MT5 Feature Request: Configurable Path to Data Storage

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So far as I can tell, MT5 is hard-coded to cache its data in AppData\Roaming in the user's account, which will normally be on the C disk. Unless I'm missing something, there is no way to configure the data path.

Like many users, I have a small SSD drive on C to hold my apps, and I store my large data on an HDD. My SDD is nearly full, so I didn't have the space to backtest using bulky real tick data.

I've found a workaround using portable mode and a batch file, but I'm a geek and many users would struggle with this. Plus it was a tiresome waste of time.

As a developer myself adding the option to configure the data path looks like a trivial job. Checking the forums, many users seem to have struggled with this over the years. This is an ugly anti-feature - surely it's time to fix it?

Please add this to the road-map - I'm sure it would be much appreciated.

 
gcaplan:

So far as I can tell, MT5 is hard-coded to cache its data in AppData\Roaming in the user's account, which will normally be on the C disk. Unless I'm missing something, there is no way to configure the data path.

Like many users, I have a small SSD drive on C to hold my apps, and I store my large data on an HDD. My SDD is nearly full, so I didn't have the space to backtest using bulky real tick data.

I've found a workaround using portable mode and a batch file, but I'm a geek and many users would struggle with this. Plus it was a tiresome waste of time.

As a developer myself adding the option to configure the data path looks like a trivial job. Checking the forums, many users seem to have struggled with this over the years. This is an ugly anti-feature - surely it's time to fix it?

Please add this to the road-map - I'm sure it would be much appreciated.

Cool idea, would be really useful, so far I solved this problem by moving the terminal folder to a big drive and using mklink:

mklink.exe /d /j "C:\Users\almighty\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes\Terminal\<terminal-id>" "d:\large-hard-drive\path\terminal-folder-copy"

 

I am not sure that it is related to "this story" sorry ... but it is my experience -

 

gcaplan:

Please add this to the road-map - I'm sure it would be much appreciated.

This is the forum. Write to the Service Desk with feature requests.

 
gcaplan:

So far as I can tell, MT5 is hard-coded to cache its data in AppData\Roaming in the user's account, which will normally be on the C disk. Unless I'm missing something, there is no way to configure the data path.

Like many users, I have a small SSD drive on C to hold my apps, and I store my large data on an HDD. My SDD is nearly full, so I didn't have the space to backtest using bulky real tick data.

I've found a workaround using portable mode and a batch file, but I'm a geek and many users would struggle with this. Plus it was a tiresome waste of time.

As a developer myself adding the option to configure the data path looks like a trivial job. Checking the forums, many users seem to have struggled with this over the years. This is an ugly anti-feature - surely it's time to fix it?

Please add this to the road-map - I'm sure it would be much appreciated.

No need for this!

  1. Use /portable mode
  2. Use Windows' junctions to link any place of your pc to where you need it.
    Here you have a GUI to place these junctions!
Link Shell Extension
  • schinagl.priv.at
Version 3.9.0.0 Complete support for UNC path in any Smart Move/Copy/Clone & Delorean Operation. Lots of little fixes/improvements, I always wanted to do, but never had the time to. Version 3.8.7.1 The overlay icons didn't show up under 32bit applications. With Windows 10 LSE shows flat icons for symlinks, hardlinks and junctions...
 
Carl Schreiber:

No need for this!

  1. Use /portable mode
  2. Use Windows' junctions to link any place of your pc to where you need it.
    Here you have a GUI to place these junctions!

Carl - as I said in my post I figured out how to do it. But it took a bit of research and time. And I'm a geek and know how to do this stuff.

My point is that many users will struggle with this.

Given that the data cache can grow to many gigs, giving users an easy and intuitive way to change its location seems like a sensible idea.

This is an absolutely standard feature on many apps and easy to implement. I can't see a good reason for not offering it.

 
Allowing random locations is a security issue by itself and MT terminal isn't just any app, it runs fully capable executablesa. And all this is happening in Windows, where security may be symbolized by a mountain that all roads of development bypass as far as possible. A non-geek should probably not deal with that kind of responsibility.
 
kypa:
Allowing random locations is a security issue

Moving the position of the data cache is a security issue? 


I find it hard to understand how that could be the case.


Please explain...

 
Placing an executable in a privileged access folder with autorun "capability" can spice things up really quick.
 
kypa:
Placing an executable in a privileged access folder with autorun "capability" can spice things up really quick.

But the thread is about moving the data folder, not the executable.

Because I can't set the data folder, I've had to move the executable to a disk with free space and launch it with the portable flag.

If I could set the data path, I could have left the executable in the Program Files directory, with all the security that provides.

So by your criterion, forcing me to move the executable is actually reducing security.

Providing the option to set the data path provides a meaningful upside with no downside that I can see, particularly as it is trivial to implement.

 
gcaplan:

So far as I can tell, MT5 is hard-coded to cache its data in AppData\Roaming in the user's account, which will normally be on the C disk. Unless I'm missing something, there is no way to configure the data path.

Like many users, I have a small SSD drive on C to hold my apps, and I store my large data on an HDD. My SDD is nearly full, so I didn't have the space to backtest using bulky real tick data.

I've found a workaround using portable mode and a batch file, but I'm a geek and many users would struggle with this. Plus it was a tiresome waste of time.

As a developer myself adding the option to configure the data path looks like a trivial job. Checking the forums, many users seem to have struggled with this over the years. This is an ugly anti-feature - surely it's time to fix it?

Please add this to the road-map - I'm sure it would be much appreciated.

I need a help in this, I have very small SSD C: drive. Please need the details how to move to Drive D  the MetaQoutes folder. I am not a tech savvy.
Really appreciated.

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