How to use pending orders in MetaTrader 5

You can use a pending order in MetaTrader 5 to instruct the server to buy or sell a symbol later at a defined trigger condition. You need a logged-in terminal, the symbol in Market Watch or Quotes, and a configuration that permits the selected order type, volume, filling policy and expiration.

Before you start

Open the symbol's Specification window and check Orders, Expiration, Filling, Stops level, volume limits and trading sessions. The available values are set by the broker and can differ between symbols. The current Bid and Ask also matter. On some exchange instruments, a trigger can use Last, while the actual buy or sell uses the market's available prices.

MetaTrader 5 supports Buy Limit, Sell Limit, Buy Stop, Sell Stop, Buy Stop Limit and Sell Stop Limit. A limit order is entered at its specified price or better. A stop order becomes a market order when triggered, so its execution price can be worse than its entered level. A Stop Limit order places a limit order only after its stop price is reached. See Placing Pending Orders.

On desktop

1. Select the symbol in Market Watch and click New order in its context menu. Alternatively, press F9, use Tools → New order, or click New order on the Standard toolbar.
2. Select Pending order in the Type field.
3. Select the required order type: Buy Limit, Sell Limit, Buy Stop, Sell Stop, Buy Stop Limit or Sell Stop Limit.
4. Enter the Volume using the permitted minimum, maximum and volume step.
5. Enter Price, which is the trigger price for a normal limit or stop order. For a Stop Limit order, enter the stop trigger in Price and the limit-order price in Stop Limit.
6. Enter Stop Loss and Take Profit if those fields are available and required for the position that will open.
7. Select an Expiration condition. Available choices can include Good Till Canceled, Today and Specified, depending on the server. If Specified is selected, enter the expiration date.
8. Review Fill policy and Comment if those fields are available. The server may disable some choices.
9. Click Place. The button remains inactive when a parameter is invalid.

To change a pending order, open its context menu in the Trade tab and choose Modify or delete, then click Change after editing the permitted fields. To remove it, use the modification window's Delete command. A pending order can also be cancelled automatically at its expiration.

In the web terminal

1. Open the symbol in Market Watch and choose the web terminal's New Order command.
2. Select the pending-order workflow and choose the order type offered for the symbol.
3. Enter the volume, trigger price, any Stop Loss or Take Profit, and the available expiration and filling settings.
4. Confirm Place and check the order list.

The web terminal supports limit, stop and stop-limit orders, but its control placement can differ from desktop. If a field or type is not shown, it is not enabled for that symbol.

On mobile

1. Open Quotes and select the symbol. On iPhone, use the bottom panel. On Android, open the side panel and tap Quotes.
2. Tap Trade, or open the symbol chart and tap the pending-order control.
3. In the order dialog, choose the order type, enter the volume and set the trigger price.
4. Add SL and TP if required, then expand the panel if you need to enter the other available order fields.
5. Confirm the order and check it in the Trade tab.

On iPhone, the chart workflow lets you tap Pending Order, drag the level, and change the order type from the displayed Buy Limit or Sell Limit control. Android offers the same trading functions with different navigation. The exact order types remain symbol-dependent.

What happens next

The unfilled order appears in the Trade tab with its trigger price, current price, volume, Stop Loss, Take Profit, state and expiration where applicable. When a limit condition is met, the order is executed at the specified price or better, but execution is not guaranteed. When a stop condition is met, the terminal sends a market-order request. The resulting deal can be filled at a worse price than the stop level.

For a Stop Limit order, reaching the stop price places the limit order. That limit order can remain unfilled if the market does not offer its specified price or better. If a pending order opens a position, its attached Stop Loss and Take Profit apply to that position.

Common problems

• Invalid stops: the trigger or attached stop level is too close to the current price or on the wrong side. Check Specification and the current Bid or Ask.
• Invalid volume: the volume is outside the symbol's limits or does not match the volume step. Correct it using Minimal volume, Maximal volume and Volume step.
• The order type is missing: the broker has not enabled it for the symbol, or the current execution mode does not support it. Check Orders and Execution in Specification.
• The order expired or disappeared: its Expiration was reached, or the symbol's day-validity rules removed it. Check the order in History.
• A stop order filled away from its level: a stop triggers a market request, so the available execution price can be worse than the entered stop price.

Related

Next: How to set a stop loss and take profit in MetaTrader 5. What each order type promises, and what it cannot, is in the MT5 order types guide.

If you cannot complete the step, contact support with the symbol, the order type and a screenshot of the message MetaTrader 5 shows.