Windows VPS for MT4 and MT5: how many terminals fit, and how to set one up

By the serverserv team · 6 min read · Updated 15 October 2026

A Windows VPS with 4 GB of RAM runs about 2 to 4 MetaTrader terminals, 8 GB about 6 to 10, and 16 GB about 15 to 25, depending on charts, history and expert advisors. This guide explains those estimates, shows how to set up a VPS for MT4 or MT5 so it trades around the clock, and lists what to check with your broker before you order.

How many MT4 or MT5 terminals fit in 4, 8 and 16 GB?

Plan on 150 to 300 MB of RAM for a typical MT4 terminal and 300 to 600 MB for MT5, after setting aside about 2 GB for Windows Server itself and 20 percent as headroom. CPU becomes the limit on small plans, especially when many expert advisors react to the same price move.

Plan	vCPU / RAM	MT4 terminals	MT5 terminals
Windows RDP 1	1 vCPU / 4 GB	2 to 4	1 to 2
Windows RDP 2	2 vCPU / 8 GB	6 to 10	4 to 6
Windows RDP 3	4 vCPU / 16 GB	15 to 25	10 to 15
Windows RDP 4	8 vCPU / 32 GB	30 to 50	20 to 30

These are planning estimates, not benchmarks. They assume a few charts per terminal, default history settings and one or two light expert advisors. Your own setup can use far more or far less.

Four things push memory up: the number of open charts, the bars of history each chart keeps, heavy custom indicators, and the number of symbols in Market Watch. CPU spikes come from busy news releases and from the Strategy Tester. Run optimisations on another machine, not on the VPS that trades live.

How do you measure what your terminals really use?

Open Task Manager with every terminal running at a busy time of day and read the memory of each terminal process. Size the server from those numbers, not from guesses.

1. Start all your terminals with their usual charts and expert advisors.
2. Open Task Manager, go to the Details tab and find terminal.exe (MT4) or terminal64.exe (MT5). The Memory column shows what each one uses.
3. On the Performance tab, check total memory and CPU while a major market session is open.
4. Aim to keep memory use under about 80 percent and average CPU under about 70 percent, so short spikes do not freeze the terminals.

You can do the same test on your own PC before you buy, then add about 2 GB for Windows Server.

How to make each terminal lighter

• Lower Max bars in history and Max bars in chart under Tools, Options, Charts.
• Close charts that no expert advisor or indicator needs.
• In Market Watch, right-click and hide symbols you do not trade.
• Turn off news and remove indicators you no longer use.

How do you set up MT4 or MT5 on a Windows VPS?

Connect with Remote Desktop, update Windows once, install each terminal in its own folder, and make the terminals start again on their own after a restart. The steps below take about 20 minutes.

1. Connect and secure the login. Use Remote Desktop with the IP address, username and password from your welcome email, then change the password. Our guide to Windows RDP hosting covers connecting from Windows, Mac and phone.
2. Update Windows first. Install all updates and restart before you add any trading software.
3. Download the terminal from your broker. Broker builds of MT4 and MT5 already list their trade servers. Install each copy in its own folder, such as C:\MT4\BrokerA-1 and C:\MT4\BrokerA-2.
4. Use portable mode for several copies. Edit each shortcut and add /portable after the program path, so every copy keeps its settings and data in its own folder.
5. Log in and switch on trading. Sign in to your account, attach your expert advisors and turn on AutoTrading in MT4 or Algo Trading in MT5.
6. Restart terminals automatically. Press Windows key + R, type shell:startup and put a shortcut to each terminal in that folder. Terminals are desktop programs and only run inside a signed-in session, so after a reboot someone must sign in. Automatic sign-in tools such as Microsoft's Sysinternals Autologon solve this, but they store the password on the server, so weigh that risk.
7. Control restarts. In sconfig, set Windows Update to download only or manual, and install updates at the weekend when forex markets are closed.
8. Disconnect, do not sign out. Closing the Remote Desktop window leaves the terminals running. Signing out closes them.

Does a VPS for MT4 or MT5 lower your trading latency?

Only if the server is close, in network terms, to your broker's trade server. Latency comes mostly from distance and routing, so a VPS on the wrong continent can be slower than your home connection.

Light in fibre covers roughly 200 km per millisecond. Every 1,000 km between the VPS and the broker adds about 10 ms to each round trip before any routing detours. A server in the same city as the broker's trade server might see a few milliseconds; one on another continent can see 100 ms or more.

serverserv has not published its data-centre locations, so we cannot promise a ping figure for your broker. Before you order, open a ticket, name your broker and the trade server shown in your terminal, and ask where your server would run. We will tell you plainly whether it is a good fit.

After delivery, check the ping in the bottom-right corner of the terminal. In MT4 you can click the connection indicator and choose Rescan servers to compare the ping of each trade server. If you are unsure, start on monthly billing rather than a long term, and read the refund policy first, because software licences have their own rules.

What should you check with your broker before you order?

Ask your broker where its trade server is and whether your account type allows automated trading from a VPS. Those two answers decide whether a VPS helps you at all.

Question for your broker	Why it matters
Which trade server is my account on, and where is it hosted?	Sets the location your VPS should be near
Does my account use MT4, MT5 or both?	An MT5 account cannot log in to MT4, and the reverse
Are expert advisors allowed on my account type?	Some account types limit scalping or automated trading
Can I stay logged in from my PC and the VPS at once?	Avoids surprises when you check trades from home
Do you offer a free or discounted VPS?	Some brokers do for accounts above a balance or volume level
Can I restrict logins to known IP addresses?	Adds protection if your password leaks

MetaQuotes also offers built-in virtual hosting from inside MT4 and MT5. It runs your expert advisors and signals, but you do not get a full Windows desktop, so you cannot run other software, extra terminals or your own tools on it.

Which Windows RDP plan fits your terminals?

For most traders, Windows RDP 2 is the sensible start: enough for several terminals with room to grow. Every plan includes the Windows Server licence, full administrator access and NVMe storage.

• Windows RDP 1 (1 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe): $21.99 monthly, or $15.49 a month on a 3-year term. One account with a few light terminals.
• Windows RDP 2 (2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB NVMe): $31.99 monthly, or $22.49 a month on 3 years. About 6 to 10 MT4 terminals.
• Windows RDP 3 (4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 200 GB NVMe): $54.99 monthly, or $38.49 a month on 3 years. Several accounts or heavy indicators.
• Windows RDP 4 (8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 400 GB NVMe): $99.99 monthly, or $69.99 a month on 3 years. Account managers and large setups.

The licence matters when you compare prices. At the time of writing, Vultr charges for the Windows licence on top of its server price, and Contabo sells it as an add-on of $9.60 a month on a 4-core server. Our Windows RDP plans include it, and every term renews at the price you paid. See all terms on the pricing page.

Questions

Sources

• Vultr docs: is a Windows licence included in the monthly price
• CompareVPS: what the Windows licence adds to VPS pricing
• Microsoft Services Provider Use Rights
• Database Mart RDP server plans

Prices from other companies are as published at the time of writing and can change.