If you've ever run a Forex trading bot on your home computer, you already know the frustration: your laptop goes to sleep, your internet cuts out, or there's a power outage — and your EA stops executing trades at exactly the wrong moment. The solution is running your trading software on a remote server that stays online 24/7, independent of anything happening at home.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the entire process of setting up a shared RDP server specifically for Forex trading, from choosing the right plan to installing MT4 and configuring your EA for uninterrupted operation.
Before you begin
You'll need an active RDPDatabase account, an MT4 or MT5 installer from your broker, and your EA (.ex4 or .ex5 file). The whole setup takes about 15 minutes once you have access to your server.
Step 1 — Choose the Right Server Plan
Not all shared RDP plans are created equal for trading. Here's what to look for:
- RAM: MT4 uses roughly 200–400MB per instance. If you're running multiple charts and EAs, go for at least 4GB RAM.
- Network speed: Latency matters for order execution. Pick a datacenter close to your broker's servers — usually London (Equinix LD4) for most major brokers.
- Storage: MT4 doesn't need much — 40GB is plenty even with years of tick data.
- Uptime SLA: Look for 99.9% or higher. Our Streaming Server plan is the most popular choice for traders.
The Streaming Server plan offers 4 vCPUs, 8GB RAM, and a 10Gbps uplink — ideal for most trading setups.
Step 2 — Connect to Your RDP Server
Once your order is confirmed, you'll receive an email with your server IP, username, and password. Here's how to connect from each platform:
Press Win + R, type mstsc, and hit Enter. Enter your server IP and click Connect.
Download Microsoft Remote Desktop from the Mac App Store (it's free). Add a new PC using your server IP and credentials.
Install the Microsoft Remote Desktop app from the App Store or Google Play. Tap the + button to add a remote PC.
Step 3 — Install MetaTrader on the Server
Once connected, you're looking at a standard Windows Server desktop. From here, open Internet Explorer or Edge and download the MT4 installer directly from your broker's website — not from a third-party source.
Broker MT4 download URL format
https://[yourbroker].com/en/platforms/mt4/
→ Download MetaTrader 4 for PC
→ Run the installer: mt4setup.exe
Run the installer, log in with your broker account credentials, and MT4 will open with your live or demo account connected.
Step 4 — Install Your Expert Advisor
To transfer your EA file to the server, the easiest method is to copy-paste it through the RDP clipboard:
- On your local machine, copy your .ex4 or .ex5 file (Ctrl+C)
- Switch to your RDP session and paste it to the Desktop (Ctrl+V)
- In MT4, go to File → Open Data Folder
- Navigate to MQL4 → Experts (or MQL5 for MT5)
- Move your EA file into the Experts folder
- Restart MT4 and your EA will appear in the Navigator panel
Important — Enable AutoTrading
Make sure the AutoTrading button in MT4's toolbar is green (enabled), and that your EA has "Allow live trading" checked in its settings. Otherwise your EA will run but won't place real orders.
Step 5 — Keep the Session Alive
By default, Windows Server may log out idle RDP sessions after a period of inactivity — which would stop your EA. To prevent this:
- In Windows Settings → System → Power & Sleep, set sleep to Never
- In Group Policy (gpedit.msc), navigate to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Remote Desktop Services and set the idle session timeout to Never
- Alternatively, contact our support team — we can configure this server-side for you in minutes
Monitoring Your Server Remotely
Even with a 99.9% uptime SLA, it's good practice to set up monitoring so you're alerted if anything unexpected happens. We recommend:
- MT4 Email Alerts: Configure MT4 to send you an email when orders are placed, closed, or when your EA stops running
- UptimeRobot (free): Ping your server's IP every 5 minutes and get SMS alerts if it goes offline
- RDPDatabase Dashboard: Log into your account to view real-time CPU and RAM usage graphs
With your server configured correctly, your trading bot will run continuously — unaffected by power cuts, internet outages, or you simply closing your laptop. That's the core value of a dedicated RDP server for trading.