You can't download MT4 from Metatrader.
You'll have to download it from a broker.
You can't download MT4 from Metatrader.
You'll have to download it from a broker.
Umm... well ok, thanks. But then why does that link download mt4setup.exe? (and the other link downloads mt5setup.exe, so they are distinctly different files, by name at least). This doesn't make any sense.
And so what if I'm working with multiple brokers? The brokers all seem to have all their own proprietary stuff (server settings, other stuff) that is exclusive to them. Do I have to have multiple separate copies of MT4, one for each broker, or is there any way to get a broker agnostic MT4 from anywhere any more?
Next question on this topic...
So if MetaQuotes wants us to move to MT5, why can't they do something to push the brokers that way? Why are there SO many brokers (and prop firms - although they're mostly constrained by the brokers) that still insist on ONLY using MT4? And how can MetaQuotes not do anything about this?
Sure, there's a bazillion CI's, EA's etc. out in the world that are MT4 only. So why can't the MetaQuotes devs build a converter that converts both compiled and uncompiled MQL4 code to MQL5 code, (at a low level, that only MetaQuotes devs have access to), then end of life the product properly, tell the brokers it's not supported any more, don't update it for any security issues or platform compatibility, and possibly a few other steps.. to push the brokers and prop firms to MT5. The users will (happily, I'm sure, follow).
But instead they're making it extremely difficult for users to use MT4 but doing virtually nothing about the brokers? They've even gone out of their way to add MT5 compatible functionality into MT4. Why the heck not the other way around?
On further perusal of these forums I've found a number of other posts reporting and questioning the same things. In particular, https://www.mql5.com/en/forum/165973 discussing this exact same issue almost 5 years ago!!! -- including an unhelpful response from MetaQuotes customer service after being asked about the questionable integrity of an installer named one thing that installs something else.
I don't get it. Am I missing something?
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- 2017.01.09
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Is this a new ploy by MetaQuotes to force everyone to MT5?
ploy, marketing strategy, potato, potarta haha. It has been like that since not long after mt5 was first released. That download link that says "download mt4" has downloaded mt5 for years and years now.
Yup. Meta Trader intentionally wants to kill MT4.
Sounds good to me. It'd be great if they'd succeed. But they seem to be doing a pretty bang up job of it. lol. Since I started this thread I've learned MT5 has been out for nearly a decade yet MT4 prevails. Maybe it'll be gone in another 10 years?
Maybe I'll go talk to them. See if they'll hire me. I'm pretty sure I could get it done. 😉
all of your questions have been asked 100s of 1000s of times over the years haha. But i think that the main reason that brokers have not moved to mt5 is simply due to customer demand. As you said, there are many eas that are made for mt4 and do not have mt5 versions, so customers still require mt4, which means that demand continues for mt4. There is nothing else to "get" than that. But also, before you post next time, read the rules for posting on the forum. Your questions and your post, while i doubt the moderators will delete your post in this instance, your post does not meet the rules. Posting in the forum is for specific questions, not for discussions. That is what facebook is for haha. But there are plenty of other forums that welcome such general questions as you have made. But like i said these same questions that you ask have been asked so many times on those forums also, but you will not get any more answers there than i have made in this post :D
Thanks for the explanations. Indeed. Believe it or not I did search for this topic before I posted but didn't find anything. I obviously did something wrong because now when I search, as you say, I see it discussed many times. So, for your explanation -- instead of just "go read all the other topics on this" or something -- all the more thanks to you.
So brokers are stuck with it because the customers stay with it. Customers are stuck with it because the brokers stay with it. Makes perfect sense. lol.
I guess if I don't get it now, it's just that a strategy to moving everyone -- customers and brokers -- to 5 seems pretty clear to me (as per my previous post). I don't believe in ranting and complaining without offering solutions...
