> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tradealign.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Managing Trading Accounts

> Add, edit, archive, and delete trading accounts — manage brokers, balances, and account types.

Trading accounts are the foundation of TradeAlign. Every trade you import belongs to an account, and your performance data is organized by account across the entire app.

***

## Adding an Account

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings">
    Navigate to **Settings** from the left-hand menu, then select the **Accounts** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Add Account">
    Click the **+ Add Account** button in the top right.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select your broker">
    Choose from the supported brokers:

    * **Interactive Brokers**
    * **NinjaTrader**
    * **Other** (custom broker name)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in account details">
    * **Account Name** (required) — a descriptive name for this account
    * **Broker** — pre-filled from your selection
    * **Account Type** — Live, Demo, or Paper
    * **Starting Balance** (required) — your account balance before any trades
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add trades or skip">
    After creating the account, you'll be prompted to add trades. You can:

    * **Manual Entry** — Log a single trade by hand
    * **CSV Import** — Upload a file from your broker
    * **Skip for now** — Add trades later from the Trades Page
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  **Free plan** users are limited to **1 trading account**. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited accounts.
</Info>

<Note>
  **Tracking a prop firm evaluation or funded account?** Those are created on the dedicated **Prop Firm** page, not here — it captures the full rule set (drawdown, daily loss, consistency, payouts) and the eval → funded → breached lifecycle. See [Prop Firm Tracking](/prop-firm/overview). Your prop accounts also appear here under a read-only **Prop Firm Accounts** section, with a link to manage them.
</Note>

***

## Account Types

| Type      | When to use                                              |
| --------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Live**  | A funded, real-money trading account                     |
| **Demo**  | A simulated account for practice (no real money at risk) |
| **Paper** | Paper trading or backtesting results                     |

Prop firm evaluations and funded accounts use their own account type and are managed on the [Prop Firm](/prop-firm/overview) page.

***

## Editing an Account

From the Accounts tab, click the **action menu** (three dots) on any account to access these options:

### Rename

Change the display name of an account. This is cosmetic — it doesn't affect your trade data.

### Edit Balance

Adjust your account's starting balance:

1. Select **Add Funds** or **Remove Funds**
2. Enter the amount
3. Click to apply

Your **current balance** is automatically calculated as starting balance plus cumulative P\&L from all trades. Editing the balance adjusts the starting point — it does not modify individual trades.

### Upload Trades

Opens the trade import flow for this specific account. See the import guides for [Tradovate](/getting-started/import-trades-tradovate), [TopstepX](/getting-started/import-trades-topstepx), [Interactive Brokers](/getting-started/import-trades-interactive-brokers), or [any CSV](/getting-started/import-trades-manual-csv).

***

## Archiving an Account

Archiving hides an account and its trades across the entire app without deleting anything.

**What happens when you archive:**

* Trades from this account are hidden in the Trades Page, Dashboard, and Analytics
* You can't add new trades or upload CSVs to an archived account
* You can't edit the balance of an archived account
* The account no longer appears in filter dropdowns

**You can unarchive at any time** to restore the account and all its trades.

<Tip>
  Archive is useful when you've finished a prop firm evaluation, switched brokers, or want to clean up your view without losing historical data.
</Tip>

***

## Deleting an Account

<Warning>
  Deleting an account is **permanent** and **cannot be undone**. It removes the account **and all trades** associated with it.
</Warning>

To delete:

1. Click the action menu on the account
2. Select **Delete**
3. Confirm in the dialog

Only delete an account if you're certain you no longer need any of the trade data. If you just want to hide it, use [Archive](#archiving-an-account) instead.

***

## Understanding Your Balance

Your account displays two numbers:

| Value                | What it means                                                                   |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Starting Balance** | The balance you entered when creating the account (adjustable via Edit Balance) |
| **Current Balance**  | Starting balance + cumulative P\&L from all closed trades                       |

The current balance updates automatically as you import new trades. It reflects your actual account performance based on the trade data in TradeAlign.