A demo account is the real platform with pretend money. Switch to real money when the clicks are automatic and you have followed your risk rule for a month, not after a lucky week.
What demo is good for
- Learning the platform: market orders, pending orders, stop loss, take profit.
- Testing a method, like following a signal channel for a month.
- Building a routine: when you check the calendar, when you trade, when you stop.
- Practising losing. Take a losing trade and feel what it is like to close it.
What demo cannot teach
Demo money does not hurt when it is lost. So demo never tests your reaction under pressure.
| On demo | On real |
|---|---|
| You hold the trade to the stop loss. | You close early or move the stop away. |
| You take the planned size. | You double it after a win. |
| You stop at your daily limit. | You take “one more” to get back to even. |
Demo proves you can follow a plan. Real proves whether you still can when the money is yours.
Signs you are ready
Every line should be a yes.
- You can place, change and close any order without hunting for the button.
- You have followed your risk rule for four straight weeks.
- You have a written plan: pairs, hours, stop, size, daily limit.
- You had losing days on demo and did not break the plan the next day.
- The money you will deposit would not change your life if it vanished.
How to switch without a shock
- Reset the demo to the amount you will really deposit. Trade it two more weeks.
- Open real at the smallest size, 0.01 lot. The goal is to feel real money move, not to earn.
- Keep the same plan. Change nothing but the account.
- Increase size only after a month of following the plan.
Example
Sara practised eight weeks on a 1,000-dollar demo. She risked 10 dollars per trade. She made 31 trades, lost 14, and never moved a stop. She opens a real account with 1,000 dollars. Month one she trades 0.01 lot, risking 2 to 3 dollars per trade. Month two she goes back to 10 dollars per trade.
Had she started at 0.20 lot instead, five losses in a row could have cost a quarter of the account.
Mistakes to avoid
- Depositing more than planned because “demo was going well”.
- Switching after a winning week instead of a steady month.
- Changing strategy at the same time as changing accounts.
- Treating the first real loss as proof the method failed.
How much to deposit, and how much to risk per trade, is covered in the guide on how much money you need to start.
Questions, answered plainly.
How long should I stay on a demo account?
Until you can place every order without thinking and have followed your risk rule for a few weeks in a row, which is one to three months for most people.
Why do I do well on demo and badly on real?
Real money brings fear and greed that demo cannot, so start real with a tiny size to keep those feelings small.
How much should I deposit when I switch?
Only money you can afford to lose, and enough that 1 percent risk per trade still allows a sensible stop loss.