How to install MetaTrader 5 on your phone and laptop and connect it

MetaTrader 5 (MT5) is the platform most CFD brokers give you to trade with. It's free, it runs on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone, and one installation can hold all your accounts, demo and real, even at different brokers. Here's how to install it and connect it to your account.

Before you start: get your three details

When you open an account, your broker gives you three things. Keep them handy:

1. Login: your account number (digits only).
2. Trading password: lets you log in and trade.
3. Server: the trading server for that account, e.g. a "Demo" or "Real" server. At RoboForex you'll find it in the Members Area and in the account email.

There's also an investor password. It opens the account read-only: you can see positions and history but can't trade. Give that one to anyone who only needs to watch.

Download only from official sources

Get MT5 from your broker's website, metatrader5.com, Google Play or the App Store, and nowhere else. Fake trading apps sent as APK files or links in chats are a common way to steal logins and deposits.

Install on a laptop or desktop

Windows 10/11

1. Download the MT5 installer from your broker's site (it comes with the broker's servers pre-listed) or from metatrader5.com.
2. Run it, accept the licence, press Next, then Finish.
3. MT5 opens and may offer to open a demo account. You can close that window if you already have an account.

macOS

1. Download the macOS version from metatrader5.com.
2. Open the .pkg file and press Install. It runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs; allow the extra components it asks for.
3. It needs about 730 MB of free space.

Connect MT5 on the laptop

1. In MT5 open File → Login to Trade Account (or right-click Accounts in the Navigator window).
2. Enter your login and trading password. Tick Save password only on your own computer.
3. Choose your server. If it's not in the list, type the broker's name (e.g. RoboForex) into the server field and pick the exact server from your email.
4. Press OK. In the bottom-right corner you should see a connection speed, not "No connection".

Install on your phone

Android: open Google Play, search MetaTrader 5, check the developer is MetaQuotes Software Corp., and install.

iPhone / iPad: open the App Store, search MetaTrader 5, check the developer is MetaQuotes, and tap Get.

Connect MT5 on the phone

Android

1. Open MT5 and tap the ☰ menu → Manage accounts → +.
2. Search for your broker and tap the server that matches your account.
3. Choose Log in to an existing account, enter your login and password, and tap Login.

iPhone / iPad

1. Open MT5 → Settings → New Account.
2. Search for your broker and tap your server.
3. Choose Login to an existing account, enter your login and password, and tap Sign In.

When it won't connect

Laptop for planning, phone for checking

Use the laptop for analysis: bigger charts, several timeframes side by side, indicators. Use the phone to monitor and manage trades that are already open. Plan on the big screen, check on the small one, and avoid opening new trades from your phone on impulse.

New to all of this? Read how to open a CFD account and CFD account types explained, or get the whole setup in one printable PDF with our free ebook.