Forgalis TradingJournal can import available broker account history through supported trading-platform workflows: cTrader, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5.
This tutorial shows the broker import workflow in FTJ: choose a platform workflow, connect or read the active account, link the external account to a journal account, fetch executions, review the preview, import selected rows, and confirm the result in Trades and Dashboard.
This is a product walkthrough, not trading advice.
FTJ broker import is read-only. It imports available execution history into your local journal, but it does not place trades, modify orders, copy trades, or close positions.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to:
This tutorial focuses on broker import through supported platform workflows. It does not cover CSV/XLSX file import, manual trade entry, Dashboard analysis, strategy setup, or full execution editing.
Broker import requires a prepared FTJ journal account.
For the tutorial example, separate demo accounts can be used to keep the video easy to follow:
cTrader Demo
MT4 Demo
MT5 Demo
In real use, you do not need to create separate accounts just because the video does. Link each external broker or platform account to the FTJ journal account where you want that trading history stored.
The journal account base currency should match the external account currency. A currency mismatch can distort P&L, reporting, and statistics.
Use demo or test data when learning the workflow. Do not record or share real account numbers, broker account IDs, emails, tokens, terminal paths, order IDs, or private trading history.
Broker import also requires an active trial or subscription and is not available in Demo Mode.
Open FTJ and select Brokers from the sidebar.
The Brokers page contains the broker import workflow. The guide at the top shows the basic flow:
Select the platform workflow
Connect or read the account
Link accounts
Fetch and import executions
The left side lists the available import paths. The right side changes depending on which platform workflow is selected.
The workflow is mostly the same across cTrader, MT4, and MT5:
Choose the platform workflow.
Connect or read the external account.
Choose the detected broker/platform account.
Choose the matching FTJ journal account.
Check that the currencies match.
Click Link Accounts.
Click Fetch Executions.
Review the preview table.
Click Import Selected.
Open Trades or Dashboard to confirm the imported data is available for review.
The main difference is how FTJ reaches the external account.
cTrader uses browser authorization.
MT4 uses a local MT4 terminal and the Forgalis MT4 bridge Expert Advisor.
MT5 uses a local MT5 terminal and the local MT5 bridge workflow.
Select cTrader in the platform list.
cTrader uses browser-based authorization. Click Connect, sign in through cTrader, and allow access to the accounts you want FTJ to read.
FTJ does not store your broker password.
After authorization, return to FTJ. The cTrader account should appear in the broker/platform account area.
For privacy, do not show account IDs, email addresses, browser identity, authorization details, or anything that looks like a token when recording or sharing this workflow.
After the cTrader account is loaded, choose the external cTrader account in the broker/platform account dropdown.
Then choose the FTJ journal account that should receive the imported history. In the tutorial example, that account can be:
cTrader Demo
Check that the external account currency and the journal account base currency match.
Click Link Accounts.
This link tells FTJ where imported cTrader execution rows should be saved.
Select MetaTrader 4 or MT4 in the platform list.
MT4 import is local. FTJ reads the active account from the selected MT4 terminal on your PC through the Forgalis MT4 bridge Expert Advisor.
Use the selected MT4 terminal if it is already listed. If it is not listed, use Browse and choose terminal.exe from the MT4 installation you want FTJ to read.
The MT4 setup should use:
The correct local MT4 terminal
The correct active MT4 account
The ForgalisMt4Bridge Expert Advisor installed and attached to one chart
Expert Advisor execution allowed
AutoTrading enabled where required by the terminal setup
Account History loaded for the period you want to import
After the local MT4 setup is ready, return to FTJ and click Read Active MT4 Account.
FTJ should detect the active account from that same MT4 terminal.
After FTJ detects the active MT4 account, choose the detected MT4 external account in the broker/platform account dropdown.
Then choose the matching FTJ journal account. In the tutorial example, that account can be:
MT4 Demo
Click Link Accounts.
The important part is that FTJ, the selected MT4 terminal, the active MT4 account, and the bridge all refer to the same MT4 installation.
Select MetaTrader 5 or MT5 in the platform list.
MT5 import is also local. Use the selected MT5 terminal if it is already listed. If it is not listed, use Browse and choose terminal64.exe from the MT5 installation you want FTJ to read.
Open that same MT5 terminal and make sure the account you want to import is active.
Then return to FTJ and click Read Active MT5 Account.
FTJ reads the active MT5 account and the available history exposed through the local terminal and bridge workflow.
After the MT5 account appears, choose the detected MT5 external account in the broker/platform account dropdown.
Then choose the matching FTJ journal account. In the tutorial example, that account can be:
MT5 Demo
Click Link Accounts.
As with cTrader and MT4, keep the external account currency and journal account base currency matched.
After an account is linked, use Fetch Executions.
Fetching does not immediately save everything to your journal. It loads a preview table first.
This preview step is important because it lets you review what FTJ found before importing it.
Depending on the current FTJ version and selected platform workflow, the preview can show rows, filters, checkboxes, date information, symbols, sides, accounts, and other execution-related data.
Use the preview to decide what should be imported.
Before importing, check the preview table.
Look for basic issues such as:
Wrong account
Wrong date range
Unexpected symbols
Rows you do not want to import
Missing or incomplete history
Duplicate-looking rows
Rows from a platform account you did not intend to import
Use selection controls such as Select All, Deselect All, or individual checkboxes where available.
Do not treat the preview as a trading signal. It is a review step before saving data to the local journal.
