This guide will show you how to install and troubleshoot indicators for MetaTrader 4.
We only provide support for indicators that you have purchased from us.
Please keep in mind that we partner with some third party developers to create some indicators, so we may refer you to them for support because they are the experts on how the indicator works.
Table of Contents
Check Your Version of MetaTrader
What to do if an Indicator is Zipped?
How to Change the Settings of Your Indicator
How Do I Install Custom Indicators on “MT4 for Mac?”
Will the Indicators Work on a Mac?
Can I Install Custom Indicators on the Mobile Versions or the Web Version of MT4?
What Do I Do if I Cannot Open Zip Files in Windows?
Does My Computer Have to be Turned On to Get MT4 Alerts?
How do I Setup Push Notifications to the Mobile App?
How do I Get Text Messages to My Phone?
Will an Indicator Send Alerts for All Currency Pairs and Timeframes Automatically?
What's the Fastest Way to Save My Settings and Add an Indicator to a Chart?
I'm Experiencing a Delay in Alerts, How Can I Fix This?
The Test Push Notification Worked, But I'm Not Getting Indicator Alerts
Is the Indicator Added to Your Charts?
Check Your Phone Notification Settings
Check Your Sleep or Screensaver Settings
Is Your Computer Turned on and is MetaTrader Running?
My Settings are Not Saving When I Close Metatrader
Check Your Version of MetaTrader
Before you begin, be sure to check which version of MetaTrader you have. MetaTrader 4 indicators will NOT work on MetaTrader 5, and MetaTrader 5 indicators will NOT work on MetaTrader 4.
So be sure to check your version of MetaTrader before purchasing, so you know the right indicator to get.
To check the version of MetaTrader that you're using, open MetaTrader, then in the menu at the top, select:
Help > About…
From there, MetaTrader will show you the version you're using. You should see version 4.00, which is MetaTrader 4.
If you don't have MT4, you can simply download a free version here:
How to Download an Indicator
You will receive an email on how to download the indicator you purchased. We may sell indicators on different platforms, so be sure to follow the instructions you receive.
Simply click on the link to download the file and your computer will download it.
What to do if an Indicator is Zipped?
Some hosting platforms that we use require the MT4 indicator to be zipped. This means that the indicator is compressed for faster download.
You can find out if your indicator is zipped by looking at the name of the file that you downloaded. If it ends with .zip, then the file is zipped.
In order to open the file, simply double click on the file and it will be unzipped to the .ex4 file. This works in both Windows and macOS.
Once you have the .ex4 file, it's now ready to install.
How to Install an Indicator
Follow the instructions in this video to install the indicator. Be sure to restart MT4 after you install the indicator.
How to Change the Settings of Your Indicator
Right-click the chart your indicator is attached to. Select Indicators List.
Select the indicator you want to change from the list and click the Edit button.
You'll now see the indicator settings window. To change the value of any setting, double-click on the Value you want to change. It will become editable.
If you want to save the settings as a template, click on the Save button and give your presets a name. You can use the Load button to load settings you saved.
Click on the OK button to save the settings.
How Do I Install Custom Indicators on “MT4 for Mac?”
This video will show you how to do it and why “MT4 for Mac” is not a good solution. Use this tutorial video for all installs like XM's MT4 for Mac install.
Will the Indicators Work on a Mac?
Yes, if you have MT4 installed on your Mac, then you can install custom indicators.
However, there can be a few exceptions.
Here's the deal…
The desktop version of MT4 only runs on Windows.
In order to get MT4 running on a Mac, you either have to install software that can run Windows, or you have to install software that acts like Windows, to get macOS to run MT4. Once you have MT4 installed, the directions for installing a custom indicator are the same as if you were running MT4 on Windows.
Software that allows you to install Windows on a Mac includes:
- VMWare Fusion
- Bootcamp
- Parallels
These programs require that you actually have a license and install the full version of Windows. MT4 works very well with these solutions and we have never had any issues when using these types of software solutions.
Software that acts like Windows includes:
- Wine
- Crossover for Mac
- PlayOnMac (basically Wine)
These programs don't require Windows to be installed, so they are very unreliable. Some people who use these solutions report that they aren't able to install custom indicators.
If you're using a program like Wine to run MT4, we would highly recommend switching to a more stable solution.
Either pick a solution like VMWare Fusion or buy a cheap Windows laptop and use Remote Desktop to access it with your Mac.
