It may be possible to improve the speed and performance of MT4 and MT5 by trying a few system optimizations. These actions may help correct connectivity issues or even reduce and prevent freezing, chart lag, and other common problems.

Reduce max bars

By reducing the maximum number of bars displayed, your device does not need to render as many graphics, which can lighten your device's processing load, leading to quicker responses. Fewer bars need less rendering and may improve overall performance.

1. Open MT4 or MT5.
2. Select Tools, Options, then Charts.
3. Find the Max bars in chart and Max bars in history options, and lower both of these values by 50%. You can go as low as you like, but test this setting first for an improvement.

Disable news

MetaTrader platforms feature a newsfeed (located in the News tab of the Mailbox area) that automatically provides financial news to users. The newsfeed may increase the load on the platform, so disabling this feature could improve the speed of MetaTrader.

1. Open MT4/MT5.
2. Select Tools, Options, then Server.
3. Untick Enable news and then click OK.

Optimizing RAM

Any device can benefit from RAM optimization, especially when you consider that it constantly runs background features of the platform. Disabling some of these may not impact specific trading functions while improving performance.

1. From the Market Watch window, disable or hide all instruments that you do not plan to use by right-clicking the instrument and selecting Hide; this may free up some of your computer’s memory.
2. Close all charts not in use by clicking the X icon in each chart’s window.
3. If you are running any Expert Advisors, consider disabling any logging functions, as this eats into your computer memory.
4. Restart MetaTrader from time to time to refresh the memory.

Create an optimized user profile

Use the built-in user profile to easily load settings that optimise performance. This is useful for creating a profile where the preferences are set to minimise the impact on your device and improve performance overall.

1. Set your preferences as needed.
2. Open File, Profiles, then Save As: give your new profile a name.
3. Now you can simply return to Profiles and load your optimised profile from the list whenever needed.

Custom indicators

Some custom indicators may not be optimised and can impact the performance of the MT4/MT5 platforms; however, the default indicators that come with MetaTrader are optimised to not impact performance.

Consider a VPS

If you are looking to increase the execution speed of your trades made with MT4 and MT5 specifically, and your problem is related to your internet connection and bandwidth, do consider applying for a VPS with Exness, as it is completely free if your Exness account qualifies for it.

Support hub

If you are still experiencing trading issues on your MetaTrader platform, head to the Support hub in your Personal Area (PA) to create a ticket under the Trading category. Learn how to create a ticket on the Support hub.