Use an MT4 to MT5 trade copier when your trading happens on MT4 but the account you want to grow runs MT5. A common case is an EA or a manual routine that has lived on MT4 for years, while the new broker account or prop firm challenge is on MT5. Heron Copier watches the MT4 master and repeats every open, modification, partial close and close on the MT5 slave.
The two platforms track positions differently. MT4 is hedging only, so every trade is its own ticket. An MT5 account is either hedging or netting, set by the broker. On a hedging MT5 account each MT4 ticket stays a separate position. On a netting account, trades on the same symbol merge into one, so pick a hedging account if your MT4 strategy opens opposite trades on one symbol. Symbol names usually change too, for example EURUSD.m on MT4 and EURUSD.raw on MT5, which a suffix or aliases on the slave fix.
It runs in the Heron Copier cloud, with no VPS and nothing to install, or locally on your own VPS. Every paid license includes both.
How to set up MT4 to MT5 copying
- Add your MT4 account as the master in the dashboard. Connect it with your MT4 account number, password and broker server.
- Add your MT5 account as the slave and pick the master it copies from. Connect it with your MT5 account number, password and broker server.
- Choose one of the six volume sizing methods for the slave and, if the brokers name symbols differently, add a symbol suffix or aliases.
- Launch. Cloud accounts are usually online in under 60 seconds, and the dashboard shows every copied trade, balance and position live.
About MT4 and MT5
MetaTrader 4 came out in 2005 and is still the most common retail forex platform. Brokers and prop firms keep offering it because of its large library of Expert Advisors and indicators written in MQL4.
MetaTrader 5 is MetaQuotes' successor to MT4, released in 2010. It adds more timeframes, a depth of market view and exchange-traded instruments, and runs Expert Advisors written in MQL5.
For everything else about each platform, see the MT4 Trade Copier and MT5 Trade Copier pages.
MT4 vs MT5
| Detail | MT4 (master) | MT5 (slave) |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | MetaQuotes | MetaQuotes |
| Markets | Forex, CFDs on indices, metals and commodities, and crypto CFDs, depending on the broker | Forex, CFDs, and at some brokers stocks and exchange-traded futures |
| How Heron Copier connects | MT4 account number, password and broker server | MT5 account number, password and broker server |
| Position model | Hedging: every trade is a separate ticket | Hedging or netting, set by the broker per account |
| Trade size | Lots (usually 0.01 lot steps) | Lots (usually 0.01 lot steps) |
| Symbol names | Broker-specific, often with suffixes such as EURUSD.m or US30.cash | Broker-specific, often with suffixes such as EURUSD.raw or NAS100.cash |
| API speed | 500+ requests per minute | 500+ requests per minute |
| Partial closes sent to slaves (as master) | Yes | Yes |
| Partial closes received (as slave) | Yes | Yes |
| Position resync on its slaves | Yes | Yes |
| Local version | Yes, plus the cloud version | Yes, plus the cloud version |
| EA / cBot hosting | Yes, .ex4 Expert Advisors | Yes, .ex5 Expert Advisors |
Things to check before you start
- MT4 and MT5 brokers rarely use the same symbol names. Set a suffix or explicit aliases on the slave, for example US30.cash=DJ30. Auto symbol mapping catches what is left as a last resort.
- Minimum volume and volume steps can differ between the two platforms. The default Equity-to-Equity sizing keeps risk in proportion, and per-symbol lot caps stop oversized trades.
- Turn on Position Resync if you want the MT5 slave to check that every copied position is still open on the master.
- Trades opened by your EAs are copied too. Use the magic number whitelist or blacklist on the slave to copy only some EAs.
Frequently asked questions
Can one MT4 master copy to several MT5 accounts?
Yes. Add as many MT5 slaves as you need, each with its own volume sizing, symbol mapping and risk limits. In the cloud every account uses one cloud seat, and the local version has no account limit.
What if my MT4 and MT5 brokers name symbols differently?
Add a suffix such as .m, or explicit aliases such as US30.cash=DJ30, with a per-symbol lot multiplier where contract sizes differ. Symbols that still don't match go through auto symbol mapping as a last resort.
Can I copy from MT5 to MT4 instead?
Yes. Every trading platform Heron Copier supports can be a master or a slave. See the MT5 to MT4 trade copier.
What happens if a trade fails to copy?
Turn on failed trade copy notifications to get an e-mail alert. The account logs in the dashboard also show the reason, for example a symbol that doesn't exist on the slave or a size below the minimum.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, 7 days with 2 cloud accounts. During the trial a slave copies every trade at a fixed 0.01 lot; a paid license unlocks the other sizing methods.
