Is MT4/MT5 Broker Sync Safe? Read-Only Access Explained
Connecting a trading account to any third-party tool deserves a careful question: what can it actually do once it is connected? For TradingJournal broker sync, the answer is simple — it can read your trading history and price data, and nothing else. Here is exactly what that means.
The short answer
Broker sync is read-only. It imports your trade history and the market data behind your trades so the app can build your analytics. It cannot open, change or close positions, and it cannot move money. You are never asked for withdrawal rights.
What broker sync actually does
- Reads your closed trade history so your journal, analytics and calendar stay up to date without manual exports.
- Reads the historical price (candle) data around your trades, which is what powers the candlestick charts on the trade detail page.
- Brings in new closed trades on demand or automatically, skipping anything already imported so you never get duplicates.
What it cannot do
| People worry about… | Can broker sync do this? |
|---|---|
| Open, modify or close trades | No |
| Deposit or withdraw money | No |
| Change your account settings or password | No |
| Trade on your behalf or run a strategy | No |
| Read your trade history | Yes — this is its only job |
| Read historical price data for your charts | Yes |
How the connection works
Your account is connected through MetaAPI, a dedicated MetaTrader connectivity provider. MetaAPI exists specifically to give applications a safe, read-only window into MT4/MT5 accounts. TradingJournal uses that window to read what already happened on your account — it is not a channel for placing orders.
In practical terms: the connection looks at the record of trades you have already made and the price history around them. It does not have a path to act on your account.
Your data and privacy
- Private to you. Each account is isolated, so your trades, notes and analytics are visible only to your account.
- Used for your analytics only. Your trade and market data is used to build the journal and coaching features you see — not to trade, and not shared with other users.
- Deletable. You can request deletion of your data and account at any time by emailing support@mytradingjournal.io.
How to connect, and how often it syncs
- You connect your trading account once.
- After that, you can sync on demand, and Pro accounts can use auto-sync.
- Sync runs with sensible rate limits and a daily quota so it stays within fair use of the broker connection.
Broker sync is a Pro feature.
Prefer not to connect at all?
You do not have to. File import gives you the same accurate history with no account connection — you simply upload an MT4/MT5 statement instead. See How to Export and Import Your MT4/MT5 History, or compare both approaches in File Import vs Broker Sync.
Try it your way
Start free with file import, or connect your broker with Pro for automatic, read-only sync.
Get started freeRelated: File Import vs Broker Sync · FAQ