MT4 / MT5 · Guide 04

Stop Loss & Take Profit in MetaTrader

How to correctly place, modify and manage your stop-loss and take-profit to protect capital and lock in gains.

Core rule: Never open a position without a stop-loss. In MetaTrader you can set it directly in the New Order window or add it afterwards. It is not optional.

Method 1: Set SL/TP When Opening the Order

This is the recommended approach. In the "New Order" window you will find two fields:

Stop Loss: Enter the exact price at which you want the position to close if the market moves against you.
Take Profit: The price at which you want the position to close automatically to lock in your gain.

Tip: If your Buy entry is at 1.0850 and you want a 30-pip stop-loss, place the SL at 1.0820. For a 60-pip take-profit: TP at 1.0910. Always enter full prices, not pip distances.

Method 2: Drag SL/TP Lines on the Chart

Once a position is open, you will see the SL line (red dashed) and TP line (green dashed) on the chart. Drag them to adjust the levels:

Hover over the SL or TP line until the cursor changes to a move arrow
Hold the left mouse button
Drag the line to the new price level
Release — MetaTrader will ask for confirmation

Trailing Stop: Automatically Lock In Profits

A trailing stop automatically moves the stop-loss in your favour as price advances, always maintaining a fixed distance that you define.

To activate it: in the Terminal panel → Trade tab, right-click your position → Trailing Stop → select the pip distance.

Important: The trailing stop only works while MetaTrader is open and connected to your broker. If you close the platform, the trailing stop is deactivated.

Breakeven: Moving the SL to Your Entry Price

A popular technique is to move the stop-loss to the entry price (breakeven) once the position reaches a certain profit level. This eliminates the risk of turning a winning trade into a loss.

To do it manually: when price reaches your breakeven target (e.g. 30 pips in profit), drag the SL line to your entry price or modify the order from the Terminal panel.

← Open Order Modify Order →

Educational content only. Does not constitute financial or investment advice. Trading involves risk of loss; past results do not guarantee future results.