Desktop trade copier: what you download, what it needs, and why it runs on your PC

If you search for a trade copier desktop download, you are looking for a copier that lives on your own computer rather than in a browser tab. This guide explains what that download actually is, what your PC needs to run it, and what changes in your trading day when the copier runs on your machine. It uses Replica as the worked example, because that is the copier we know in detail.

What you actually download

A desktop trade copier is a normal Windows program. You run an installer once, it puts the app on your PC, and from then on you open it like any other application. Inside it you connect your broker logins, pick a leader account and its followers, and set your sizing and risk rules.

With Replica, the installer lets you choose the install folder, add a desktop shortcut and launch the app at the end. You then sign in with your Replica account and open Connections to add your first broker. The step-by-step version is in install and update Replica.

What your PC needs

A copier does not need a powerful computer, but it does need a dependable one. For Replica:

• Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit. The installer refuses 32-bit Windows and anything older than Windows 10.
• Microsoft Edge WebView2. Replica's window uses it. Windows 11 already has it; the installer adds it on Windows 10 if it is missing.
• A stable internet connection. Wired is better than Wi-Fi for anything that trades.
• Your broker logins: your Tradovate or NinjaTrader sign-in, the Rithmic username, password and System name your firm gave you, or your TopstepX username and a ProjectX API key.

Mac, phone and cloud versions of Replica are coming soon. The full list is on what you need to run Replica.

Why the app has to stay open

This is the one thing to understand about any desktop copier. The copier is the program that watches your leader and sends the follower orders. If the program is closed, nothing is watching and nothing is sent.

In Replica, copying and per-account risk rules only run while the app is open. A fill that happens on the leader while Replica is closed is not replayed later. So the practical rule is simple: open Replica before you trade, and keep it open until you are done.

Two things do keep working when the app is closed:

• Take-profit and stop-loss orders already at the broker. They are real broker orders, so they stay in place and protect the follower even while Replica is closed.
• Your Tradovate session. Replica keeps it renewed for up to 72 hours while the app is closed, so you do not have to sign in every day. It stores only the session, never your password, and the server that renews it never places orders.

Why run a copier on your own PC at all

A cloud copier keeps running when your computer is off, which is a real advantage. A desktop copier makes a different trade-off:

• Orders come from your own connection. Replica sends orders straight to your brokers, never through a Replica server.
• Your logins stay on your machine. Rithmic passwords and ProjectX API keys are stored encrypted on your computer. Tradovate and NinjaTrader sign in on Tradovate's own page, so Replica never sees that password.
• Some prop firms ask for it. Topstep, for example, requires API orders to come from your own device rather than a VPS or remote server.

The longer comparison is in desktop or cloud trade copier.

Can I run it on a VPS?

A Windows VPS gives you a desktop copier on a machine that is always on, and it works for most brokers. Check your prop firm's rules first: some firms require orders to come from your own device. If you trade Topstep accounts, run Replica on your own PC.

Updates

A downloaded app has to be kept current. Replica checks for updates and offers them in the app, and it only installs updates that are signed by us, so a tampered download is refused. Install updates when you are flat and not about to trade, because copying stops while the app restarts.

A sensible first session

1. Install Replica on the PC you trade from and sign in.
2. Connect your brokers in Connections. Every account under a login appears.
3. In Cockpit, create a copy group: one leader, your followers, a multiplier for each.
4. Set a daily loss limit on every follower on the Risk page.
5. Test with one micro contract before you size up.

The whole sequence is in the quick start, and how the copier works covers every setting.