An EA or copier is ready to run on a VPS only when the correct terminal, account, program, and permissions agree. Installing MetaTrader and seeing prices is not enough.
Use this guide after installing MT4 or MT5 on Windows. It covers a general Windows VPS; MetaTrader’s integrated virtual hosting has a different migration process.
Put the program in the intended terminal#
Open the terminal’s data folder and use the location specified by the vendor. MetaQuotes groups program files by type under MQL4 or MQL5, including separate areas for EAs, indicators, and scripts. Its folder reference explains the structure.
Obtain the version supplied for your terminal. A file or preset with a familiar name is not evidence that it is the correct build. Follow the vendor’s installation and activation instructions, especially when moving a licensed tool to a new machine.
Give each EA the chart and inputs it expects#
Attach the EA to the required chart and load its intended inputs. MT4 and MT5 allow one EA per chart; adding another replaces the first. If a copier is itself an EA, account for that chart slot instead of dropping it onto the strategy’s chart. Both the MT4 launch guide and MT5 robot guide document this behavior.
Keep presets identifiable by tool and account purpose. A copied preset can still contain settings meant for another account, symbol, or operating mode.
Check trading permission at both levels#
The terminal’s automatic-trading control and the individual EA’s permission both matter. An EA may continue calculating while order submission is disabled. Review the MT4 terminal controls or the MT5 robot settings linked above.
Grant DLL access only to trusted software that requires it. If the application uses WebRequest, add its documented trusted URLs rather than enabling unrelated destinations.
Configure copier relationships explicitly#
Identify which account sends trades and which receives them. Then inspect symbol mapping and the copier’s sizing mode against the destination account’s contract details. Similar symbol names do not establish that the instruments or contract sizes are equivalent.
Test an allowed demo workflow and compare the sender’s action with the receiver’s record. A connection indicator cannot show whether the copier chose the intended account or interpreted the symbol correctly. See the multi-account copier guide for the wider setup.
MetaQuotes Signals and third-party copier applications are separate products. A third-party copier’s installation, supported platforms, and account restrictions come from its own documentation.
Avoid running the old and new copies together#
For a manual Windows-to-Windows move, copying an installation does not deactivate the original EA or receiver. Coordinate the handover before enabling the VPS copy to avoid two independent processes submitting actions for the same account.
MetaQuotes virtual hosting behaves differently: its migration process disables local EA trading to prevent parallel execution, and prohibits DLL calls and script migration. Those restrictions, described in MetaQuotes’ migration rules, differ from configuring EAs and companion applications on a full Windows desktop. Neither hosting method establishes that the strategy is profitable or that copied orders will execute as intended.