How to copy Telegram signals to MetaTrader 5

The ways to copy trading signals from Telegram groups and channels into MetaTrader 5 (by hand, with a copier on your own computer, with a copier on a VPS), what each one needs, and how it is done with Relay2Trade, step by step, from a new account to a group trading on Auto.

Copying by hand

A group posts "BUY XAUUSD 2400, SL 2390, TP1 2410, TP2 2420, TP3 2430". To copy it by hand you see the notification, open MetaTrader 5, find the symbol under your broker's name for it, work out the lot size for the risk you want, place the order and type the stop-loss and each take-profit. An hour later the group writes "TP1 hit, SL to entry", and you do that too.

It works while you are at the screen. Where it falls short:

Speed. By the time the order is typed, the price has often moved past the entry.
Hours. Groups post at night, during your working day and at weekends. A signal you are not there for is a signal missed.
Typing. One mistyped digit changes a level, and three take-profits mean three orders.
Sizing. The lots for a fixed risk depend on the stop distance, so each signal needs its own calculation.
Follow-ups. "Close half" and "SL to breakeven" need you there again when they are posted.

The three ways people copy signals

By hand. Free, and every trade is your own click. It works only while you watch.
A copier on your own computer. A program reads the group and places the order in MetaTrader 5 on that computer. It trades while that computer is on and awake: a sleeping laptop reads nothing.
A copier on a VPS. The same program on a computer in a data centre that stays on. It trades around the clock, while your own computer is off, and the VPS has a cost of its own.

Relay2Trade works the second and the third way: the app runs on your Windows PC or Linux machine, or on a VPS set up from the Desk, and you can move it from one to the other at any time. See Where the app runs and Running a signal copier 24/7 on a VPS.

What you need

A MetaTrader 5 account at any broker, live or demo: its account number, its trading password and the exact server name your broker gave you. Start on a demo account. Relay2Trade works with MetaTrader 5 only; most brokers offer an MT5 account next to MT4. You do not need to install MetaTrader yourself: the app does it.
Your Telegram account, already a member of the groups or channels you want to copy. Being a member is enough, and the app never posts anything.
A place where the app runs: a VPS set up from the Desk, a Windows 10 or 11 PC, or a Linux machine. On a Mac, or with only a phone, run it on a VPS.
A Relay2Trade account and a plan. A new account gets a demo day: a full day of the Basic plan, with no bank card.

How it is done with Relay2Trade

The set-up takes about ten minutes; each step links to its details.

1. Create your account

Open the Desk at relay2trade.com/control and choose "No account yet? Create one", or "Continue with Google". Confirm your email with the link you receive. Your demo day waits in your Inventory and starts when your app is first signed in, so nothing of it is lost while you set things up. See Getting started with Relay2Trade.

2. Choose where the app runs

The Overview shows "Get Relay2Trade running", with a card for each way:

"VPS: Quick install": press "Create it now". A VPS created for you, with the app already on it, ready in under a minute. Included in your demo day.
"On a VPS in your own DigitalOcean account": press "Set it up" and follow the steps, about ten minutes.
"On a VPS or a Linux computer you already have": "Linux: get the command" or "Windows: sign in with a code".
"On your Windows computer": "Download the app", run the setup and sign in.

See Running Relay2Trade on a VPS and Installing on Windows.

3. Connect MetaTrader 5

In the Desk open Connections.
Type your broker's name or its server and pick your server from the list.
Enter the "Account number" and "Password", and press "Log in".

The app gives the profile a MetaTrader 5 of its own and logs in, in up to a minute. Use the trading password: the investor password is read-only. See Connecting MetaTrader 5.

4. Connect Telegram

In Connections, under Telegram, choose "Log in with a QR code".
On your phone, open Telegram → Settings → Devices → "Link Desktop Device" and point the camera at the code.
If your Telegram account has a two-step password, type it to finish.

You can also log in with your phone number and the code Telegram sends you. See Connecting Telegram.

5. Add a listener on Watch

A listener reads one group or channel and trades it by your rules.

In Connections, under "Listeners", press "Add".
Use "Search your chats" and pick the signal group.
Under "How it trades", choose "Watch — record only".
Press "Add listener".

On Watch the app reads every message, shows what it understood and what it would have done, and places nothing. Open Signals and read each signal's story ("What happened"). See Listeners and modes and How a signal is read.

6. Run a dry run

A dry run shows in minutes what Watch shows over days.

On the listener, press "Dry runs".
Press "Run it on the last … messages" (25 on the 7-day plan, 25 on Basic, 50 on Advanced, 100 on Pro).
Read the tiles "Messages read", "Signals found", "Would trade", "Would skip" and "Replayed result", then each message with what would have happened and why.

Each would-be trade is replayed on MetaTrader's price history, without commission and swap, so the result is a guide. Nothing is placed. The app has to be running, with Telegram connected and MetaTrader logged in to your broker.

7. Set your limits

Open Settings in the Desk. "Set up with a few questions" asks about your account and how much you want to risk, and fills the settings in for you. Look at least at:

the size of each signal: "Risk % of equity", "Fixed cash" or fixed lots;
"Max lots per signal" and "Max open positions";
"Max daily loss";
"Require stop-loss", for signals that come without one;
"The group's messages after a signal", for follow-ups such as "SL to BE" and "close half".

See Position sizing and safety limits, Daily loss limit, daily profit target and signals per day and Stop-loss settings and the group's follow-up messages.

8. Manual, then Auto

When the readings match what you would have done yourself, set the listener to "Manual — wait for my approval". Each signal now waits ten minutes for "Trade it" or "Dismiss", in the Desk or in the app.
When you trust the group, set it to "Auto — trade immediately". Tick "I understand that orders will be placed on my account automatically, and that the results are my responsibility." and press "Turn on auto".

From then on your limits are the brake on every signal the app places.

What happens to each message on Auto

The message reaches the app through your own Telegram account. AI reads it, in any format and language: instrument, direction, entry, stop-loss and take-profits. Results, recaps and analysis are left alone.
The signal meets your rules: sizing, daily limits, allowed symbols, trading hours, how far the price has moved from the entry.
The order goes to MetaTrader 5. From the message reaching the app to the order being sent, the median is 0.6 seconds, measured over more than 1,300 traded signals.
Everything is written into the signal's story, with the reason for anything that was skipped.

The trading bridge only touches positions it opened itself: your manual trades and other Expert Advisors are left alone. See The signal story.

Relay2Trade follows your settings on your own account. It does not choose trades or promise results: leveraged trading carries high risk, and the quality of the signals depends on the groups you choose.

Following it from your phone

The Desk works in any phone browser at relay2trade.com/control. Install it on the home screen and it opens like an app: on Android, in the browser's menu choose "Install app" or "Add to Home screen"; on an iPhone or iPad, in Safari tap Share, then "Add to Home Screen". Turn on "Notifications on this device" under Account → "Notifications". Proper Android and iOS apps with the Desk inside are coming soon. See The Desk and the Desk on your phone.

If something goes wrong

Signals show up and nothing is traded. The listener is on Watch or Manual, or one of your limits stopped the signal. Open the signal: its story names the rule. See Why a signal was skipped.
"Your app is offline". The app is closed, its computer is off or asleep, or its VPS is stopped. Start it again, or run it on a VPS.
MetaTrader will not sign in. Almost always the server name or the password. Pick the server from the list and use the trading password.
Signals posted overnight were missed. The app reads only while it runs. Run it on a VPS.

More: Troubleshooting.