When the preview looks correct, click Import Selected.
FTJ saves the selected executions into the local journal database. It also checks for duplicates and can derive trades from imported fills.
After import, read the import summary.
The summary helps confirm what was inserted, skipped, or derived. If rows are skipped, that does not always mean something is wrong. Rows can be skipped because they already exist or because the available data is incomplete.
After the import summary, open Trades.
Check that the imported or derived trades are visible under the correct journal account.
If a trade is derived from executions, some entry and exit values come from the underlying fills. Those derived values may be protected because they are based on imported execution records.
Do not turn this tutorial into a full execution-editing workflow. Execution editing and derived trades can be handled separately.
Return to the Dashboard.
Imported trades should now be part of the journal data available for review, depending on the selected account filter and reporting currency.
Before reading the Dashboard, check:
Account mode
Selected account
Reporting currency
Exchange rates where needed
The Dashboard is for reviewing saved journal data. It is not trading advice and it does not predict future trades.
The cTrader workflow uses browser authorization.
You connect through cTrader in the browser, authorize access, and return to FTJ. FTJ can then load the available account history that the platform and broker expose through that workflow.
FTJ does not store your broker password.
The connection may include demo and live accounts depending on what you authorize, so choose carefully and avoid showing private account details when recording or sharing the workflow.
The MT4 workflow is local.
FTJ reads from the selected MT4 terminal on your own Windows PC through the Forgalis MT4 bridge Expert Advisor.
The MT4 terminal must be prepared before FTJ can read the account. The correct terminal should be selected, the correct account should be active, the bridge should be attached to one chart, Expert Advisor execution should be allowed, and Account History should be loaded for the period you want to import.
MT4 history depends partly on what is available and loaded in the selected local terminal.
The MT5 workflow is also local.
FTJ reads the active MT5 account from the selected local MT5 terminal. Use the selected terminal if it is already listed, or browse to terminal64.exe if needed.
The MT5 account should be active in that same terminal, and the relevant deal or order history must be available through the terminal.
MT5 does not use the same on-chart EA step shown in the MT4 workflow.
Account linking tells FTJ where imported execution history should be saved.
The external broker/platform account is the account detected through cTrader, MT4, or MT5.
The journal account is the local FTJ account where you want that history stored.
For clean review, link each external account to the correct journal account and keep the currencies matched.
If you link the wrong account, the cleanest fix may be to remove the imported rows, correct the link, and import again. Back up your database before doing cleanup on larger imports.
Fetching loads available executions into a preview table.
It does not mean every row has already been saved to your journal.
Use the preview to review the rows first. This is especially useful when working with multiple accounts, different date ranges, or a platform terminal that may expose more or less history than expected.
The safest workflow is:
Link the correct account.
Fetch executions.
Review the preview.
Import only the rows you want to keep.
Read the import summary.
Verify the result in Trades.
Broker import is execution-based.
FTJ imports available execution history and can derive trades from imported fills. When a trade is derived from executions, entry and exit values can come from the underlying imported records.
This helps keep the imported trade connected to its source data.
If derived records need adjustment, edit the underlying execution records where that workflow is available instead of treating the derived trade like a fully manual trade.
Available history depends on what the broker and platform expose.
MT4 also depends on what history is loaded in the selected local MT4 terminal.
Stop loss, take profit, commission, fees, and swap are imported only when the source platform or broker provides those values historically.
Do not assume FTJ can reconstruct missing history, missing costs, or missing SL/TP values if the platform does not provide them.
Re-importing the same executions should not create duplicate trade records, but always read the import summary instead of assuming everything imported exactly as expected.
This tutorial is about broker import through supported platform workflows.
It is different from CSV/XLSX file import.
CSV/XLSX import uses an exported file from your computer, an import template, column mapping, preview, and import summary.
Broker import uses cTrader, MT4, or MT5 workflows to read available execution history, preview rows, and import selected executions into the local journal.
Both workflows save data into FTJ, but they are not the same workflow.
Broker import can reduce the amount of manual work needed to build a structured trading journal.
Instead of typing every historical trade by hand, you can connect or read a supported platform workflow, fetch available executions, review the preview, and import the rows you want to keep.
The important part is control.
FTJ does not automatically trade for you and it does not blindly save everything without a preview step. You choose the platform workflow, link the correct account, review the rows, and import selected data into your local journal.
Once imported, the data can be reviewed through Trades, Dashboard, account filters, reporting currency, labels, notes, screenshots, and other FTJ review tools.
Broker import is read-only.
FTJ does not place trades, modify orders, copy trades, or close positions.
Always check the external account and the FTJ journal account before clicking Link Accounts.
Imported rows are saved under the linked journal account.
The journal account currency should match the external account currency.
A mismatch can distort P&L, reporting, and Dashboard statistics.
Available history depends on the broker, the platform, and the selected workflow.
For MT4, it also depends on what Account History is loaded in the selected local terminal.
Those fields can only be imported when the broker or platform provides them historically.
If the source does not expose a value, FTJ should not be expected to reconstruct it automatically.
Always review the preview table before importing.
The preview exists so you can check rows before they are saved to the local journal.
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Forgalis TradingJournal is a local-first Windows desktop trading journal for structured trade logging and review.
Download Forgalis TradingJournal from the Microsoft Store:
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9PDVQXB4J8Q0
Start simple: create or choose the right journal account, connect or read the platform workflow, link the account, fetch available executions, review the preview, and import only the rows you want to keep.