Prop firm MT5 login guide: server, login and password

A challenge or funded account gives you a login, a password and a server. Here is how to use them in MT5, what the errors mean, and how to journal the account safely.

What you need from your firm

When you start a challenge or receive a funded account, the firm gives you three things for MetaTrader 5: a login (account number), a password and a server name. They usually arrive by email or appear in your firm's dashboard. Keep them private and never type them into a journaling website.

Log in on the desktop terminal

1. Download the MT5 terminal from your firm's own download page, not a third-party site.
2. Open MT5 and choose File, then Login to Trade Account.
3. Enter the account number in Login, the password, and select or type the exact server name.
4. Click OK and check the account number shows in the Navigator and the connection indicator turns green.

Common errors

Menu names can differ slightly between builds. Your firm's own guide is the final word on its servers.

After you log in: journaling it

Keep the terminal logged in to the account you want, then run AI Trading Journal's setup. It finds the terminal and account on your PC, creates your journal and starts saving closed trades about every 5 minutes. It reads the logged-in terminal, so no password is entered anywhere else. Check your firm's rules on third-party software first. See MT5 prop firms and your journal and what to check if MT5 history is missing.

This page is general information about MetaTrader 5. It is not trading or investment advice and is not tied to any single firm.

Before you log in: a short checklist

• You have the login, the password and the exact server name from your firm's dashboard or email.
• You downloaded MT5 from your firm's own page, or from MetaQuotes, and not from an unknown link.
• You know whether the account is a challenge, a verification or a funded account, because some firms issue separate credentials for each stage. Check your firm's own instructions.
• You have noted the trading rules in your dashboard, because the login does not tell you about limits.

Passwords and the investor password

MetaTrader 5 accounts can have a main password, which allows trading, and an investor password, which gives read-only access. Neither should be typed into a website or sent to anyone. The scam to watch for is a fake download page or a message claiming to be from your firm and asking for your login details. Always go to your firm's dashboard by typing its address yourself.

AI Trading Journal does not need either password. It reads the MT5 terminal that is already logged in on your PC, so the credentials stay in MT5 and are never entered into the app or any website.

First checks after logging in

• Account number and server in the title bar. Confirm you are on the account you meant, especially if you also have a demo account in the same terminal.
• Symbol names. Open Market Watch and check the exact names of the instruments you trade; some servers add a suffix to every symbol.
• Lot size limits. Right-click a symbol in Market Watch and open Specification to see the minimum lot, the lot step and the contract size.
• Spread. Look at the spread on the instruments you trade before you place anything.
• Balance and equity. Confirm the account size matches the plan you bought, then record it as your starting balance in your journal.

Running more than one account

If you hold several accounts, for example a challenge and a funded account, keep them in separate terminals or log in to one at a time, and keep a separate journal section for each so the statistics do not mix. See the multi-account trading journal guide. A license for AI Trading Journal works on one computer at a time.

If history looks empty

The MT5 History tab only shows the period you select, and a new account has no past trades yet. If trades you expect are missing, set the period to all history first. The page on MT5 trade history not showing lists the usual causes. For the rules that apply to your balance and loss limits, read prop firm drawdown rules explained, and track them with the challenge tracker.

One practical tip: copy the server name from your dashboard and paste it, instead of retyping it. Server names often include numbers, hyphens and the word Live or Demo, and one wrong character is enough to produce an invalid-account message that looks like a password problem. If the login still fails after a careful copy and paste, contact your firm's support with the exact message you see, since only they can check the account on their side.

For what the read-only password shows and whether a journal needs it, see MT5 investor password and your trading journal.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• A local trading journal for MT5
• P&L calendar for MT5
• Trade notes, ratings and screenshots
• Trading progress and goals
• Back up your journal and move it to a new PC
• An offline trading journal for Windows
• How to set monthly trading goals
• Import your whole MT5 history
• How to tag trades
• Trade screenshots for your journal
• All trading journal comparisons