Install your EA in 8 steps

Pick your platform below. Every strategy you build on PipCircle exports as ready-to-run code - no manual editing needed.

Download the .mq5 file

Go back to the Strategy Builder, click "6. Run your strategy" → MT5. The file will be saved to your Downloads folder.

Open MetaEditor

In MetaTrader 5, press F4 (or click Tools → MetaQuotes Language Editor).

Move the file to the Experts folder

In MetaEditor Navigator (Ctrl+D), right-click on Experts → Open Folder. Copy your .mq5 file into that folder. Path is usually: C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes\Terminal\<broker id>\MQL5\Experts

%APPDATA%\MetaQuotes\Terminal\<broker>\MQL5\Experts

Compile it

Back in MetaEditor, click the file in the Navigator, then press F7 (or the Compile button). You should see "0 errors, 0 warnings" at the bottom.

Refresh MetaTrader Navigator

Back in MT5, in the Navigator panel (Ctrl+N), right-click Expert Advisors → Refresh. Your strategy will appear.

Enable AutoTrading

Click the "Algo Trading" button in the top toolbar so it turns green. Without this, EAs won't place orders.

Drag it onto a chart

Open a chart for the symbol + timeframe you designed the strategy on (e.g. EURUSD H1). Drag the EA from the Navigator onto the chart, tweak inputs if needed, click OK. A smiley face in the top-right of the chart means it's active.

Test in Strategy Tester first
Final

Press Ctrl+R to open the Strategy Tester, pick your EA + symbol + date range, click Start. Review the report before running live.

Quick recap

Download the file

Move it to the MT5 Experts folder

Compile it (F5/F7)

Enable auto-trading + drag onto chart

Test in Strategy Tester before going live

Common errors

Panel/dashboard not visible on the chart

Right-click the chart → Objects List (Ctrl+B). If you see PC_BG, PC_TITLE, etc. they exist but are hidden behind another chart element. Try switching chart color scheme (right-click → Properties) or move the dashboard corner in the EA inputs. Also confirm "Show Dashboard" input is true.

"AutoTrading is disabled"

Click the AutoTrading / Algo Trading button on the MT toolbar until it turns green.

"Trading is disabled for the account"

Your broker restricts automated trading. Contact them or use a demo account first.

EA compiles but places no trades

Check: (1) chart symbol matches strategy symbol, (2) timeframe matches, (3) news filter isn't blocking, (4) enough free margin for the RiskPct you set.

Signals appear late / duplicated

The EA acts on bar close, not on every tick. That's intentional and matches the backtest logic. The dashboard panel itself refreshes every second even without ticks.

"invalid stops" order error

Your broker requires a minimum stop distance. Increase StopLossPct/TakeProfitPct or set them to 0 to use signal-only exits.

Smiley face on chart is sad or missing

A green smiley means the EA is running. A red X means Auto-trading is off - click the button in the toolbar. No smiley at all means the EA didn't attach - drag it from Navigator onto the chart again.

Need a hand?

Every strategy exported from PipCircle also runs identically inside our backtester - so you always have a reference.