MT5 backtester not loading data for backtests

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Hello,

I am experiencing a deterministic Strategy Tester failure in MT5 build 5506. The tester aborts immediately after failing to open its own history cache files ( .hcs ), even though history download, synchronization, and processing all complete successfully.

Below are the exact failure points from the tester logs.

Observed Failure Point (from Tester / Core logs)

After successful history download, synchronization, processing, and agent initialization, the tester fails here:

base file ...\history\EURUSD\2023.hcs open error [3] EURUSD: history synchronization error [apply error] EURUSD: history data load error EURUSD: there is no history. Please make sure that EURUSD history is available on the trade server unexpected end of testing

This also occurs for other years:

base file ...\history\EURUSD\2019.hcs open error [3] EURUSD: history synchronization error [apply error] EURUSD: history data load error EURUSD: there is no history. Please make sure that EURUSD history is available on the trade server cannot get history EURUSD,H1 disconnected

What completes successfully before the failure

The logs show that all prerequisite steps succeed before the .hcs open error:

History download and synchronization:

EURUSD: preliminary downloading of M1 history completed EURUSD: history data begins from 2018.12.28 00:00 EURUSD: history synchronization completed [11503 Kb] EURUSD: 11.23 Mb of history processed in 0:00:01.312

Tester agent initialization and EA loading:

MetaTester 5 started on 127.0.0.1:3000 expert file added: Experts\Examples\Moving Average\Moving Average.ex5 successfully initialized initial deposit 10000.00 USD, leverage 1:100

Only after this does the tester fail to open the .hcs file and abort.

Resulting behaviour

  • Strategy Tester disconnects immediately

  • No bars are processed

  • No report is generated

  • Tester ends with:

unexpected end of testing

Reproduction scope

This identical failure occurs:

  • On Darwinex MT5 (demo)

  • On FTMO MT5 (demo)

  • On fresh Windows 11

  • On a fresh Windows Server VPS

  • After full terminal reset

  • After clean reinstall

  • Using broker history

  • Using manually imported history

  • Across different years (e.g., 2019, 2023)

  • With standard example EAs (Moving Average, MACD Sample)

Summary

  • History download, synchronization, and processing all succeed

  • Tester agent initializes successfully

  • EA loads successfully

  • Tester then fails at:

base file ...\history\EURUSD\YYYY.hcs open error [3]

  • This triggers:

history synchronization error [apply error] history data load error there is no history unexpected end of testing

This indicates a Strategy Tester cache layer failure when opening .hcs files, not a broker data issue, missing history, or EA logic issue.

Questions

  1. What does error code [3] mean in the context of:


    
        base file ...\history\EURUSD\YYYY.hcs open error [3]
Are there known regressions in build 5506 related to Strategy Tester cache files ( .hcs / .hct )?

  1. Are there additional diagnostics or debug flags that can be enabled to trace why the tester agent cannot open its own generated history cache files?


The Fundamentals of Testing in MetaTrader 5
The Fundamentals of Testing in MetaTrader 5
  • 2011.05.18
  • www.mql5.com
What are the differences between the three modes of testing in MetaTrader 5, and what should be particularly looked for? How does the testing of an EA, trading simultaneously on multiple instruments, take place? When and how are the indicator values calculated during testing, and how are the events handled? How to synchronize the bars from different instruments during testing in an "open prices only" mode? This article aims to provide answers to these and many other questions.
 

Known bug with current beta. a fix will certainly by provided soon.

The last official release is 5430.

Forum on trading, automated trading systems and testing trading strategies

All about MT5 updates.

Alain Verleyen, 2025.12.16 22:54

In case you got an BETA update, for whatever reason, and you want to move to the last official release :

  • A Telegram channel has been created, you will always find there the last official release needed exe files.
  • MT5 Terminal is available in several versions according to your CPU capabilities. You can check which version you have to use in the Journal log, at the first entries after you started MT5.

Here my version is AVX2, an other possibility is X64

  • With this information you will know which zip file to download.


  • You then just have to replace your current exe files with the ones from the Zip. If you don't know how to do, then doing this operation is probably not a good idea.

After MT5 is restarted, you will have the last official release.

If you don't want to get beta-build updates again :

  • NEVER connect to MetaQuotes-Demo server.
  • NEVER use MT5 Terminal Help menu=>Check for Updates=>Last Beta Version.

 
I also have a similar issue, I ty to backtest an EA with 8cap broker mt5 terminal but these issues appear:
and my build is 5509
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