Setup guide: from broker to a bot that trades
Follow these steps in order. You will finish with an MT5 EA running on a VPS, trading while your phone and computer are off.
1. Open the right broker account
- Pick a broker from the Brokers menu at the top of the site. For most of our EAs, Just Markets is our first choice.
- Open a Standard or Raw/ECN account in USD with a hedging account type, and choose MetaTrader 5 as the platform.
- Start with a demo account, and only move to live when you have watched the bot for a week or two.
- Check that your broker offers XAUUSD (gold) with a low spread. Some brokers add a suffix such as XAUUSDm; note the exact symbol name.
2. Pick the right bot
| Your situation | Choose |
|---|---|
| New to trading, small account | A bot marked Beginner friendly, low risk, and a small lot size |
| Want steady, selective trades | Sniper or price action style bots |
| Comfortable with higher risk | Grid or recovery bots, with a hard drawdown limit |
| Trading a prop firm challenge | A bot marked Prop firm ready, and check the firm's rules first |
Not sure? Use Find my bot and answer a few questions.
3. Get a VPS
A VPS is a computer in a data centre that stays on 24/5, so your bot never misses a trade.
- Choose Windows, at least 2 GB RAM and 1 CPU core, in a location near your broker's server.
- You can use the MetaTrader built-in VPS or any Windows VPS provider.
- Connect to it with Remote Desktop (Windows) or a Remote Desktop app on Android, iPhone or Mac.
4. Install MetaTrader 5 on the VPS
- On the VPS, download MetaTrader 5 from your broker's website.
- Log in with the account number, password and server name from your broker's email.
- Open a XAUUSD chart (M5 or the timeframe the bot page recommends).
5. Install the EA
- Download the EA file (.ex5) from your account page after you get the bot.
- In MT5 go to File → Open Data Folder → MQL5 → Experts and paste the file there.
- In the Navigator panel, right-click Expert Advisors and choose Refresh.
- Drag the EA onto the XAUUSD chart. In the Common tab tick Allow Algo Trading.
- In the Inputs tab, click Load and pick the set file from the bot's download, then adjust the lot size to your account size.
- Turn on the green Algo Trading button in the toolbar. A smiley face on the chart's top right means the EA is running.
6. Check that it is working
- The Experts tab (View → Toolbox) should show the EA loaded with no red errors.
- Trades only open when the bot's rules are met, so it can take hours or days for the first one.
- Do not close the Remote Desktop window with "log off". Just close it and the VPS keeps running.
- Review results weekly, and do not change settings after a few losing trades.
Common problems
- No trades: Algo Trading is off, the wrong symbol is on the chart, or the spread filter is blocking entries.
- "Trade disabled" or "Market closed": your account or the market is closed, so check the symbol's trading hours.
- Frowning face on the chart: Algo Trading is not allowed. Turn on the toolbar button and the EA's Common tab option.
Stuck?
Trading carries a high risk of loss. Test on a demo account first and only risk money you can afford to lose.