How to Place a Pending Order on MT5

A pending order is an instruction to buy or sell at a specified price in the future, rather than at the current market price. MetaTrader 5 supports six pending order types, two more than MetaTrader 4, and offers a wider range of expiry and order fill policy options. Pending orders are held on the broker's server, which means they trigger automatically when the price condition is met, even if MT5 is closed on your device.

This article explains what a pending order is in MT5, the six pending order types available, how to place one step by step, how to attach a stop loss and take profit, how to modify or delete a pending order, and the practical considerations that affect how pending orders behave in live markets.

What Is a Pending Order in MT5?

A pending order tells the broker to open a position when the market reaches a specified price, rather than immediately at the current market. The order sits inactive until the trigger condition is met. If price reaches the level before the order expires, the order converts into an active position; if the order expires or is cancelled first, no position is opened.

Pending orders are useful when you have identified a price level where you would want to enter the market but the current price has not yet reached it. The pending order acts as a standing instruction, executing automatically when the level is touched, without requiring you to monitor the screen continuously.

In MT5, pending orders are server-side. They remain active when the MT5 terminal is closed and trigger as soon as the price condition is met. This is one of the main practical advantages of pending orders over manual market entries.

The Six Types of Pending Orders in MT5

MT5 supports six pending order types. Four of these mirror the pending order types available in MT4: Buy Limit, Sell Limit, Buy Stop, and Sell Stop. The two additional MT5 types are combined orders: Buy Stop Limit and Sell Stop Limit.

A Buy Limit is an order to go long at a price below the current market, used when you expect the market to fall to a level and then bounce back upwards. The order triggers when the ask price reaches the specified level.

A Sell Limit is an order to go short at a price above the current market, used when you expect the market to rise to a level and then reverse downwards. The order triggers when the bid price reaches the specified level.

A Buy Stop is an order to go long at a price above the current market, used when you expect an upside breakout. The order triggers when the ask price reaches the specified level.

A Sell Stop is an order to go short at a price below the current market, used when you expect a downside breakdown. The order triggers when the bid price reaches the specified level.

A Buy Stop Limit is a combined order. You specify two prices: a stop price (above the current market) and a limit price. When the ask reaches the stop price, MT5 places a Buy Limit order at the limit price. The position only opens if the market subsequently reaches the limit price.

A Sell Stop Limit is the mirror of Buy Stop Limit. You specify a stop price (below the current market) and a limit price. When the bid reaches the stop price, MT5 places a Sell Limit order at the limit price. The position only opens if the market subsequently reaches the limit price.

The two Stop Limit order types are useful when you want to enter a breakout trade only if price returns to a specific level after the initial break, allowing for a more selective entry than a straight stop order.

How to Place a Pending Order on MT5

Placing a pending order in MT5 follows a clear sequence.

Open the New Order window by pressing F9, choosing Tools > New Order from the menu, or right-clicking the symbol in the Market Watch window and selecting New Order. Confirm that the correct symbol is selected.

In the Type dropdown at the top of the order window, change Market Execution to Pending Order. Additional fields appear below.

In the pending-order section, choose the order type from the dropdown: Buy Limit, Sell Limit, Buy Stop, Sell Stop, Buy Stop Limit, or Sell Stop Limit.

Enter the trigger price in the "at price" field. For Stop Limit order types, you also enter a Stop Limit price in the additional field that appears. MT5 verifies that the prices are on valid sides of the market for the order type selected; if they are not, the order is rejected when you try to place it.

Enter the volume (number of lots) you want to trade. The minimum is 0.01 lots on the Standard, Raw, and VIP Black accounts, or 0.001 lots on the Nano account. The maximum is 20 lots per trade across all account types at TIOmarkets.

Optionally, set a stop loss and take profit in the Stop Loss and Take Profit fields. These are entered as absolute prices and will be attached to the position when the pending order triggers.

Optionally, set an expiry. MT5 offers several expiry options accessed via the Expiration dropdown: GTC (Good Till Cancelled), Today, Specified date and time, and Specified day. If you leave the order as GTC, it remains active until you delete it or it triggers.

