# How to Connect Your MT4 Account to Trader Journal

> Step-by-step guide to connecting a MetaTrader 4 account to Trader Journal. From EA installation to your first live sync.

**Tags:** mt4, setup, expert-advisor, connection
**URL:** https://traderjournal.app/app-guide/connect-mt4-account-trader-journal

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# How to Connect Your MT4 Account to Trader Journal

Connecting an MT4 account takes about 5 minutes once you have the app installed. Here is the exact process.

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## Before You Start

Make sure you have:

- Trader Journal installed on your phone (android.traderjournal.app or ios.traderjournal.app)
- MetaTrader 4 open on your PC or laptop
- Your MT4 account number and server name

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## Step 1 - Add the Account in the App

Open Trader Journal. Go to the Accounts tab. Tap Add Account.

Select MT4 as the platform. Fill in your broker name, server name, account number (login), account currency, and initial balance. Tap Save.

The app shows your API key. Copy it to the clipboard or write it down - you will need it in Step 3.

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## Step 2 - Download the MT4 EA File

In the app, tap View Setup on your new account. This shows the setup walkthrough with a download link for the MT4 Expert Advisor file (.ex4 format).

Download it to your PC.

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## Step 3 - Install the EA in MT4

1. In MetaTrader 4, go to File > Open Data Folder
2. Navigate to MQL4 > Experts
3. Copy the downloaded .ex4 file into this folder
4. Back in MT4, press F5 in the Navigator panel (or close and reopen MT4)
5. The EA appears in Navigator > Expert Advisors

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## Step 4 - Attach the EA to a Chart

Drag the EA from the Navigator panel onto any open chart. A settings dialog appears.

Under the Inputs tab, set:

- **ApiUrl** - copy from the setup walkthrough in the app
- **ApiKey** - paste the key from Step 1
- **PushIntervalSec** - 30 (default, no need to change)

Click OK. The EA starts running. You will see its name in the top-right corner of the chart.

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## Step 5 - Whitelist the URL in MT4

Go to Tools > Options > Expert Advisors tab. Check the box for "Allow WebRequest for listed URL" and add the API endpoint from your setup walkthrough.

Without this step, the EA cannot send data to the server and you will see error messages in the Experts log.

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## Step 6 - Check the Connection

Back in Trader Journal, pull to refresh on the Dashboard. Your account balance should appear within 30 seconds.

In MT4, click on the Experts tab at the bottom of the terminal window. You should see log messages showing successful pushes, something like "Push successful: 0 trades, equity: 10000.00."

If you see "URL not allowed" in the log, re-check the WebRequest whitelist step.

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## Common Issues

**EA shows angry face (red circle with X):** Auto-trading is disabled in MT4. Click the Auto Trading button in the MT4 toolbar to enable it.

**No data appearing in app:** Check the Experts log in MT4 for error messages. The most common cause is the WebRequest URL not being whitelisted.

**Wrong account balance showing:** Make sure the initial balance you entered in the app matches your actual account balance at the start of tracking.

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Once the connection is working, trades sync automatically. You do not need to do anything else. Close the app, trade normally, and open the journal when you want to review.