Any company that says they provide a Mac version of MT4 is simply installing something like Wine first, then installing MT4 on top of Wine. This is not a professional solution, especially when your money will be at risk.
Can I Install Custom Indicators on the Mobile Versions or the Web Version of MT4?
No.
The iOS, iPadOS, Android and web versions of MT4 do not allow custom indicators to be installed. We mention this on all of our product information pages.
Therefore, the next best option is to setup an alert indicator in the desktop version of MT4 and send alerts to your mobile device.
You can see our current range of MT4 alert indicators here.
What Do I Do if I Cannot Open Zip Files in Windows?
Sometimes Windows associates zip files with a program that can't open a zip file. Yes, that doesn't make sense, but that's Windows for you.
For example, Windows might be trying to open your ZIP files with Microsoft Word. Or it might try to open files in a PDF viewer, or Microsoft Explorer.
If your computer is opening a file with a program that it shouldn't, this tutorial will show you how to change that in Windows 10. The idea is similar for other operating systems.
Does My Computer Have to be Turned On to Get MT4 Alerts?
Yes, your computer must be turned on at all times, connected to the internet and the desktop version of MT4 must be open, for you to get alerts.
If you cannot leave your computer on, or your internet connection is unreliable, consider using a Virtual Private Server (VPS).
Note: Not all indicators have the ability to send alerts.
How do I Setup Push Notifications to the Mobile App?
Note: Not all indicators have the ability to send notifications.
This is the preferred way to get mobile phone alerts. Follow these instructions to setup push notifications from the desktop version of MT4.
How do I Setup Email Alerts?
Email alerts are difficult to setup and should be avoided, whenever possible.
The reason is that you need to have an email service that will allow MT4 to login to their service and send messages.
Since this could potentially be used by spammers, many free email services have closed down this capability. So it's difficult to find an email service that works, and the services that do work change frequently.
Therefore, you'll need to do some research to find a service with works for you. The service you're looking for is SMTP relay. Be sure to ask a company if they will allow you to do that, before signing up.
If you need to use the email function, then read this tutorial. For more help on setting up your email alerts, contact your broker for help.
We have found that you might have to play with the email settings in MT4, in order to get them to work.
Also be sure to set DoEmail to true in the indicator settings to get email alerts.
How do I Get Text Messages to My Phone?
Some mobile service providers allow you to send text messages to your phone via email. Here's a list of popular carriers and the email address you have to use to send MT4 emails to your phone, in the form of a text message.
- AT&T [insert 10-digit number]@txt.att.net
- Boost Mobile [insert 10-digit number]@sms.myboostmobile.com
- Cricket Wireless [insert 10-digit number]@mms.cricketwireless.net
- Google Project Fi [insert 10-digit number]@msg.fi.google.com
- Republic Wireless [insert 10-digital number]@text.republicwireless.com
- Sprint [insert 10-digit number]@messaging.sprintpcs.com
- Straight Talk [insert 10-digital number]@vtext.com
- T-Mobile [insert 10-digit number]@tmomail.net
- Ting [insert 10-digit number]@message.ting.com
- Tracfone [depends on underlying carrier]
- U.S. Cellular [insert 10-digit number]@email.uscc.net
- Verizon [insert 10-digit number]@vtext.com
- Virgin Mobile [insert 10-digit number]@vmobl.com
To get started, follow the instructions in the previous section on setting up email alerts. Then send the MT4 email alerts to the email address that works with your carrier.
If you do not see your carrier listed, then contact them directly to find out their text-to-email address.
Will an Indicator Send Alerts for All Currency Pairs and Timeframes Automatically?
Most indicators will not, you'll only get alerts for the currency pairs where a chart is open and you've added the indicator to that chart.
For example, if you have the EURUSD H1 chart open and you added the indicator to that chart, you will only get alerts for that pair and timeframe.
However, there are a few indicators that will send alerts for multiple timeframes or multiple currency pairs at the same time. Check with the developer to find out how your specific indicator works.
The issue with these types of indicators is that they can send a lot of unnecessary alerts.
What's the Fastest Way to Save My Settings and Add an Indicator to a Chart?
If you use custom indicator settings and want to use the same settings on all of your charts, then setup a chart template in MT4, with the indicator setup with your preferences. This video will show you how to setup a chart template.
I'm Experiencing a Delay in Alerts, How Can I Fix This?
There are several variables that can determine how quickly you get your alerts on your phone.
- The speed of your internet connection
- Bugs in the MetaTrader software
- Your mobile phone's data coverage
Here are some issues that people have reported.
