How to Export Trades from Sierra Chart (Trade Activity Log)
Short answer: open Trade → Trade Activity Log, pick the tab you want (for example Trades), set the account, symbol and dates in Display Settings, then choose File → Save Log As. Sierra Chart saves what the tab shows as a tab-separated text file that opens in Excel or Google Sheets.
Save Log As or Export: which one?
The Trade Activity Log has two ways to get your data out, and they give different files.
| File → Save Log As | File → Export | |
|---|---|---|
| Which tab | Any tab: Trade Activity, Trade Statistics, Trades, Period Trade Stats, Trade Statistics for Charts | Trade Activity tab only |
| Times | As shown in Sierra Chart (your time zone setting) | UTC |
| Prices | As shown in Sierra Chart | Exchange native format, which can be a larger number than the price you see |
| Best for | Opening in a spreadsheet, a trading journal, your records | Importing the fills back into Sierra Chart |
For a spreadsheet or a journal, Save Log As is the one you want.
Step by step: save your trades to a file
- In Sierra Chart, open Trade → Trade Activity Log.
- Click the tab you want to save. Trades lists each trade with its result; Trade Activity lists every order and fill.
- Open Display Settings and choose the Trade Account, the Symbol (or all), the Simulation State (simulated or live) and the date range. Only what the tab shows is saved, so set these first.
- Optional, on the Trades tab: Edit → Flat to Flat Display for Trades List groups the parts of one position, from flat back to flat, into a single line.
- Choose File → Save Log As, pick a folder and a file name, and save.
- Open the file in Excel or Google Sheets. The columns are separated by tabs, so it opens straight into columns.
To grab just a few rows instead, select them and use Edit → Copy Selection (or Edit → Copy All), then paste into a spreadsheet.
Common problems
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Trades are missing | Check the account, symbol, Simulation State and dates in Display Settings: only what’s displayed is saved |
| Prices look far too large | You used File → Export, which keeps exchange native prices. Use File → Save Log As instead |
| Times are off by hours | Export uses UTC. Save Log As uses the times shown in Sierra Chart |
| One position shows as several lines | Turn on Edit → Flat to Flat Display for Trades List |
What to do with the file
- A spreadsheet journal: copy the rows into the free trading journal template, which works out P&L, risk and R for you.
- A trading journal app: many journals can import Sierra Chart files. Parallax Trading Journal can import a saved Trades list too, but it doesn’t need one: its study hands each trade to the journal the moment the position closes, so there’s nothing to export day to day. See the journal.
Comparing journals? Read Best Trading Journal for Sierra Chart in 2026.
Frequently asked
Where is the Trade Activity Log in Sierra Chart?
On the menu, under Trade → Trade Activity Log.
Can I export trades from Sierra Chart to Excel?
Yes. Use File → Save Log As on the Trade Activity Log. The file is tab-separated text, which Excel and Google Sheets open as columns.
Why are the prices in my export wrong?
File → Export writes prices in the exchange’s native format, which can be much larger than the price you see. Use File → Save Log As to get the prices as displayed.
Can I export simulated trades?
Yes. Set Simulation State in Display Settings to show simulated trades, then save the tab.
Menu names are from Sierra Chart’s own documentation of the Trade Activity Log. Sierra Chart is a trademark of its owner; Parallax is not affiliated with it.