Exporting Your Trade History from MetaTrader 5 to Excel with Ease

Keeping a record of your trades is not just good practice. It is one of the most valuable habits a trader can develop. A detailed trade log allows you to track performance, analyze mistakes, and refine your strategy over time. Fortunately, MetaTrader 5 makes it simple to export your trade history directly into Excel, giving you full control over your performance data.

Where to find your trade history in the platform

To get started, open MetaTrader 5 and navigate to the “Terminal” section at the bottom of the screen. Click the “History” tab. This is where you will find a list of all your closed trades, including details like order number, open and close time, price, volume, and profit or loss.

If you want to filter your history, right-click inside the “History” tab and select “Custom Period.” This allows you to choose specific dates, perfect for tracking monthly performance, quarterly results, or a custom backtesting window.

Exporting the data in just a few clicks

Once you have the desired time period selected, right-click again in the “History” tab and choose “Save as Report” or “Save as Detailed Report.” This will create an HTML file on your computer, containing all the trade data from the selected period.

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Now it is time to move that data into Excel. Locate the saved file, usually in your “Downloads” or a default save directory. Right-click the HTML file and open it with your browser first to preview the content. From there, copy the entire table and paste it into a blank Excel worksheet.

The format may need a little cleaning up, but once in Excel, you can start creating summaries, graphs, and filters to analyze your trades more effectively.

Alternative export using a direct CSV approach

Some traders prefer a more structured format, such as a CSV file. While MetaTrader 5 does not natively export trade history in CSV format from the platform interface, some brokers provide custom scripts or plugins that enable CSV export. These tools typically save trade data in a clean spreadsheet format, ready for analysis in Excel, Google Sheets, or any data analysis tool.

You can also use third-party tools or code a simple script using MQL5 to extract trade history directly into a CSV file. This is especially helpful for those running automated strategies and looking to monitor hundreds of trades at once.

How to make the most of your Excel data

Once your data is in Excel, the possibilities open up. You can sort trades by symbol, calculate win rates, track your average profit and loss, and even analyze trade duration. Use conditional formatting to highlight winning or losing streaks, or build pivot tables for deeper insights.

Some traders create dashboards that auto-update with each new export. This provides a snapshot of performance trends without having to sort through raw data every time.

Staying organized for better results

Exporting your trade history regularly keeps your performance transparent. It helps you stay objective and gives you the foundation to improve. With MetaTrader 5, this process is fast and flexible. Whether you trade manually or use Expert Advisors, keeping an organized, reviewable record of every trade is a step toward long-term success.

Having your history in Excel gives you the power to study your strategy with fresh eyes and continuously adjust to stay aligned with your goals. And that kind of clarity can turn a decent strategy into a great one.