{"id":1021345,"date":"2022-05-10T05:27:28","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T12:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/?p=1021345"},"modified":"2024-03-29T21:26:36","modified_gmt":"2024-03-30T04:26:36","slug":"how-to-install-an-ea-in-mt4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/how-to-install-an-ea-in-mt4\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Install an EA in MT4"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The process of installing an Expert Advisor (EA) is very simple.\u00a0EAs are also known as trading robots. They can execute automated trading strategies or manage your trades.<\/p>\n<p>Installing an EA is easy, here are the steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Download the custom EA<\/li>\n<li>Open MT4 and go to <strong><em>File<\/em><\/strong> &gt; <em><strong>Open Data Folder<\/strong><\/em> in the menu<\/li>\n<li>Navigate to <em><strong>MQL4<\/strong><\/em> &gt; <em><strong>Experts<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Drag the EA into the <em><strong>Experts<\/strong><\/em> folder<\/li>\n<li>Restart MT4 and drag the EA onto the chart<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If you want more details, the tutorial below will give you step-by-step instructions on how to install your first EA.<\/p>\n<p>It only takes a couple of minutes, once you know what you're doing.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/leH9PGkLc6Q\" width=\"840\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>The Installation Process<\/h2>\n<p>Installing an EA can be a little confusing, if you've never done it before.<\/p>\n<p>These simple steps will have you up and running with your new EA in just a couple of minutes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Remember that EAs cannot be installed on the web or mobile versions of MT4. They only work on the desktop version.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Step 1: Download the Custom EA<\/h3>\n<p>First download the custom EA from your provider. It doesn't matter where you get the EA from, as long as you trust the source.<\/p>\n<p>You can download an EA from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mql5.com\/en\/code\/mt4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MT4 Codebase<\/a> or from our <a href=\"https:\/\/store.tradingheroes.com\/\">Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If the EA is in .ZIP format, then double click the file to extract it. From there, you should get a .EX4 or .MQ4 file.<\/p>\n<p><em>Either file format will work.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1021349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-10-at-5.19.10-AM.png\" alt=\"EA file types\" width=\"280\" height=\"182\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Step 2: Open the MT4 Data Folder<\/h3>\n<p>Once you have the EA downloaded, it's time to add it to MT4.<\/p>\n<p>Open MetaTrader, then go to <em><strong>File<\/strong><\/em> &gt; <em><strong>Open Data Folder<\/strong><\/em> at the top of the screen.<\/p>\n<p>This will open the data folder where all of the data for your user profile is stored.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 3: Copy the EA Into the Data Folder<\/h3>\n<p>Double-click the <em><strong>MQL4<\/strong><\/em> folder, then double-click the <em><strong>Experts<\/strong><\/em> folder.<\/p>\n<p>Then drag and drop the EA into the <em><strong>Experts<\/strong><\/em> folder.<\/p>\n<p>Your EA is now installed.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 4: Restart MT4<\/h3>\n<p>In order for the EA to be available, you have to restart MT4.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1021348\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-10-at-5.16.46-AM.png\" alt=\"MT4 navigator window\" width=\"207\" height=\"225\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Once you restart MetaTrader, make sure the <em><strong>Navigator<\/strong><\/em> window is open. You can access the <em><strong>Navigator<\/strong><\/em> window by doing one of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Press <em><strong>Control + N<\/strong><\/em> on your keyboard<\/li>\n<li>Click the <em><strong>Navigator<\/strong><\/em> button on the toolbar<\/li>\n<li>Go to <em><strong>View<\/strong><\/em> &gt; <em><strong>Navigator <\/strong><\/em>in the menu<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The expand the <em><strong>Experts<\/strong><\/em> folder to see your EA.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 5: Activate the EA on a Chart<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1021347\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-10-at-5.16.39-AM.png\" alt=\"AutoTrading active\" width=\"259\" height=\"87\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now be sure that the <em><strong>AutoTrading<\/strong><\/em> button is selected. If the button is green EAs are activated. If the button is red, EAs will not work.<\/p>\n<p>Drag the EA from the <em><strong>Navigator<\/strong><\/em> window into your chart window. You should see the name of the EA in the upper right corner with a happy face next to it. This shows that the EA is active.<\/p>\n<p>If there is a sad face next to the indicator name, that means you have to activate <em><strong>AutoTrading<\/strong><\/em> by clicking the button in the toolbar.<\/p>\n<h2>Common Mistakes When Installing an EA<\/h2>\n<p>There are 2 common mistakes that people make when installing an EA.<\/p>\n<p><strong>First, some people double click the EA and expect it to install by itself. An EA has to be installed manually and does not include an auto installer.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>EAs come in either .EX4 or .MQ4 formats. If you want to edit an EA, then you need the .MQ4 file. This is the source file that humans can read and edit.<\/p>\n<p>Once the .MQ4 file is compiled, it's turned into a .EX4 file, which MetaTrader 4 can use. You cannot edit an EA in .EX4 format.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Second, some traders try to use Windows File Explorer to navigate to the MT4 folder and install the EA. MetaTrader used to work like that, but they now use profile folders that are hidden deep in the Windows file system.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So you need to use the <em><strong>File<\/strong><\/em> &gt; <em><strong>Open Data Folder<\/strong><\/em> menu item to access the <em><strong>Experts<\/strong><\/em> folder that you're currently using with your user profile in Windows.<\/p>\n<h2>Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>EAs are fantastic tools for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/automate-backtesting\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"84\">automating part or all of your trading<\/a> system. You don't have to run a completely automated robot. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/how-to-get-started-with-incremental-automation-in-forex-trading\/\">Incremental Automation<\/a> helps you automate your entry, exit or trailing stop loss.<\/p>\n<p>So consider using an EA, even if you don't want to be 100% automated trader. If you don't know how to code, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/find-forex-trading-programmer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here are tips<\/a> on finding a programmer.<\/p>\n<p>You can see our available EAs and other MetaTrader plugins <a href=\"https:\/\/store.tradingheroes.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn the fastest way to install an Expert Advisor for MetaTrader 4. Also learn the common mistakes to avoid. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2022,"featured_media":1022477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[201007],"tags":[201637],"class_list":["post-1021345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trading-software-tutorials","tag-metatrader-4-tutorials","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Install an EA in MT4 - Trading Heroes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn the fastest way to install an Expert Advisor for MetaTrader 4. 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