What a usable trade export needs
The current importer needs each imported row to identify a symbol, buy or sell direction, entry price, position size, and profit or loss. Exit price, fees, open and close times, and a ticket or transaction identifier can add useful detail when they are present.
A statement may contain all of these fields under unfamiliar headings, or it may separate order, fill, cash, and position data into different sections. The preview helps map columns; it cannot safely invent missing trade details or turn every account transaction into a closed position.
Before exporting, choose closed executions or closed trades for the date range you want to journal. Avoid mixing deposits, withdrawals, open positions, balance adjustments, and closed trades in one import unless the file clearly distinguishes them. A statement’s account balance is not the same as per-trade P&L.
The import workflow in Edgelog
- Export the account history from the broker website or trading platform as CSV, XLSX, or XLS. If you can choose a report type, use the trade or transaction history rather than a full account statement with unrelated sections.
- Open the account connection/import flow in Edgelog and select the CSV/Excel import option. Choose an existing CSV account when adding newer history for the same account; otherwise create a separate account.
- Upload the file and inspect the detected columns. Map the symbol, direction, entry price, volume and realized P&L fields explicitly when automatic detection is uncertain. Map time and fees only when the column meaning is clear.
- Review the sample rows for sign, decimal, date and quantity conventions. Confirm that a sell remains a sell, a loss remains negative, and lot size or contract quantity has not been mistaken for currency value.
- Import only after the preview looks right. Compare the imported trade count and net result with the broker’s closed-trade report for the same dates.
Choose the right guide for your broker
Exness provides a downloadable CSV for order history in its Personal Area; the official help page notes a 1,000-record download limit. OANDA’s HUB transaction-history report can be exported as CSV, and its timezone selection changes the timestamps in the report.
Interactive Brokers offers CSV and Excel statement formats, but Activity Statements can contain many kinds of account activity, so select or filter the trade data and inspect the import preview carefully. See the Exness CSV guide, OANDA CSV guide, and Interactive Brokers CSV guide for the relevant caveats.
For MetaTrader, Edgelog also supports the MT4 journal workflow and MT5 journal workflow. The free EdgelogSync Expert Advisor is the normal automatic sync path; a statement import is useful for older history or when you prefer a one-time file upload. The Hugosway-to-MT5 guide shows how a broker account can use the MT5 route without implying a direct Hugosway API.
For an overview of the journaling workflow and supported forex use cases, see the free forex trading journal guide.
Protect account information in exported files
A broker export may include account numbers, client names, balances, order identifiers or other personal details. Keep the original file private, remove columns that are not needed if the broker allows a custom export, and never publish an unredacted sample file in a support forum. Edgelog imports are associated with the account you choose in your private workspace.
Do not paste broker passwords, investor passwords or API secrets into a CSV or support message.
When the file does not map cleanly
If a preview lacks entry price, size or realized P&L, first try a different broker report type or a MetaTrader statement. Do not force a column with a similar label into the wrong field. See how CSV column mapping works and how to troubleshoot a failed trade import.
Keep a small sanitized sample of the header row and a few representative rows when asking for help; remove account identifiers and personal details first.
Imported trades feed the same journal and analytics as other supported trade records, including win rate, profit factor, equity curve, drawdown, R-multiples and daily P&L. They remain records for review: Edgelog does not connect to every broker’s trading API, place orders or change an account.