Extract text from MQL4 source code files (MQ4)
To convert MQ4 source files to another format, you need MetaTrader 4 or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "MQL4 Source Code" file type, you need software like MetaTrader 4 or a similar tool.
An .MQ4 file contains human-readable source code written in MetaQuotes Language 4 (MQL4). These files are specifically used to build automated trading robots (Expert Advisors), custom technical indicators, and scripts for the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) trading platform.
Users typically open and manage these files using MetaEditor, the built-in development environment bundled with MT4. Because it is essentially a text file, it can also be viewed in standard text editors. However, modern .MQ4 files use UTF-16 (LE) encoding, which often displays as garbled text in older or improperly configured code editors.
The core limitation of an .MQ4 file is that it cannot execute trades or analyze charts on its own. It is simply raw code. To function on the platform, it must be compiled. Furthermore, as the industry pushes toward the newer MetaTrader 5 platform, older .MQ4 scripts face obsolescence and compatibility issues.
For deployment on a trading terminal, compile the file to an executable EX4. For code review, auditing, or sharing outside the MT4 environment, convert it to plain text TXT or Markdown MD. If you are upgrading trading systems, convert the logic to MQ5 for use in MetaTrader 5. Drop your file here to analyze and convert it - free, online, and without installing software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MQ4 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted EX4, TXT, EX5, MQ5, ZIP, RAR, HTML, PDF, CS, TPL, XAPK, JPG and M3U files.
If you want to convert MQ4 file to MQ5, EX4, DLL, JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP or RB, you can use MetaTrader 4 or similar software from the "Trading script source code" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SH, PY, KT, PS1, SWIFT, LUA, PL, JAVA, SCALA, JS, VBS or TS files to MQ4, try MetaTrader 4 or another comparable tool in the "Trading script source code" 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 MQ4 converter.