Click Place. The pending order is sent to the server and appears in the Trade tab of the Toolbox window (Ctrl+T), listed with its type, volume, symbol, trigger price, and any attached stop loss or take profit.

Adding Stop Loss and Take Profit to a Pending Order

A pending order in MT5 can carry a stop loss and take profit just as a market position can. Both are entered as absolute price levels in the New Order window when the pending order is created.

When the pending order triggers and converts into an active position, the stop loss and take profit are already in place. There is no gap between the position opening and the protective levels being attached.

You can also add or modify the stop loss or take profit on a pending order before it triggers. From the Trade tab of the Toolbox window, right-click the pending order and select Modify or Delete. Enter or change the stop loss and take profit values in the dialog and confirm.

Modifying or Deleting a Pending Order

A pending order that has not yet triggered can be modified or removed at any time.

To modify a pending order, right-click it in the Trade tab of the Toolbox window and select Modify or Delete. In the dialog that opens, you can change the trigger price, the stop limit price (if applicable), the stop loss, the take profit, and the expiry. Click Modify to confirm.

To delete a pending order, follow the same right-click route but select Delete in the dialog. The order is removed from the server and no longer active. You can also drag the pending order's price line on the chart if Show trade levels is enabled, which opens the modify dialog with the new price pre-filled.

Pending Order Expiry Options in MT5

MT5 offers more granular expiry control than MT4. The Expiration dropdown in the New Order window provides four options:

GTC (Good Till Cancelled): the order remains active until manually deleted or until it triggers.

Today: the order is automatically cancelled at the end of the current trading day.

Specified: the order expires at a specific date and time you set.

Specified Day: the order expires at the end of a specified day you choose.

Choosing the appropriate expiry depends on the trade idea. A breakout idea tied to a specific session might use Today or Specified Day. A longer-term level might use GTC. Setting an expiry ensures the order does not sit indefinitely on the server, opening positions long after the original setup has become irrelevant.

Practical Considerations for Pending Orders on MT5

A pending order is convenient, but several factors affect how it behaves in live markets.

Server-side execution means the order remains active when MT5 is closed. This is one of the main advantages over manual entries. However, it also means the order can trigger during overnight or weekend price moves, including ones you may not anticipate.

Minimum distance rules apply. MT5 enforces a minimum distance, called the stops level, between the current market price and any pending order price. Attempting to place an order too close to the current price produces an Invalid stops or Invalid price message. The required distance varies by instrument and is shown in the symbol's specification (right-click the symbol in Market Watch and select Specification).

The maximum number of open and pending orders combined is 200 per client across all accounts at TIOmarkets, and the maximum size per trade is 20 lots.

MT5 supports three order fill policies: Fill or Kill, Immediate or Cancel, and Return. By comparison, MT4 supports only Fill or Kill. The available fill policy can be selected for pending orders and affects how the broker handles partial fills when the requested volume is not fully available.

Execution at the trigger price is at the best available market price, which may result in positive or negative slippage. Limit orders enter at the specified price or better under normal conditions, while stop orders may slip in fast-moving markets.

Demo accounts often execute instantly and may not fully replicate live slippage conditions, so pending order fills on a demo can look cleaner than they will in live trading.

Trading at TIOmarkets

TIOmarkets offers MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4 on desktop, web, and mobile, across four account types. The Standard account is created automatically on registration with a minimum deposit of $20 or currency equivalent. The Raw and VIP Black accounts are opened separately through the client area. The Nano account is MT5 only with a $20 minimum deposit, USD only. Hedging is supported on all accounts. A swap-free Islamic account is available; contact TIOmarkets for eligibility and instrument requirements. Copy trading is available on both MT4 and MT5.

Orders are executed at the best available market price, which may result in positive or negative slippage. Demo accounts often execute instantly and may not fully replicate live slippage conditions. Spreads are variable and are typically higher than minimum figures shown. Leverage on each instrument is subject to change depending on market conditions and applicable regulatory requirements. You can review the full list of account types on the TIOmarkets accounts page.