How to use TheTradingRobot
This guide shows every step, from building your robot to running it in MetaTrader 5.
What you need
MetaTrader 5 on a computer
The free trading app many brokers give you. Robots run on a computer, not in the phone app.
An account with a broker
You need its account number when you buy your robot. Start with a demo account, which uses practice money.
A computer that stays on, or a VPS
Your robot works only while the app is open. A VPS is a computer you rent online that stays on.
An account with us
Building, checking and testing are free. You pay once for each robot you run on your own accounts.
Step 1 of 5
Build your robot
Start from a ready-made example robot, or from a blank page.
Your robot is made of blocks, in rows:
- Triggerswhat starts a check, for example a new bar or a time of day.
- Conditionswhat must be true, for example RSI 14 crosses below 30. Indicators, such as Bollinger Bands, are here too.
- Actionswhat to do, for example buy, sell or close trades.
- Limitsthe limits your robot must keep, for example a daily loss limit and a stop loss on every trade. Every trading robot has them, and you cannot remove them.
- Alertsoptional messages, for example an email when a trade opens.
Drop a block on another's row to connect them: a rule, such as Crosses, on Robot buys, then an indicator on the rule. Open a trade starts after Risk limits once it has a rule. Wiring shows every connection, and lets you draw one by hand.
Click a row to change its numbers in the settings. Each block says what it does in plain words.
Step 2 of 5
Let the builder check it
The builder checks every block by itself as you change your robot. If something is missing, it says what and where, in plain words.
It refuses to make a robot that:
- makes the trade bigger after a loss;
- keeps adding trades while the price moves against you;
- opens trades in the other direction to try to win back a loss;
- trades without a stop loss.
You can change the numbers in your safety limits, but not delete them. See every robot we will not build.
Step 3 of 5: Test it for free
Get the test copy
When your robot passes the check, you can download a free test copy. It runs only in the Strategy Tester in MetaTrader 5, so you can try your rules on past prices before you pay.
You download:
- Your test copy. Its name ends in .ex5. Your numbers, such as your safety limits, are built into it.
- Its compile log, which shows that it was built without errors.
On a chart, the test copy shows a message and does not trade.
cTrader and MetaTrader 4 versions will come later.
Step 3 of 5: Test it for free
Put it into MetaTrader 5
MetaTrader 5 keeps robots in a folder called Experts. Copy your test copy there now. When you buy your robot later, you put it in the same folder in the same way.
Full instructions, with every click: Put your robot into MetaTrader 5.
In MetaTrader 5
Copy your robot into MetaTrader 5
Copy it into the Experts folder. In MetaTrader 5, choose File, then Open Data Folder. In the folder that opens, open MQL5, then Experts, and copy your robot file there.
Refresh the Navigator. Back in MetaTrader 5, open the Navigator (View, then Navigator, or Ctrl+N). Right-click Expert Advisors and choose Refresh. Your robot appears in the list.
Your robot now appears in the Navigator, under Expert Advisors.
Step 3 of 5: Test it for free
Run the test
MetaTrader 5 has a built-in Strategy Tester. It replays past prices, so you can see how your rules would have traded. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.
Use your free test copy here. You can test it as often as you like, with different symbols and dates.
More on testing, including the news file some robots need: Test your robot in the Strategy Tester.
Good to know: the test copy runs only in the Strategy Tester. To run your robot on your own accounts, you buy it in step 4.
In MetaTrader 5
Test it in the Strategy Tester
Open View
then Strategy Tester, or press Ctrl+R. On the Settings tab, choose your robot, the symbol it trades, the timeframe and the dates. For Modelling, "Every tick based on real ticks" is the most detailed choice when your broker provides it.
Your robot's numbers are built into it, so there is nothing to load. Press Start.
To keep the results, right-click in the Backtest tab when the test finishes and choose Report, then HTML. Save the file.
Step 4 of 5
Buy it for your accounts
When you are happy with your tests, you can buy your robot to run it on your own accounts. You pay once for each robot. Prices include VAT.
When you buy, you enter the MetaTrader 5 account numbers your robot may run on, for example a demo account and a live account. Your account number is the login your broker gave you. MetaTrader 5 lists your accounts in the Navigator, under Accounts.
We then build your robot for those accounts and email you when it is ready. You download the robot and its compile log from your account page, and downloading them again is free.
Where to find your account number, and how to change accounts later: The account lock.
On any other account, your robot shows a message and does not trade. If you change your strategy later, the new robot is a new purchase.
Step 5 of 5: Turn it on
Start your robot
Try your robot on your demo account first. Once it is on, it follows your rules by itself while MetaTrader 5 is open.
It runs only on the accounts you entered when you bought it. It does not contact our website, so there is nothing else to set up.
In MetaTrader 5
Put it on a chart and switch it on
Put your robot into MetaTrader 5 the same way as your test copy, in step 3b.
Drag it onto a chart. Open a chart of the market your robot trades, then drag the robot from the Navigator onto it. In the window that opens, on the Common tab, tick “Allow Algo Trading” (older versions: “Allow Auto Trading”). Press OK.
Switch Algo Trading on. On the toolbar, press Algo Trading (older versions call it AutoTrading). The button is green when it is on.
Your robot's name and icon appear in the top right corner of the chart.
Step 5 of 5: Turn it on
Keep it running
Your robot works only while MetaTrader 5 is open and connected to your broker. If you close MetaTrader or turn off your computer, it stops.
To keep it running all the time, use a VPS: a computer you rent online that stays on. Some brokers offer one. We do not host robots for you.
Your account page keeps every robot you bought. You can download them again at any time, for free.
In MetaTrader 5
Your robot runs while
- MetaTrader 5 is open
- It is connected to your broker
- It is logged in to an account you entered
- Algo Trading is on
To stop it at once
- Press Stop robot on its chart and choose how to stop. It stays stopped until you press Resume robot.
- Or switch off Algo Trading on the toolbar, or press Ctrl+E. Your robots stop opening trades. Open trades stay open.
- Or right-click your robot's icon on the chart and choose Remove.
If something goes wrong
Common problems, and how to fix them.
My robot is not in the Navigator
Check that your robot file is in MQL5
My robot is on the chart but does not trade
Check that Algo Trading is switched on in the toolbar, and that "Allow Algo Trading" is ticked on the Common tab of your robot's window. Your safety limits may also have stopped it for the day, it may be outside your trading hours, or it may have been stopped with its own Stop robot button.
My robot says this account is not allowed
Your robot runs only on the account numbers you entered when you bought it. Make sure MetaTrader 5 is logged in to one of them: choose File
The test copy will not run on my chart
The free test copy runs only in the Strategy Tester. To run your robot on your own accounts, buy it (see step 4), then turn it on.
It did well in the Strategy Tester. Will it do the same live?
No one can promise that. Past and test results do not show what will happen next. Live prices, spreads and delays differ from a test.
Something else on the chart?
Every message your robot can show, with what to do: Troubleshooting.
I still need help
Email us at support@
More help
Each page takes one part of running a robot.
Install in MetaTrader 5
Copy the file into the Experts folder, put it on a chart and switch Algo Trading on.Test in the Strategy Tester
Run your rules on past prices, read the result, and make the news file some robots need.The account lock
Where to find your account number, how to change accounts, and what the lock does and does not stop.Where robots run
MetaTrader 5 on a computer, the Mac app and a VPS. Not the phone apps. Keep MetaTrader up to date.Safety limits and stops
Set the numbers, see what happens when a limit is reached, and stop your robot yourself.Troubleshooting
Every message your robot can show on the chart, in plain words, with the fix.
Start building
Open the builder and build your first robot. Building and checking are free.