Copy trades from MT5 to MT4 when you trade on MT5 but some of the accounts you want to fill are still on MT4, such as an older broker account or a prop firm that offers MT4. Heron Copier reads the MT5 master and places each trade on the MT4 slave, then follows every modification, partial close and close.
MT4 is hedging only, so each copied trade becomes its own ticket on the slave, with its own stop loss and take profit. Lot steps are usually 0.01 on both platforms, and the slave can use any of the volume sizing methods, from Equity-to-Equity to a fixed risk per trade. MT4 brokers often add suffixes such as .m or .pro to symbol names. Set a suffix or aliases on the slave, or let auto symbol mapping find the match. If your MT5 EAs trade several strategies, a magic number filter on the slave copies only the ones you want.
You can run it in the Heron Copier cloud, where there is no VPS to rent and nothing to install, or locally on your own VPS. Every paid license includes both.
How to set up MT5 to MT4 copying
- Add your MT5 account as the master in the dashboard. Connect it with your MT5 account number, password and broker server.
- Add your MT4 account as the slave and pick the master it copies from. Connect it with your MT4 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 MT5 and MT4
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.
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.
For everything else about each platform, see the MT5 Trade Copier and MT4 Trade Copier pages.
MT5 vs MT4
| Detail | MT5 (master) | MT4 (slave) |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | MetaQuotes | MetaQuotes |
| Markets | Forex, CFDs, and at some brokers stocks and exchange-traded futures | Forex, CFDs on indices, metals and commodities, and crypto CFDs, depending on the broker |
| How Heron Copier connects | MT5 account number, password and broker server | MT4 account number, password and broker server |
| Position model | Hedging or netting, set by the broker per account | Hedging: every trade is a separate ticket |
| Trade size | Lots (usually 0.01 lot steps) | Lots (usually 0.01 lot steps) |
| Symbol names | Broker-specific, often with suffixes such as EURUSD.raw or NAS100.cash | Broker-specific, often with suffixes such as EURUSD.m or US30.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, .ex5 Expert Advisors | Yes, .ex4 Expert Advisors |
Things to check before you start
- MT5 and MT4 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 MT4 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 MT5 master copy to several MT4 accounts?
Yes. Add as many MT4 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 MT5 and MT4 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 MT4 to MT5 instead?
Yes. Every trading platform Heron Copier supports can be a master or a slave. See the MT4 to MT5 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.
