Extract text from MetaTrader 4 executable files (EX4)
To convert EX4 executable files to another format, you need MetaTrader 4 or other Executable software.
To convert other file formats to the "MetaTrader 4 Compiled Program" file type, you need software like MetaTrader 4 or a similar tool.
An .EX4 file is a compiled binary executable used exclusively by the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) trading platform. Developed by MetaQuotes, these files contain automated trading algorithms known as Expert Advisors (EAs), custom chart indicators, or execution scripts. Developers write the original code in a plain text file using the MQL4 programming language, which is saved as an MQ4 file. This source code is then compiled through the MetaEditor tool to create the final .EX4 file.
The primary disadvantage of the .EX4 format is its closed, proprietary nature. Because it is a compiled binary, you cannot open an .EX4 file in a standard text editor to read or modify the trading logic. This creates a "black box" environment where users must blindly trust the developer of the trading bot, as the underlying code is completely hidden. Furthermore, .EX4 files are strictly incompatible with the newer MetaTrader 5 platform, forcing developers to completely rewrite their code in MQL5 to generate an EX5 file. Standard online converters fail to process this format because it is an executable software package, not a document or media file.
Converting an .EX4 file back into its MQ4 source code (decompiling) is extremely difficult, heavily restricted, and actively blocked by MetaQuotes to prevent intellectual property theft. You cannot convert this file to standard document formats like PDF or DOCX.
Convert.Guru analyzes your EX4 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MQ4, EX5, ZIP, TXT, RAR, MQ5, SET, TPL, PDF, INP, ENC, CRDOWNLOAD and JPG files.
If you want to convert EX4 file to MQ4, EX5, TXT, MQ5, TEXT, EXE, MSI, APP, DMG, DEB, RPM or PKG, you can use MetaTrader 4 or similar software from the "Algorithmic Trading Program" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert JAR, APP, SCR, IPA, COM, AAB, PS1, DMG, VBS, EXE, XAPK or MSI files to EX4, try MetaTrader 4 or another comparable tool in the "Algorithmic Trading Program" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our EX4 converter.