Move your trading journal: a backup and restore checklist
Create a dated JSON snapshot, restore it safely in another browser and reconcile the result before retiring the original copy.
Record a baseline before moving
Before changing browsers or devices, open the existing journal and note its account currency, trade count and NET RESULT. Check one early and one recent entry against your original records. This is a migration checkpoint: a matching total alone cannot prove that every trade is correct. Avoid adding entries in two browsers during the move, because SanForex does not synchronize them or merge separate journals.
Make a snapshot you can identify
Choose Export JSON and confirm that the downloaded file exists. Keep the original export unchanged. Its default filename includes the export date; add a time and currency to distinguish repeated snapshots, for example sanforex-journal-2026-11-01-1530-USD.json. Renaming the file does not require changing its contents. Record the baseline alongside the filename, without account numbers or login details. Export CSV separately if you want spreadsheet review; CSV cannot restore this journal.
Check three rows by hand
For a small USD practice journal, enter gross results of $120, −$40 and $0 with respective costs of $5, $3 and $2. The stored net results should be $115, −$43 and −$2: 115 − 43 − 2 = $70 across three trades. The third record is a loss after costs, despite zero gross P&L. JSON and CSV contain net results rather than a separate recoverable breakdown of gross amounts and costs. Retain statements separately when that detail matters.
Restore without losing the destination
In the destination browser, first export any existing journal you want to keep. Choose Import and select the unchanged JSON snapshot. Import replaces the destination entries; it does not append them. When there are existing entries, a confirmation asks whether to replace them. A valid import supports at most 5,000 trades and a file no larger than 2 MB. If rejected, keep the original file and investigate the message instead of repeatedly editing its structure.
Reconcile before closing the old copy
Compare currency, count and NET RESULT with the baseline, then inspect the same early and recent rows, their dates, pairs and notes. For the practice example, require USD, three trades and $70. If anything differs, preserve both exports and resolve the discrepancy before continuing. Choose Save entries on this device if you want persistence in the destination browser; importing does not automatically enable that checkbox. Keep separate snapshots for separate account currencies rather than combining their cash totals.
Keep the export private and recoverable
Downloaded exports are ordinary files containing your notes and results; they are not password-protected by the journal. Store them in a location you control and avoid public shared folders. Browser-local saving is convenient but is not a backup or cloud sync. MDN documents that localStorage belongs to the site origin and that private-browsing data is cleared when the last private tab closes. Keep the known-good export before clearing browser data or retiring a device. This checklist checks data continuity, not trading performance.
Protect an unreadable saved copy
If the journal reports an unreadable or unsupported saved format, it leaves that saved copy unchanged. Download the protected saved copy before attempting repairs, and keep it private. Temporary edits or importing a known-good JSON file do not replace the protected copy while saving is off. Enabling saving asks before replacing an existing protected copy. Turning saving off asks before removing the browser copy; export current entries first. A protected-copy download preserves the original text but does not guarantee it can be repaired.
Sources and conventions
Examples are hypothetical. Arithmetic follows the formulas documented in our methodology. Broker contract specifications determine actual lot, margin and execution conditions. These sources document definitions and data; a source link does not imply endorsement of SanForex or a trading service.
These materials are prepared with AI assistance and checked against worked examples and deterministic calculation tests where applicable. They are not an expert suitability assessment or investment advice.
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