How to Install a ProRealTime Algo, Step by Step

Updated 22 October 2026

To install a ProRealTime algo, you activate ProRealTime on your IG account, import the algo's .itf file, open the right chart, prepare the system for automatic trading and start it in ProOrder with a max position size. With our algos the whole install takes about 15 minutes, and the system then runs on ProRealTime's servers.

What do you need before you install a ProRealTime algo?

You need an IG account with ProRealTime activated, the algo file and enough capital for the margin of the size you plan to trade. No extra software is needed, since ProRealTime runs in IG's platform and automated systems run on ProRealTime's servers.

According to IG's help page, you activate ProRealTime via settings in My IG and then launch it from your account name in the trading platform. At IG Sweden the platform is free the first month and then 330 SEK a month, waived in any calendar month with at least four transactions.

Margin depends on the market and the number of contracts. In our own live sheet we count 12,000 kr of margin per index contract and 1,800 kr per gold contract. Check IG's current margin for your account before you start, since it can change.

How do you install a ProRealTime algo, step by step?

The install has six steps, and only the last one starts live trading. Every step below follows ProRealTime's and IG's own instructions, read on 15 October 2026.

Step	Where	What you do	Source
1. Activate ProRealTime	My IG, settings	Activate ProRealTime and launch it from the platform	IG
2. Save the algo file	Your email	Save the .itf file to your computer	A+ Algos
3. Import	Indicators & trading systems window	Click Import and choose the .itf file	ProRealTime
4. Open the chart	Chart window	Open the instrument and timeframe the algo is made for	ProRealTime
5. Prepare	Backtest button on the chart	Choose ProBacktest & Automatic Trading, select the system, click Prepare for automatic trading	ProRealTime
6. Start	ProOrder window	Click start, set max position size, activate	ProRealTime

Steps 3 to 6 are described in ProRealTime's guides on importing programs and on executing a trading system. We also send a step by step guide with every algo, and our Get started page has video guides in English and Swedish.

How do you import the .itf file into ProRealTime?

You import the file from the Indicators & trading systems window by clicking Import and choosing the .itf file on your computer. The system then appears in your list of trading systems.

An .itf file is the format ProRealTime uses to export and import indicators, trading systems and screeners. ProRealTime notes that the person who exports a code chooses its protection level, so you may not be able to open and edit the code of a system you buy. That does not stop you from running it.

Which chart and timeframe should the algo run on?

The algo runs on the instrument and timeframe of the chart you start it from, so the chart must match what the algo is made for. ProOrder has no separate timeframe setting, and the confirmation window shows both before you activate.

Our algo names tell you the market and the bar length. Nasdaq M3 Vega trades the Nasdaq 100 on a 3-minute chart, and Gold M2 trades gold on a 2-minute chart. Starting a system on the wrong timeframe means the same rules read different bars, and the result can be very different from the one we publish.

How do you start the algo in ProOrder?

You start it from the ProOrder window by clicking start next to the system, setting the max position size and clicking activate. The system then moves from Not running to Running.

The max position size is the largest position the system may hold, whatever the code says. According to ProRealTime, orders that would take the position above it are ignored. That makes it your own limit on risk, and the size is always your decision.

In the ProOrder options you can also choose what happens to positions when a system stops and set a maximum number of orders. All systems share a validity date, which you extend with Extend in the ProOrder window. Our guide on risk management in algo trading covers position size and stop loss in more detail.

What happens after the algo is running?

Once it is running, the algo trades on ProRealTime's servers and you can close the platform and switch off your computer. You follow positions in the IG app or the platform.

How ProOrder runs systems server side, and what can stop them, is explained in our article What is ProOrder. A running system still depends on the broker. When IG had major IT problems in September 2025, our algos largely did not trade after 10 September that month.

We run the same algos in our own account and publish the result every month after fees. The figures below are from our live data per 30 September 2026. Losing months happen, and past results do not predict future results.

Our ProRealTime account	Value
Start, December 2023	35,000 kr
End of September 2026, after fees	218,747 kr
Change since start	+525 %
Largest decline from peak	−23.5 % (February to April 2024)
Positive months	20 of 34
Nasdaq M3 Vega (earlier Nasdaq M3 pt.1), since start	+175,646 kr
Average orders per day	7.7

Every algo and every year is listed on A+ Algos in numbers.

Can you try the install before you buy?

Yes. You can try one of our algos free for 14 days, with no card needed, and the trial ends by itself. You get the algo and the install guide by email and go through the same steps as above.

FAQ

How long does it take to install a ProRealTime algo?

For our algos it takes about 15 minutes once ProRealTime is activated on your IG account. Most of that time is opening the right chart, preparing the system for automatic trading and checking the settings before you activate. Opening an IG account takes longer, since IG has its own checks before the account can trade.

Does my computer need to stay on after the algo is started?

No. A system started in ProOrder runs on ProRealTime's servers and keeps trading when the platform is closed. You only need the platform to start, stop or change a system. It still depends on the connection between ProRealTime and IG, so check your positions regularly.

Can I run the algo on an ISK?

No. Our ProRealTime algos trade CFDs on indices, gold and EUR/USD on your IG account. They do not trade shares and cannot be used on an investment savings account. CFDs are leveraged, so a small market move can give a large gain or loss relative to your margin.

What if the system stops by itself?

ProOrder can stop a system, for example when the validity date passes, when the order limit in your options is reached or when an order is rejected for insufficient margin. You see it under Not running in the ProOrder window. Check why it stopped, adjust if needed and start it again from the right chart.

Summary

Installing a ProRealTime algo means activating ProRealTime at IG, importing the .itf file, opening the right chart, preparing the system and starting it in ProOrder with a max position size you choose. For our algos it takes about 15 minutes, and after that the system runs on ProRealTime's servers.

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See the results live. Every month since December 2023 we publish the result of our own algos after fees on the live results page. Our main product is A+ Algo Portfolio V2.0, nine algos for ProRealTime or ten for MetaTrader 5, and our most traded algo live is Nasdaq M3 Vega.

Trading CFDs involves high risk and you can lose money. Past results, live or backtested, do not predict future returns.