MT4 and MT5 are different trading platforms. Check your actual account, server, instruments and software before choosing. MT5 can use netting or hedging depending on the account; an MT4 Expert Advisor is not automatically an MT5 program. A platform change does not guarantee better execution or trading results.
Start with the account and server
Confirm which platform the broker assigned to your account, then use its exact login and server. A client-area password, trading password and investor password serve different purposes. Installing MT5 does not turn an MT4 account into an MT5 account.
Before changing devices or software, record the account identifier, platform version and server name securely. Do not share passwords in a support screenshot. If a login fails, check these details before resetting credentials or opening another account.
Check how positions are recorded
On an MT5 netting account, an instrument has a single resulting position: an opposite deal can reduce, close or reverse it. On a hedging account, separate positions can coexist. The broker determines the account’s accounting mode; the platform name alone does not identify it.
This matters when practising partial closes, opposite orders and stop changes. Use a demo account with the intended accounting mode and inspect the resulting positions and deal history. Do not assume that a familiar-looking order ticket means identical behaviour.
Review indicators and automated trading separately
MT4 automation uses MQL4; MT5 uses MQL5. A compiled program for one platform should not be treated as a compatible file for the other. Source-code migration can require changes to event handling and trading operations, plus a fresh review of how orders, deals and positions are managed.
Ask the software publisher for the correct platform version, supported builds and installation instructions. Backtests and demo runs are useful checks, but they do not establish future profitability or guarantee live execution. Never use a platform migration as proof that an automated strategy has become safer.
Compare the actual symbol specifications
A platform’s capabilities and a broker account’s conditions are different things. Instrument availability, contract size, tick size, minimum volume, volume step, commission, financing and margin depend on the account and symbol configuration.
Open the specification for the symbol you actually intend to inspect. Similar names or suffixes do not guarantee equivalent contracts. Compare the same trade size, account currency and holding period when checking costs, rather than inferring a cheaper account from its platform.
Run a short migration checklist on demo
Test the complete workflow before relying on the new setup. The purpose is to find differences while using virtual funds, not to validate a return forecast.
- Confirm the correct platform, server and account mode.
- Inspect the symbol specification and permitted order volume.
- Practise opening, modifying and closing a demo position, including its stop.
- Check that indicators or Expert Advisors are the correct platform versions.
- Review the history report and reconnect after restarting the platform.
Sources and editorial note
This Traders Trust educational guide explains general mechanics using original, hypothetical scenarios. The sources below support the definitions and platform behaviour. Other providers’ terms do not describe a Traders Trust account. No investment recommendation or personal suitability assessment is provided.
Sources checked 6 November 2026. This is a source-check date, not a claim of publication or professional review. Current account, instrument and execution terms take precedence over an illustration.
- MetaQuotes: Moving from MQL4 to MQL5Language and program-migration differences; not a claim that existing compiled programs are interchangeable.
- MetaTrader 5 Help: Basic principlesOrders, deals, positions and account-dependent position accounting.
- MetaTrader 5 Help: Market WatchSymbol-level trading specifications and configured capabilities.