How to Set a Stop Loss in MetaTrader 5

Open the New Order window (F9, or right-click a chart and select Trading, then New Order). Below the volume field are Stop Loss and Take Profit fields, which accept either a price level or, if you switch the display mode, a distance in points. Enter your stop price and confirm the order — the stop is attached at the same moment the position opens.

For a pending order (buy limit, sell stop, and so on) the same fields appear in the pending order window, and the stop loss is attached the moment the pending order triggers and becomes a live position, not before.

To add a stop to an existing position, or change one that is already set, open the Trade tab in the terminal window at the bottom of the screen, right-click the open position, and select Modify or Delete Order. A window opens showing the current Stop Loss and Take Profit fields — edit the value and click Modify to confirm.

The same window can be reached by dragging the horizontal stop-loss line directly on the chart if line trading is enabled in your platform's settings. This is faster in practice but easier to misplace by a few points, so it is worth confirming the exact value in the modify window before relying on it.

MT5 includes a built-in trailing stop, set by right-clicking an open position in the Trade tab and selecting Trailing Stop, then choosing a distance from the list. This moves the stop loss automatically as price moves in your favour, locking in gains without you needing to adjust it manually.

The built-in trailing stop only works while the terminal is running and connected — if you close MetaTrader or lose your connection, the trailing function stops updating, though the stop loss level last set remains active on the server. For trailing logic that needs to run independently of your terminal being open, an expert advisor is required instead.

A standard stop loss is a market order that triggers once price trades at your specified level. In normal conditions it fills at or very close to that level. Around major news, low-liquidity periods, or a market reopening after a weekend or holiday, price can jump directly from one level to another without trading at every price in between — this is a gap, and a stop loss inside a gap fills at the next available price, not the price you set.

This is why sizing a position from the stop distance in points, rather than assuming the stop is an absolute guarantee, is the more reliable approach. Being aware of scheduled high-impact news and holiday sessions for the instruments you trade reduces how often this affects you.