How to Set Up Alerts on MT4

Alerts in MetaTrader 4 are a way to be notified when a market reaches a defined price level, when a specific time arrives, or when certain volume conditions are met. Instead of having to watch the screen constantly, traders can set an alert and let MT4 deliver a notification by sound, file, email, or push notification to a mobile device.

This guide explains what MT4 alerts can do, how to create an alert from the Alerts tab in the Terminal window, the meaning of each parameter in the alert dialog, how to set up email alerts and push notifications to mobile, and how to manage or remove existing alerts.

What MT4 Alerts Can Do

MT4 alerts are conditional triggers. You define a condition (typically a price level), an action (sound, file, email, or push notification), and a few control parameters (how often to re-fire, how many times to fire, when to expire), and MT4 monitors the market in the background. When the condition is met, the action fires.

Alerts are useful for several common situations. Waiting for a key price level to be reached before considering an entry. Being notified if a market has moved into an area where it would no longer be a good entry. Monitoring time-based events such as session opens. Being notified of a fast move in volume.

Alerts do not place trades automatically. They only notify. To act on the alert, the trader must still open the platform and place the order manually (or use an Expert Advisor for automated execution).

How to Set Up an Alert on MT4

The Alerts tab is part of the Terminal window. To open it, press Ctrl+T to toggle the Terminal window if it is not already visible, then click the Alerts tab.

The Alerts tab shows any existing alerts in a table. To create a new alert, right-click anywhere inside the tab and select Create from the context menu. The alert editor dialog opens.

Configure the fields (described in the next section), then click OK. The alert is added to the list and becomes active immediately, provided the Enable checkbox in the dialog is ticked.

Alert Parameters Explained

The alert editor dialog has the following fields.

Enable: a checkbox at the top. When ticked, the alert is active. Untick to pause an alert without deleting it.

Action: the action that fires when the condition is met. Options are:

• Sound: plays a sound file from the MT4/Sounds folder.
• File: runs a specified executable or opens a specified file.
• Mail: sends an email to the address configured in Tools > Options > Email.
• Notification: sends a push notification to a mobile device registered with the platform.

Symbol: the instrument to monitor. The dropdown lists all symbols available in the Market Watch.

Condition: the trigger condition. Options include Bid > value, Bid < value, Ask > value, Ask < value, Last > value, Last < value, Volume > value, Volume < value, and Time = value. Bid and Ask conditions monitor live quotes; Last is used for instruments where last-trade price is the relevant reference. Time conditions fire when the platform clock matches the specified time.

Value: the threshold value the condition checks against. For a price condition, this is a price level. For a time condition, this is a time (in HH:MM format).

Source: the source for the action. For Sound, this is the .wav file to play (selectable from the MT4/Sounds folder). For File, this is the file or program path. For Mail and Notification, the Source field is not used.

Timeout: the minimum interval between repeated fires of the same alert, in seconds. Setting this prevents the alert from firing repeatedly the moment the condition stays satisfied. Default is typically 10 seconds.

Maximum iterations: the total number of times the alert is allowed to fire before it stops automatically. Setting this to 1 means the alert fires once and stops.

Expiration: a date and time after which the alert is automatically removed. Useful for time-sensitive alerts (such as monitoring a session-open level only for one day).

After configuring, click OK to save the alert. To test the action, click the Test button before saving; the platform fires the action once to confirm it is configured correctly.

Email Alerts

To use the Mail action, email must be configured in MT4 first.

Go to Tools > Options > Email tab. Tick the Enable checkbox. Fill in:

• SMTP server: the outgoing mail server of your email provider, including the port number where required.
• SMTP login: the email account username.
• SMTP password: the password for the email account.
• From: the sender address shown on outgoing alert emails.
• To: the recipient address that receives the alerts.

Click Test on the Email tab to send a test email. If the test succeeds, alerts with the Mail action will deliver to the configured address.

Note: many email providers require an app-specific password or special permissions for SMTP access, particularly for accounts protected by two-factor authentication. The exact setup depends on the email provider. Deliverability is not guaranteed; emails can be delayed by spam filters or server load.

Push Notifications to Mobile

The Notification action sends a push notification to a mobile device running the MT4 mobile app. The setup requires a MetaQuotes ID, which is a unique identifier generated by the mobile app and entered into the desktop platform.

To get the MetaQuotes ID: install MT4 on a mobile device (iOS or Android), open the app, and navigate to Settings > Messages (or Chat/Messages depending on the build). The MetaQuotes ID is displayed there as a string of digits.

To enter the ID into desktop MT4: go to Tools > Options > Notifications tab. Tick Enable Push Notifications. Paste the MetaQuotes ID into the field. Click Test to send a test notification.

Once configured, any alert with the Notification action will be delivered to the registered mobile device. Notifications work even if the mobile app is closed, as long as the device is online and notifications are enabled at the operating system level.

Push notifications are a service provided by MetaQuotes (the platform vendor), not by TIOmarkets specifically.

Managing and Removing Alerts

The Alerts tab in the Terminal window shows all alerts currently configured. Each row shows the symbol, condition, value, action, and other settings.

To edit an alert, double-click the row, or right-click and select Modify. The editor reopens.

To enable or disable an alert without deleting it, untick or tick the Enable checkbox in the editor, or right-click the row and use the available toggle (which varies by build).

To delete an alert, right-click the row and select Delete. To clear all alerts at once, right-click in the tab and select Delete All.

When an alert fires, the platform records the event in the Journal tab of the Terminal window. This is useful for confirming whether the alert actually triggered and whether the action completed successfully.

Alerts on Mobile

The MT4 mobile app has its own alert system, separate from the desktop alerts. To set a mobile alert, open the app, navigate to the Alerts section (typically under the menu or a dedicated tab depending on the build), and tap to create a new alert. Configure the symbol, condition, and value similarly to desktop.

Mobile alerts deliver via push notification to the same device. They do not synchronise with desktop alerts; alerts set on desktop stay on desktop, and alerts set on mobile stay on mobile.

The mobile interface for alerts is more compact than desktop, but the core fields (symbol, condition, value) are equivalent.

Practical Considerations

Alerts fire when the condition is met based on the data the platform is receiving. If the platform connection is interrupted, alerts cannot fire during that interruption. For mission-critical alerts, ensure the platform is running on a stable connection or consider running it on a virtual private server.

The Timeout parameter is important for noisy conditions. If a price condition is set narrowly, the market can move back and forth across the threshold and fire the alert many times in quick succession. A reasonable Timeout (such as 60 seconds) prevents notification fatigue.

The Maximum iterations parameter is useful when you only want to be notified once. Setting it to 1 means the alert fires the first time the condition is met and then stops.

For time-based alerts (Time = value condition), the time is in MetaTrader server time. Confirm the server time in the Market Watch or in the platform's clock display before setting a time-based alert, particularly across time zones.

Email and push notifications depend on external infrastructure. SMTP server availability, mobile network coverage, and operating system notification settings all affect delivery. Test the configuration before relying on it.

Trading at TIOmarkets

TIOmarkets offers MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 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.