brokers — Usually under "Account History" or "Trading History"

Check your broker's help documentation for the exact path. The export usually goes back 1 year or more depending on the broker.

Previous Trading Journal Platforms

If you're switching from another journal (TraderVue, Edgewonk, etc.), most have an export function:

• Look for "Export" or "Download data" in settings
• Choose CSV format (not PDF)
• Usually exports all your trades at once

Spreadsheet Journals

If you've been tracking trades in Google Sheets or Excel, you're 90% done. You just need to format the columns correctly before importing.

What a Good Import CSV Looks Like

Before you start exporting, understand what columns your journal needs. Here's a typical minimal CSV structure:

Date,Symbol,Side,Quantity,EntryPrice,ExitPrice,PnL
2026-02-10,AAPL,LONG,100,150.25,151.50,125.00
2026-02-10,SPY,SHORT,50,450.10,449.80,15.00
2026-02-09,TSLA,LONG,10,240.00,235.50,-45.00

Required Columns

• Date — When you closed the trade (format: YYYY-MM-DD or MM/DD/YYYY—check your platform)
• Symbol — Ticker symbol (AAPL, ES, BTC, etc.)
• Side — LONG or SHORT (some systems use BUY or SELL—check first)
• Quantity — Number of shares, contracts, or units
• Entry Price — What you entered at
• Exit Price — What you exited at
• P&L — Dollar profit or loss (optional—some platforms calculate it)

Optional Columns (Nice to Have)

• Account — If you trade multiple accounts
• Commission — Trading costs
• Entry Time — Time of entry (HH:MM format)
• Exit Time — Time of exit
• Notes — Any trade notes (kept as free-form text on import)
• Setup — Setup type or category
• Confidence — Confidence rating (1-5)

Critical Formatting Rules

Dates: Always use YYYY-MM-DD (2026-02-13). Never use 02/13/26 or other ambiguous formats.

Numbers: No currency symbols, commas, or spaces. Use 150.25, not $150.25 or 150,25.

Sides: Use consistent values. Either LONG/SHORT or BUY/SELL. Don't mix them in the same file.

P&L: Positive for wins, negative for losses. No currency symbols.

Empty fields: Leave blank if unsure, don't use dashes or "N/A".

Step-by-Step CSV Import Process

Common CSV Import Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)

Pitfall 1: Date Format Mismatch

Your CSV has dates as "02/13/2026" but the import expects "2026-02-13".

Fix: Open the CSV in Google Sheets. Select the date column. Format as YYYY-MM-DD. Re-save.

Pitfall 2: Currency Symbols in Numeric Columns

Your export looks like this:

EntryPrice,ExitPrice,PnL
$150.25,$151.50,$125.00

The import parser chokes on the $ symbols.

Fix: Search and replace. In Google Sheets: Edit > Find and replace. Find "$" and replace with nothing. Re-save.

Pitfall 3: Inconsistent Side Values

Some rows say "LONG", others say "BUY", others say "L".

Fix: Standardize before uploading. Pick one convention (LONG/SHORT is most common). Use find-and-replace to convert all variants.

Pitfall 4: Missing Required Fields

You're missing the "Symbol" column or half your entries have no exit price.

Fix: Check the import template provided by your journal. Add missing columns. If data is genuinely missing (e.g., a partial trade with no exit), either skip that row or enter dummy values.

Pitfall 5: Timezone Issues

You exported trades on UTC time, but your journal defaults to your local timezone.

Fix: Check your journal's import settings. Most let you select the source timezone. If not, convert all times to your local timezone before uploading.

Pitfall 6: Duplicate Trades

You import, then realize you also have those trades manually entered from weeks ago.

Fix: Before importing, verify your journal is empty or that you're importing into a separate account. If you do import duplicates, you can usually delete them from the journal UI after import.

Verifying Your Import

After the import completes, take 5 minutes to verify it worked correctly.

Quick Verification Checklist

• Trade count matches your export (500 trades exported = 500 trades imported)
• Recent trades appear with correct symbols and prices
• P&L numbers look reasonable (not inverted or zeroed out)
• Total account P&L matches your broker statement or previous journal
• Dates span the correct time period
• No duplicate trades

If Numbers Don't Match

If your imported total P&L doesn't match your broker statement:

• Check for missing trades (some brokers exclude partial fills)
• Verify commission was included in P&L (some exports exclude fees)
• Look for timezone shifts (a trade from late night might shift to the previous day)
• Check for precision loss (your broker shows $150.25, you entered 150, the difference compounds)

These are easy to catch after a small test import, but harder to debug after importing 5 years of trades.

Moving Beyond Import: Adding the Journal

CSV import gets your historical trades into the system. But to actually improve from your journal, you need to add the pieces CSV can't capture: emotions, setup reasoning, and lessons learned.

Once your trades are imported, spend time adding:

• Emotional state during each trade (especially recent ones)
• Setup quality rating (was this your best setup, or did you force it?)
• One-sentence lesson from each trade
• Whether you followed your rules (yes/no)

You don't need to do this for every historical trade. But for your last 50-100 trades, adding this context transforms your imported data from a transaction log into a real journal that reveals patterns.

Key Takeaways

• CSV imports save time. Manual entry of hundreds of historical trades is error-prone and tedious. A proper import gets it done in minutes.
• Format matters. One stray dollar sign or wrong date format can fail your entire import. Clean your data in a spreadsheet first.
• Test with 10 trades. Don't upload your entire history blind. Always verify a small test batch first.
• Verify totals match. After import, cross-check your total P&L against your broker statement. A mismatch indicates data loss.
• Add context to recent trades. Imported data is just a transaction log. Add emotions, setup quality, and lessons to turn it into a real journal.
• Common pitfalls are fixable. Date format, currency symbols, and side value mismatches are the most common errors—all preventable with 5 minutes of data cleanup.

Start with a test import today. Once you see your historical trades in one place, you'll understand why consistent journaling going forward matters so much.