Welcome to this comprehensive installation guide! If you’ve purchased any of my products from the MQL5 Marketplace—whether it’s an Indicator, Expert Advisor (EA), or Utility—this step-by-step walkthrough will help you get set up quickly and easily on both MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platforms. This guide is designed to be generic and applicable to all items in my profile, leveraging the terminal’s automated features for a seamless experience. If your product includes notifications or custom settings, we’ll touch on basic configuration as well.
Note: Always ensure you have the latest version of MT4 or MT5 installed from the official MetaQuotes website. Products are tied to your MQL5 account, so keep your login details secure. This guide assumes you’ve already created an MQL5.com account.
1. Purchasing the Product on MQL5.com
Before installation, you need to acquire the product from the MQL5 Marketplace.
- Visit the MQL5.com website and log in to your account.
- Search for the desired product (Indicator, Expert Advisor, or Utility) using the marketplace search bar.
- Review the product details, including compatibility (MT4/MT5), features, and activation limits (e.g., number of devices allowed).
- Ensure your MQL5 account has sufficient funds. If not, top up via the available payment methods.
- Click the “Buy” or “Rent” button (depending on the option) and complete the transaction. You’ll receive a confirmation email.
2. Logging into the MQL5 Community in Your MetaTrader Terminal
To access purchased products, link your terminal to your MQL5 account.
- Open your MT4 or MT5 terminal.
- Navigate to Tools > Options (or press Ctrl+O).
- Switch to the Community tab (in MT4) or Community section (in MT5).
- Enter your MQL5.com login (this is your username, not your email address) and password.
- Click OK to save and connect. A successful login will show a confirmation message.
Important: If you encounter login issues, double-check your credentials on MQL5.com. Avoid using VPNs or proxies, as they may interfere.
3. Downloading and Installing the Product
Once logged in, products are downloaded directly within the terminal.
For MT4:
- In the terminal, open the Market tab at the bottom (if not visible, enable it via View > Terminal or Ctrl+T, then select Market).
- Click on Purchased to view your bought items.
- Locate your product (Indicator, EA, or Utility) in the list.
- Click Install next to it. The terminal will automatically download and place the files in the appropriate folders:
- Indicators: Installed to MQL4/Indicators folder.
- Expert Advisors: Installed to MQL4/Experts folder.
- Utilities (often scripts or tools): Installed to MQL4/Scripts folder.
- Wait for the installation to complete; a progress bar may appear.
For MT5:
- In the terminal, go to the Navigator window (View > Navigator or Ctrl+N).
- Expand Market > Purchases.
- Right-click on your product and select Installor simply double-click it.
- The files will be automatically placed in:
- Indicators: MQL5/Indicators folder.
- Expert Advisors: MQL5/Experts folder.
- Utilities: MQL5/Scripts folder (for script-like utilities) or a custom subfolder if specified.
- Confirm the installation via the Journal tab (it logs successful downloads).
Tip: Restart the terminal after installation to ensure all files load properly. You can manually verify file locations by navigating to File > Open Data Folder in the terminal, which opens the root directory containing MQL4 or MQL5 subfolders.
4. Attaching the Product to a Chart
After installation, apply the product to your trading charts.
- Open a new chart for your preferred symbol and timeframe (e.g., EURUSD H1) via File > New Chart.
- In the Navigator window (Ctrl+N):
- For Indicators: Expand Indicators > Marketright-click your indicator, and select Attach to Chart (or drag it onto the chart).
- For Expert Advisors: Expand Expert Advisors > Marketright-click your EA, and select Attach to Chart (or drag it). Enable AutoTrading in the toolbar if needed.
- For Utilities: Expand Scripts > Market (or Utilities if categorized separately), right-click, and select Execute on Chart (utilities often run as one-time scripts).
- A settings window will appear. Adjust inputs as per the product’s documentation (e.g., parameters for alerts, colors, or calculation periods).
- Click OK to apply. The product should now appear on the chart (e.g., indicator lines, EA status in the top-right corner).
Differentiation by Product Type:
- Indicators: These overlay data on charts (e.g., moving averages). They don’t execute trades but provide visual signals.
- Expert Advisors (EAs): Automated trading bots. Ensure “Allow live trading” is checked in settings, and monitor the Experts tab for logs.
- Utilities: Tools for tasks like trade management or data export. They may run in the background or on-demand.
If the product doesn’t load, compile it manually: Right-click in Navigator and select Compile.
5. Setting Up Notifications (If Supported by the Product)
Many products include alerts for signals. Configure these in the terminal.
- Go to Tools > Options > Events to enable sound alerts.
- For email notifications: In Tools > Options > Emailenter your SMTP server details, login, password, and recipient email. Use the format for From and To fields as “Your Name, your.email@example.com“. Test with the “Test” button. Common SMTP server examples for popular providers include:
- Gmail: smtp.gmail.com:465
- Outlook/Hotmail: smtp-mail.outlook.com:587
- Yahoo: smtp.mail.yahoo.com:465
- iCloud: smtp.mail.me.com:587
- Mail.com: smtp.mail.com:465
- Mail.ru: smtp.mail.ru:25
- Zoho: smtp.zoho.com:465
- GMX: smtp.gmx.com:465 For other providers, search for their specific SMTP settings online or refer to resources like SMTP server lists.
- For push notifications: In Tools > Options > Notificationsenter your MetaQuotes ID (found in your MQL5.com profile or mobile app settings). Enable push in the product’s settings.
Test notifications by triggering a signal in a demo account.
6. Troubleshooting Common Issues
If something goes wrong, try these steps:
- Installation Fails: Delete temporary files from C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes\Terminal\Community (replace “YourUsername” with your actual Windows username). Restart the terminal and retry.
- Product Not Visible: Ensure you’re logged in correctly. Update your terminal build via Help > Check for Updates.
- Activation Errors: Products have limited activations—check your MQL5.com profile under Purchases for remaining counts. Contact support if exceeded.
- Chart Issues: Adjust chart properties (right-click chart > Properties) for better visibility, e.g., change colors if overlaps occur.
- General Errors: Review the Journal or Experts tab for logs. Run on a demo account first to avoid risks.
If problems persist, visit the MQL5.com forums or contact the seller (me!) via the product page.
Final Tips
- Always test products on a demo account before live trading.
- Regularly update your terminal and products via the Market tab.
- For custom settings, refer to the product’s specific description on MQL5.com, as inputs vary (e.g., alert thresholds for Indicators or risk parameters for EAs).
- If your product requires manual file copying (rare for Market purchases), place files in the folders mentioned in Section 3 and restart the terminal.
This generic guide ensures smooth setup for all my Indicators, Expert Advisors, and Utilities. Happy trading! If you need product-specific advice, reach out on the MQL5 product page.