CSV-MERGE – User Instructions

CSV-MERGE is a desktop application that lets you combine multiple CSV files into a single, clean, sorted output file. It automatically removes duplicate rows, sorts all data chronologically by datetime, and shows live progress stats throughout the process. Ideal for traders working with exported OHLC or candle data from MetaTrader or any other platform.

What You Need

• Windows PC (the app runs as a standalone .exe)
• One or more CSV files to merge
• CSV files must include a date column (YYYY.MM.DD) and a time column (HH:MM) as the first two columns
• Each row must contain at least 7 columns

How to Use CSVMERGE PRO

1. Launch the CSVMERGE PRO application.
2. Click ⊕ ADD FILES or click anywhere in the drop zone to browse for your CSV files.
3. Select one or more CSV files — they will appear in the Queued Files list with their file sizes shown.
4. To remove a file from the queue, right-click it or press the Delete key.
5. Click ⚙ MERGE & SAVE to begin the merge process.
6. Choose a destination and filename for your output CSV file.
7. The app will load, sort, deduplicate, and write the final file automatically.

What Happens During a Merge

1. Load — All rows from every queued file are read and parsed.
2. Sort — Rows are sorted chronologically using the date and time columns.
3. Deduplicate — Any rows sharing an identical datetime are reduced to one.
4. Write — The cleaned, sorted data is saved to your chosen output file.

Expected CSV Format

Your input files should follow this column structure:

		Date,Time,Open,High,Low,Close,Volume
		2024.01.02,00:00,1820.50,1821.30,1819.80,1820.90,342
		2024.01.02,00:01,1820.90,1822.10,1820.40,1821.75,289
			

Live Stats

During and after a merge, CSVMERGE PRO displays:

• Total Rows — combined row count across all input files
• Duplicates Removed — number of redundant rows discarded
• Final Row Count — rows written to the output file

Important Notes

• Rows with fewer than 7 columns or an unrecognised date/time format are skipped silently.
• Deduplication is based solely on the datetime value — the first occurrence is kept.
• Large files with millions of rows may take a few seconds to process.
• The UI stays responsive during merging as processing runs in a background thread.
• Output is saved as a standard UTF-8 encoded CSV file.

Common Use Cases

• Merging OHLC candle data exported from MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5
• Combining historical price data downloaded across multiple date ranges
• Cleaning and deduplicating data before backtesting or analysis
• Preparing large datasets for machine learning or custom strategy development
• Consolidating candle exports from different brokers