Free download · opens in Google Sheets in about 15 seconds

Using the trading journal template in Google Sheets

The file is an .xlsx workbook, and Google Sheets reads it without conversion. You do not need Excel installed, an account upgrade, or a script. Import it once, and from then on it lives in your drive and opens on whatever device you are holding.

Getting the file into sheets

Download the workbook first, then open sheets and start a blank spreadsheet. Go to File, then Import, then the Upload tab, and pick the file you just saved. On the import screen choose Replace spreadsheet rather than Insert new sheet, because the workbook already carries its own tab structure and you want that kept intact. The whole thing takes about fifteen seconds on a normal connection.

One thing to expect: Sheets will ask whether to convert the formulas. Leave that alone and let it import as is. The workbook uses nothing exotic, so the conversion step has nothing to do.

Do the formulas survive the import

This is the question worth asking before you commit, and the answer is yes. Every calculation in the workbook is built from functions that exist in both applications with identical syntax: SUM, COUNTIF, COUNTIFS, SUMIF, AVERAGEIF, IFERROR, IF, OR and ABS. Those nine cover the whole file.

Nothing in the workbook depends on a macro, a pivot table, a named Excel-only function, or conditional formatting that Sheets would drop. There is no VBA, no external data connection, and no add-in. That matters because those are the four things that usually break an .xlsx on import, and none of them are present here.

The practical result is that the summary tab calculates the same figures in sheets as it does in Excel, and you can open any cell and read the formula to check it yourself.

What sheets gives you that a desktop file does not

The honest advantage is access. You can log a fill on your phone in the parking lot after a trade closes, while the details are still fresh, instead of waiting until you are back at a laptop. That single change is the difference between a journal that gets filled in and one that does not.

Beyond that: every edit saves itself, so there is no save button to forget. You can share the sheet by link with a mentor, an accountability partner, or a prop firm that wants to see your record. And version history keeps a trail, so if you fat-finger an entry or overwrite a row, you can pull back an earlier revision.

What it costs you

Sheets recalculates as you type. On a workbook this size that is instant, but once you are past a few thousand rows the recalculation starts to lag on each keystroke, and the sheet feels heavy. If you journal several trades a day for years, you will eventually notice it.

The other cost is privacy. A shared link is a decision, not a convenience. The workbook holds your position sizes, your entries and exits, and your P&L. Anyone with the link can read all of it unless you set the sharing permissions deliberately. Decide who needs access before you send it, not after.

Still a manual journal

Importing the file does not connect it to your broker. You type each fill yourself, and the formulas do the arithmetic. That is the whole design. If you want fills pulled in automatically, that is a different product, and TickerReplay does it. The spreadsheet is for people who want the file and the formulas in front of them.

Common questions

Is there a hosted version I can just copy?

No. There is no published sheet sitting at a link for you to duplicate. You download the .xlsx and import it into your own drive, which takes about fifteen seconds and leaves you owning the file outright.

Will the import break any of the formulas?

No. Every function used is standard across both applications, and the workbook contains no macros, pivot tables, or Excel-only functions. The summary tab calculates the same numbers after import as it does before.

Can I share the sheet with my mentor or prop firm?

Yes, and that is one of the reasons to keep it in sheets. Use the share button and set the permission level you actually want. Remember the file contains your position sizes, so a view-only link is usually the right choice over an editable one.

Does it get slow as my trade history grows?

It stays responsive for a long time, but Sheets recalculates on every keystroke, so past a few thousand rows you will feel it. If that becomes a problem, the usual fix is to archive older years into a separate tab and keep the working sheet to the current period.

Can I edit it on my phone right after a trade?

Yes. The Sheets app opens the workbook on iOS and Android, and you can type a row from the phone. That is the main practical reason to run this file in sheets rather than on a desktop.