Email notifications can be affected by similar issues.
You can try the following things to fix this issue:
- Be sure that you have the latest version of MetaTrader 4 on both your laptop and desktop.
- Make sure that you have a strong mobile phone signal or you're using a fast Wi-Fi connection when you're testing your alerts.
- Do a speed test on your internet connection to be sure that it isn't delaying your signals.
- If you have a slow internet connection, go to a place that has fast Wi-Fi and test your signals there.
- Make sure to do a test send from your desktop to your mobile device.
- Be sure that your logged into an account in the mobile version of MT4. You can setup a free demo account in the app, and that will work.
The Test Push Notification Worked, But I'm Not Getting Indicator Alerts
Here's what to check if this is happening to you.
Is the Indicator Added to Your Charts?
First check to see that you've added the alert to an open chart. Alerts will only work when they are added to a chart.
Check the Indicator Settings
Next, be sure that notifications are turned on in the indicator settings. In order to do this, right-click on any chart, then select Indicators List. Then select the indicator from the list and click the Edit button.
Then look at the indicator settings. To turn on a type of alert, set the value to true.
Next, make sure that the situation that leads to an alert is happening in real-time. The best way to do this is to set your chart to the 1 minute timeframe.
Also open multiple charts and use the indicator with different currency pairs. This will give you more changes to see an alert in real-time.
Check Your Phone Notification Settings
If you still do not get a notification, then check the MT4 app on your phone.
Some users have reported that they get the notifications in their messages, but it does not show up as a phone notification.
Check Your Sleep or Screensaver Settings
Another reason that your computer may not be sending alerts is that it might be going into sleep mode. When some computers turn off, they don't send alerts.
This can usually be set in your computer's Power settings. Be sure to set it so that your computer does not go to sleep after a certain period of time.
Is Your Computer Turned on and is MetaTrader Running?
MetaTrader 4 only sends alerts when the computer is running. If you turn your computer off at night, you won't get alerts while your computer is off.
My Settings are Not Saving When I Close Metatrader
There are some installations of MetaTrader that do not save the last settings that you used before MetaTrader was closed.
This is usually not because of the indicator or MetaTrader, but something on your computer that is preventing your last settings from being saved.
If you're using a Mac, see the “MT4 for Mac” section above. There are known issues with MT4 for Mac not saving settings, so avoid that solution if possible.
If you are having this problem, follow these troubleshooting steps:
- Add 2 different indicators to 1 chart, including the indicator you are having issues with.
- Change the settings from the default settings in both indicators.
- Close MetaTrader, then open it again.
- Check the settings on all 2 indicators to see if they are still the same as before you closed MetaTrader.
- If they all go back to the default settings, then there is an issue with your installation of MetaTrader, it's not an issue with the indicators.
To fix this, you can try the following:
- Download another copy of MetaTrader 4 from a different broker and test to see if the settings save.
- Use a different computer with MT4 installed on it.
- Close MetaTrader 4, then right-click on the icon and select “Run as administrator” to open MT4 again.
If none of those steps work, another solution is to create a template:
- Setup your chart colors.
- Add the indicators and EAs you want to use.
- Right-click the chart and save the settings as a template.
- Name your template “Default” to have that as the default chart that loads when you open MT4.
Now you can simply add the template to any chart, which will dramatically speed up the process of changing the settings of the indicator. This video shows you how to do it.
How do I Change the Desktop Alert Sound?
This video will show you how to do it.
How Do I Get a Refund?
Indicators that don't require a license key are non-refundable. Since you cannot “return” an indicator once you download it, please be sure that the indicator will work for you before purchasing.
The only exception is if you have talked to support and they were not able to solve your issue. Please contact the right support team at the bottom of this page to get help with your indicator.
Where Can I Get More Help?
If you are still having issues with your custom indicator, you can contact the developer of the indicator directly. This is the fastest way to get help with your indicator because the developer knows exactly how the indicator works.
You can find the developer of your indicator by looking at the title of the indicator you bought.
Here's an example:
Click on the following links to contact the developer of your indicator:
When contacting the developer for help, please provide the following information:
- The email address you used for your purchase
- The indicator you purchased
- Which version of the indicator you purchased (MT4, MT5, etc.)
- Do your best to explain the issue and what you've tried already
Thanks!
Thank you so much for purchasing from us and if you have any issues, please feel free to contact us. We hope your trading is going well!