How to log in to IC Markets on MT4/MT5: a beginner's guide

In this article8

1. Three platforms, three separate account systems — read this first
2. Three things you must have for MT4/MT5Show subsections
3. Logging in to IC Markets on MT4/MT5 step by step
4. Choosing the right IC Markets server
5. Troubleshooting by symptomShow subsections
6. Three things to check before placing a trade
7. Frequently asked questionsShow subsections
8. Conclusion

IC Markets differs from most brokers in one way that matters for logging in: it supports three platforms, not two — MT4, MT5 and cTrader. That is also the number-one reason IC Markets users report “the password is right but it still won’t log in”: an account created for one platform cannot log in to another, and the resulting error looks exactly like a wrong-password error.

Last updated: 30 September 2026.

• Three platforms, three separate account systems
• The three things you must have
• Logging in to MT4/MT5 step by step
• Choosing the right server
• Troubleshooting table by symptom
• What to check once you are in
• Frequently asked questions
• Conclusion

Three platforms, three separate account systems — read this first

IC Markets supports MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader. These do not share accounts. You pick a platform when the account is created, and that choice is fixed:

Account created for	Can log in to	Cannot log in to
MT4	MetaTrader 4	MT5, cTrader
MT5	MetaTrader 5	MT4, cTrader
cTrader	cTrader	MT4, MT5

What makes this hard to spot is that cTrader uses a different login mechanism entirely: cTrader signs in with an email and password, while MT4/MT5 sign in with an account number and trading password. Someone used to cTrader will type an email into the MetaTrader login field by reflex and get an error even when everything else is correct.

How to check: open your account-opening email or the IC Markets client area — each account states its platform. If you need a different one, the only route is opening an additional account for that platform; there is no conversion.

Three things you must have for MT4/MT5

Item	Format	Where to find it
Account number (Login)	A string of digits	Account-opening email or client area
Trading password	Separate from the client-area password	Account-opening email; resettable
Server	Entity prefix plus Live/Demo and an index	The same email

Three kinds of password — do not mix them up

• Client area password — for the management portal, deposits, withdrawals and reports. Not valid in MetaTrader.
• Trading password (master) — for MT4/MT5, can open and close positions. This is the one you need.
• Read-only password (investor) — logs in but cannot trade. Telltale sign: successful login, greyed-out order button.

Logging in to IC Markets on MT4/MT5 step by step

1. Confirm which platform your account belongs to — see the table above. Skipping this step wastes the most time.
2. Install the matching software, from the IC Markets client area or the official MetaQuotes site.
3. Open it, go to File then Login to Trade Account. On mobile, open account management and add an account.
4. Enter the account number and trading password.
5. Filter the server list by typing the first characters, then pick the line matching your email — watch the number at the end.
6. Confirm. Connection succeeds when the bottom-right corner shows a data rate rather than a no-connection message.

Choosing the right IC Markets server

Server names contain an entity prefix, a Live or Demo marker, and an index number. IC Markets operates several entities — ASIC in Australia, CySEC in Cyprus, FSA in Seychelles — so the prefix can differ depending on which entity holds your contract. That is why someone else’s server will not work for your account even if you are both IC Markets clients.

This guide does not list specific server names, because the list changes over time and by entity; a hard-coded table would be wrong within months. Your own account-opening email is the only correct source. To find out which entity serves you, see IC Markets review: which entity signs your contract.

Troubleshooting by symptom

Symptom	Usual cause	Fix
Invalid account despite correct details	Account belongs to cTrader, trying MT4/MT5	Check the account’s platform; open the right account type if needed
Email typed in the login field	cTrader habit	MetaTrader accepts only the numeric account number
Logged in but cannot trade	Read-only password	Log in again with the trading password
Server missing from the list	MT4 installed for an MT5 account or vice versa	Install the correct platform
Works on mobile data but not wifi	ISP blocking the domain	Change DNS, see below
Charts empty after logging in	Data not loaded or outside market hours	Wait for data; check session times

When mobile data works and wifi does not

This pattern is nearly always ISP-level domain blocking rather than an account problem. The fix order is in Broker site blocked? Change DNS in 5 steps.

Candle times differ from your local clock

Normal. The server runs on the broker’s own time zone and shifts with daylight saving, so the daily candle does not close at your local midnight. Conversion is explained in MT4/MT5 server time versus local time.

Three things to check before placing a trade

• Right account — check the account number at the top so you are not on demo, or on a different account than intended.
• Which account type — IC Markets has Raw Spread accounts with commission and standard accounts without. The same trade costs differently; the arithmetic is in ECN or Standard: the calculation that decides your account type.
• Position size — do not accept the default. Size from your risk limit: Position sizing from risk.

Frequently asked questions

Can a cTrader account log in to MT5

No. The three platforms use three separate account systems. To use MT5, open a dedicated MT5 account in the client area; your cTrader account remains and both can run side by side.

I forgot my trading password

Reset it in the client area under the trading account details. Be careful to distinguish it from the client-area login password — resetting the wrong one will not solve the problem.

Why does my friend’s server not work for me

Because you may be under two different IC Markets entities, and each entity runs its own server cluster. Always use the server name from your own account-opening email.

Do rebates start once I log in

Rebates depend on whether the account sits under the Backcom VN partnership, not on logging in. Accounts opened directly need an IB transfer — see Transferring your IB. What makes IC Markets rebates different from the other brokers is covered in this article.

Conclusion

With IC Markets, check your account’s platform first — that is the biggest difference from brokers offering only MetaTrader, and the cause of most failed logins. Once you are sure the account is MT4 or MT5, the remaining three fields just need to be copied accurately from your account-opening email: the numeric account number, the trading password, and the server name with the right index at the end.

Current trading conditions and rebate rates are on the IC Markets broker page.

This content is informational. It is not investment advice and not a promise of returns. Leveraged forex and CFD trading carries a high level of risk and can result in the loss of all invested capital. Broker interfaces and procedures change — check against official documentation as you go.