# How to Connect ICMarkets MT4 to Trader Journal > ICMarkets is one of the most popular ECN brokers for MT4. Here is the exact process to connect your ICMarkets account to Trader Journal for automatic trade tracking. **Tags:** icmarkets, mt4, broker-setup, ecn, automatic-tracking **URL:** https://traderjournal.app/broker-setup/how-to-connect-icmarkets-mt4-to-trader-journal --- # How to Connect ICMarkets MT4 to Trader Journal ICMarkets is one of the most used ECN brokers in the world, and it runs cleanly with Trader Journal. The connection takes about five minutes once you have your MT4 terminal open. This guide walks through every step. ## What You Need Before Starting Before you begin, have the following ready: - An active ICMarkets trading account (demo or live) - MetaTrader 4 installed and logged into your ICMarkets account - The Trader Journal app installed on your Android or iOS device - Your Trader Journal API key (found in the app under Settings → API Key) If you do not have Trader Journal yet, download it from the App Store or Google Play. Create your account, then come back to this guide. ## Step 1: Find Your ICMarkets Server Name ICMarkets runs multiple MT4 servers. The correct server name depends on when you opened your account. Common ICMarkets MT4 server names include: - **IC Markets-MT4-Live-01** - **IC Markets-MT4-Live-02** - **IC Markets-MT4-Live-03** To confirm which server your account uses, open MT4 and look at the bottom right corner of the terminal. It will show something like `IC Markets-MT4-Live-01`. That is your server. Alternatively, go to File → Login to Trade Account in MT4. The server field shows your current server. ## Step 2: Download the Trader Journal Expert Advisor The EA is the bridge between MT4 and Trader Journal. It runs in your terminal and pushes trade data automatically. 1. In Trader Journal app, go to **Settings → Expert Advisor** 2. Tap **Download EA for MT4** 3. Save the `.ex4` file to your computer The file is named `TraderJournal.ex4`. You need to place this in the correct MT4 folder. ## Step 3: Install the EA in MT4 1. In MT4, go to **File → Open Data Folder** 2. Navigate to **MQL4 → Experts** 3. Copy `TraderJournal.ex4` into the Experts folder 4. Back in MT4, press **F5** or go to Navigator → Expert Advisors and click Refresh 5. The EA named **TraderJournal** will appear in the Expert Advisors list ## Step 4: Enable AutoTrading and WebRequest The EA needs two MT4 settings to function. **Enable AutoTrading:** Click the **AutoTrading** button in the MT4 toolbar. It turns green when active. **Enable WebRequest:** 1. Go to **Tools → Options → Expert Advisors** 2. Check **Allow WebRequests for listed URLs** 3. Add `https://api.traderjournal.app` to the allowed URLs list 4. Click OK Without this, the EA cannot send data to Trader Journal servers. ## Step 5: Attach the EA to a Chart 1. Open any chart in MT4 (EURUSD H1 works well) 2. From the Navigator, drag the **TraderJournal** EA onto the chart 3. In the EA settings popup, enter your **API Key** from the Trader Journal app 4. Set **Account Type** to Live or Demo depending on your account 5. Click OK A small smiley face icon appears in the top right corner of the chart. This confirms the EA is running. ## Step 6: Verify the Connection In Trader Journal app, go to **Dashboard → Accounts**. Within 30 seconds to one minute, your ICMarkets account name and balance should appear. If you have open trades, they will show up in the Open Positions tab. Closed trades sync automatically as they close. ## ICMarkets-Specific Notes **Raw Spread vs Standard accounts:** Both work with Trader Journal. Raw Spread accounts will show commission per trade as a separate entry, which Trader Journal records correctly. **Multiple accounts:** ICMarkets allows multiple live accounts. Each account needs the EA attached to a chart. Use a different chart window for each account (different pairs or timeframes work fine). **cTrader accounts:** ICMarkets also offers cTrader. Trader Journal currently supports MT4 and MT5 only. If you use cTrader, you will need to enter trades manually or switch to the MT4/MT5 platform. **VPS trading:** If you run MT4 on a VPS, install the EA on the VPS instance. The EA must be running in MT4 for sync to work. ## Troubleshooting Common Issues **EA smiley face is red or shows a sad face:** This usually means WebRequest is not enabled. Go back to Tools → Options → Expert Advisors and check that the URL is listed and the checkbox is ticked. **Account not appearing in Trader Journal:** Check that the API key is entered correctly. Copy it directly from the app to avoid typos. API keys are case-sensitive. **Trades showing wrong lot sizes:** ICMarkets uses standard lots. If sizes look off, check your account currency settings in Trader Journal under Account Settings. **Connection drops after MT4 restart:** The EA reattaches automatically when MT4 restarts, provided AutoTrading is still enabled. If it does not, manually re-enable AutoTrading. ## What Syncs Automatically Once connected, the following data flows from ICMarkets MT4 to Trader Journal without any action from you: - All closed trades (entry price, exit price, lot size, profit/loss) - Open position updates every 30 seconds - Commission and swap charges per trade - Trade comment and magic number (for EA-generated trades) - Account balance and equity The journal timestamps use the MT4 server time, which for ICMarkets is UTC+2 (UTC+3 during summer time). ## Next Steps After Connection With your ICMarkets account connected, the useful work begins. Open Trader Journal and: 1. Add a note to your first synced trade explaining your reasoning 2. Star trades that matched your setup well 3. Check the Reports tab after a week to see patterns in your performance The connection is a one-time setup. From here, every trade you make on ICMarkets MT4 appears in your journal automatically.