Beginner-Friendly • Step-by-Step

Troubleshooting Guide

How to use this guide: Work through the checklist below first. It covers 90% of issues in under 2 minutes.

Start Here — Quick Checklist

Go through these steps in order. Stop as soon as you find the problem.

  1. 1

    Is the green Algo Trading button ON in the MT5 toolbar?

    It must be green, not grey.

  2. 2

    Is trading enabled on the chart?

    Look at the top-right corner of the chart — it should show a green icon, not red.

  3. 3

    Is MT5 connected to your broker?

    Check the bottom bar — it should say your account number, not 'No connection'.

  4. 4

    Did you log in with the MASTER password?

    Not the Investor (read-only) password.

  5. 5

    Is the symbol tradeable?

    In Market Watch, if the symbol name is grey, trading is disabled for it.

  6. 6

    Is the market currently open?

    Some symbols (e.g. indices, commodities) close at certain times.

  7. 7

    Open the Experts Tab (bottom panel).

    Are there any error messages from the EA?

  8. 8

    Open the Journal Tab (bottom panel).

    Are there any error messages from the platform?

Back up and running?

You're all set — happy trading. Bookmark this page so it's one click away next time.

Still stuck?

Check the FAQ for detailed answers, or contact our team — include any error text from the Experts or Journal tab.

Set Up Mobile Push Notifications

Get signal and trade alerts on your phone, wherever you are.

To receive push notifications from MT4 or MT5 on your phone, find your unique MetaQuotes ID in the mobile app and enter it into your desktop platform. Follow the three steps below.

  1. 1

    Find your MetaQuotes ID on mobile

    Your phone generates a unique 8-character ID that routes notifications to your device. Find it first.

    Apple (iOS)

    1. 1.Open the MT4 or MT5 app on your iPhone or iPad.
    2. 2.Tap Settings (the gear icon in the bottom-right corner).
    3. 3.Select Messages or Chat and Messages.
    4. 4.Find your ID at the bottom under My MetaQuotes ID.

    Android

    1. 1.Open the MT4 or MT5 app on your Android device.
    2. 2.Tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines, top-left corner).
    3. 3.Select Messages (the envelope icon).
    4. 4.Find your ID shown as My MetaQuotes ID.
  2. 2

    Link your desktop platform

    Enter the ID into your desktop platform so it knows where to send alerts.

    MetaTrader 4 (Desktop)

    1. 1.Open MT4, then click Tools → Options (or press Ctrl + O).
    2. 2.Go to the Notifications tab.
    3. 3.Check Enable Push Notifications.
    4. 4.Optional: check Notify of trade transactions for order open/modify/close alerts.
    5. 5.Enter your 8-character MetaQuotes ID in the MetaQuotes ID field.
    6. 6.Click Test — a notification should reach your phone instantly. Click OK to save.

    MetaTrader 5 (Desktop)

    1. 1.Open MT5, then click Tools → Options.
    2. 2.Go to the Notifications tab.
    3. 3.Check Enable Push Notifications.
    4. 4.Optional: check Notify of trade transactions for automatic manual and EA trade alerts.
    5. 5.Type your mobile MetaQuotes ID into the field provided.
    6. 6.Click Test to confirm the connection, then click OK to apply.
  3. 3

    Check mobile system permissions

    If the Test alert never arrives, make sure your phone allows MetaTrader to show notifications.

    iOS

    1. 1.Go to Settings → Notifications → MetaTrader 4/5.
    2. 2.Turn on Allow Notifications.

    Android

    1. 1.Go to Settings → Apps → MetaTrader 4/5 → Notifications.
    2. 2.Enable Show Notifications.

Tip: MetaTrader caps push notifications at 1 message every 0.5 seconds and 10 per minute — some alerts may be throttled during very active sessions.