Does MetaTrader 5 run on Linux?

MetaTrader 5 is a Windows program, and MetaQuotes has not made a Linux one. What it has done, unusually, is document the workaround on its own help site. The instructions use Wine, which MetaQuotes describes as a free compatibility layer that lets software written for Windows run on Linux, and they name Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint and Fedora as the systems the installer covers.

That is a genuine vendor blessing rather than a forum rumour, which is rare and worth weighting. It is still not the same as a native app. MetaQuotes notes that extra Wine components called Mono and Gecko may be needed for the platform to work, and advises keeping both the system and Wine current for stability. Expect the occasional cosmetic oddity and a slower start.

Be careful about what this means for real money. A trading terminal that crashes at the wrong moment costs more than an office program that does. Run it on a demo account first for a week, check that charts, alerts and order placement all behave, and keep a second way to reach your broker, such as their website or phone line, before you rely on it.

Your account and history sit with the broker, so there is nothing to migrate. Custom indicators and expert advisers in your MQL5 folder should be copied across by hand.