cTrader

How to Import Your cTrader Trades into PipJournal

cTrader is the preferred platform for traders who prioritize execution quality and transparent pricing. Built on an ECN/STP model with no dealing desk intervention, cTrader attracts serious forex traders who care about fill quality, market depth, and fair execution.

PipJournal’s dedicated cTrader integration is coming soon. When it launches, you will be able to import your full cTrader trade history with one-click ease — the same smooth experience MT4 and MT5 traders already have.

In the meantime, you can import your cTrader trades today using PipJournal’s generic CSV importer. Here is how.

Step-by-Step Setup Guide (Current Method)

Step 1: Export your cTrader trade history

Open cTrader and navigate to the History tab in the bottom panel. Set the date range to cover the trades you want to import. For your first import, select the broadest range available to capture your complete history.

Step 2: Download as CSV

Click the export icon (usually a download arrow or “Export” button) in the History panel. Save the file as CSV to your computer. The export includes all trade details: position ID, symbol, direction, volume, entry price, close price, commission, swap, and net profit.

Step 3: Upload to PipJournal

Log in to PipJournal and go to Import > Upload CSV. Upload your cTrader export file. Since the dedicated cTrader parser is not yet live, PipJournal will use its generic CSV importer and ask you to map columns.

Step 4: Map the columns

Match cTrader’s column headers to PipJournal’s fields:

cTrader Column	PipJournal Field
Symbol	Pair
Direction	Direction (Buy/Sell)
Volume	Lot Size
Entry Price	Entry
Close Price	Exit
Opening Time	Entry Time
Closing Time	Exit Time
Commission	Commission
Swap	Swap
Net Profit	P&L

PipJournal saves your column mapping after the first import, so subsequent imports skip this step.

Step 5: Import and analyze

Click Import to process your trades. PipJournal applies session tags, calculates pip-based P&L, and builds your analytics dashboard. All features — session breakdowns, AI co-pilot, drawdown tracking — work the same as with MT4/MT5 imports.

What Data Gets Imported

From your cTrader export, PipJournal captures:

• Position ID — unique trade identifier for duplicate detection
• Symbol — currency pair (e.g., EURUSD, GBPJPY, XAUUSD)
• Direction — buy or sell
• Volume — lot size in standard lots
• Entry and exit prices — for pip calculation
• Open and close timestamps — for session tagging and duration
• Commission — per-trade ECN commission
• Swap — overnight financing charges
• Net profit — in account currency

PipJournal then calculates:

• P&L in pips — normalized across all pair types
• Session tags — Asian, London, or New York
• Trade duration — for hold period analytics
• Total execution costs — commission + swap
• Net vs. gross P&L — true performance after costs

Features for cTrader Traders

Why cTrader traders benefit from PipJournal

cTrader attracts traders who care about execution quality — and PipJournal is designed to track exactly that. Spread costs, slippage, and commission impact are all measurable once your trades are imported.

Execution-focused analytics: cTrader’s ECN model means you pay commissions rather than markup spreads. PipJournal tracks your commission costs per trade, per pair, and per session, giving you visibility into your true execution costs.

Order type performance: If you use different order types — market orders for breakouts, limit orders for mean reversion — PipJournal can break down your performance by tag to help you understand which execution approach works best for your strategy.

Fair comparison across platforms: If you trade on both cTrader and MT4/MT5, PipJournal lets you compare performance across platforms. See whether your edge is consistent across execution models or whether one platform gives you better results.

cTrader-Specific Tips

Export regularly. Until the dedicated integration launches, build the habit of exporting your cTrader history after each session. Keep a folder for your exports so you can always re-import if needed.

Note commission structures. cTrader brokers typically charge per-lot commissions rather than spread markup. Make sure the commission column is included in your export and mapped correctly during import — this data is essential for true P&L analysis.

Check volume format. cTrader may express volume in units rather than standard lots (e.g., 100,000 instead of 1.00). If your imported lot sizes look wrong, check whether PipJournal needs to convert units to lots during column mapping.

Save your column mapping. After your first import with manual column mapping, PipJournal saves the mapping for future imports. Subsequent cTrader imports will be much faster.

What to Expect from the Full Integration

When the dedicated cTrader integration launches, you can expect:

• One-click import — automatic format detection, no manual column mapping
• cTID-based duplicate detection — reliable deduplication using cTrader’s native position IDs
• Order type tracking — performance analytics by market order, limit order, and stop order
• Execution quality metrics — slippage measurement and fill quality analysis specific to cTrader’s execution model

Do not wait for the integration to start journaling. PipJournal works with your cTrader trades today via CSV import. Get your session analytics, AI-powered insights, and performance tracking running now — the dedicated integration will only make it smoother. Start importing your cTrader trades today.