They created both languages, I don't understand why they can't or won't create a reliable converter. At the very least a converter for source code should be easy, but a converter for compiled code should also still be possible. For compiled code, if nothing else, decompilers exist -- the result they produce doesn't make much sense to any humans other than the absolute most determined ones (non-sensical variable/function names, etc.), but it's a result that could be passed through a source code converter such that the result of that could be recompiled to a working result. Of course no one wants their compiled code decompiled, but a converter that decompiles, converts and recompiles, in one step without revealing the decompiled intermediate version should be doable -- and that's if a direct converter of compiled 4 to compiled 5 is for some reason impossible.
So if the world's library of EAs and CIs are the hold-up, I genuinely want to ask why that isn't a solution they could adopt. That said, perhaps I'm asking the wrong people here, so I might see if I can get a conversation with someone at MQ.
That said, I've since learned more about the differences in functionality. 5 isn't entirely 4 plus more. There appear to be certain restrictions or limitations in 5 that don't exist in 4. eg. no hedging? I kinda wonder why they'd do that, but I won't labor that here, since as you say, questions, not random discussion.
Although, on that topic (rules), I'm a little confused: I see a link "please follow the rules" next to the "Add your comment" button. That link goes to a page that appears to be general T's & C's for the entire mql5 site, while the word "forum" does not appear anywhere in it that I can find. My apologies (to you, and everyone) if my exasperated questions and discussion aren't appropriate here. If there are any *forum* rules anywhere, I'd welcome being steered to them so I can avoid any other mistakes in the future. 😊
ploy, marketing strategy, potato, potarta haha. It has been like that since not long after mt5 was first released. That download link that says "download mt4" has downloaded mt5 for years and years now.
Yeah... it just seems very strange. It's misleading and utterly confusing. It doesn't just download an mt5 installer. It downloads an mt5 installer named as an mt4 installer. Makes no sense - to me at least. Why not just put up a message saying "MT4 is over 10 years old now and no longer supported. You can use our platform by downloading MT5 here: ..." or something?
Given, as you say, this question has been hashed before... no need to try to answer. As above, I'll see if I can get to the source and discuss it with someone at MQ.
I'd probably switch to TradingView if they killed MT4.
MT5 isn't that bad, but it's enough to get me to look elsewhere and the disregard for users, programmers, sellers, and buyers, is very off-putting.
I'm sure they'll continue to have their loyal supporters, but TradingView is eating into their marketshare and actually putting out a good product.
I'd probably switch to TradingView if they killed MT4.
MT5 isn't that bad, but it's enough to get me to look elsewhere and the disregard for users, programmers, sellers, and buyers, is very off-putting.
I'm sure they'll continue to have their loyal supporters, but TradingView is eating into their marketshare and actually putting out a good product.
agreed. I would do the same thing. I would often use mt5 still, but tv would be my main "go to" platform. its one thing for a company to have confusing products, but another to lie and to mislead its current clients and worse still to lie to its prospective clients.
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Is this a new ploy by MetaQuotes to force everyone to MT5?
For what it's worth I'd love to only have to use MT5 and not 4, but many BROKERS don't support MT5 yet, and that's very frustrating. Dear MetaQuotes: if you want us users to all to move to MT5, please figure out how to force all the brokers and prop firms to switch first. The users will have to (and likely happily) follow.
Meanwhile...
I go here: https://www.metatrader4.com/en/download
The first big orange download button at the top downloads mt5setup.exe, but further down the page there's a big orange download button ("Download MetaTrader 4 for PC and create a demo account") which downloads an exe file that is named "mt4setup.exe". However when I run that installer it installs MT5. What the...?
Note, for reasons that would probably take too much typing to detail, I'm installing this with Crossover on an Intel 16" MacBook Pro (not an M1/Apple Silicon Mac), (instead of using the MetaQuotes provided Mac installer (which is just a standalone Crossover bottle anyway). Still, I don't see how that should make any difference to what the installer exe actually installs (vs running the same installer natively on Windows OS). I might try to set up a Windows VM to see if somehow it's Crossover screwing this up instead of the mt4 installer, but (a) I don't know if I'll be able to do that and (b) I can't imagine why or how Crossover could or would be doing the switch. Wanting to check in here to see if anyone else is experiencing anything similar.
Thanks in advance for any guidance!