Breakeven in MT5 and MT4: moving the stop loss to entry by hand and automatically
Updated 13 October 2026
Moving the stop to breakeven turns an open trade into a “free” one: if the price turns, the position closes near the entry. Here is when to do it, how not to end up negative on commission, and how to automate it.
What breakeven is
Breakeven (BE) means a stop hit would not lose money. To get there the stop is moved to the entry price or slightly past it, to cover the commission and swap.
When to move it
Moving too early is the main downside: a normal pullback knocks you out at entry, and then the price runs to the target without you. So the move is tied to distance travelled:
- in points — e.g. after 200 points in profit;
- in R — when profit equals the risk (1R): the stop was 1R away and the price has moved as far in your favour;
- as a share of the way to the target — e.g. halfway to the take profit;
- by structure — once price holds beyond the nearest level.
Covering the commission
With the stop exactly at entry, a hit gives zero in price but you still pay the commission. To truly break even, place the stop the commission’s distance into profit: above the entry for a buy, below it for a sell.
Offset in points = Commission per lot ÷ Point value per 1 lot
For example, with a $7 per lot commission on EURUSD (point value $1) that is 7 points.
Breakeven does not guarantee a zero result. On a gap, around news or with slippage the stop fills at a worse price.
By hand in MetaTrader 5 and 4
- Double-click the position in the Trade tab (or right-click → Modify).
- Enter the entry price (plus the commission offset) as the Stop Loss.
- Press Modify. Even simpler: with trade levels shown on the chart, drag the SL line to the entry price.
Automatically
MetaTrader has no built-in auto breakeven — expert advisors provide it. The TradeDeck panel has a BE button (moves the stop of every position on the symbol, spread and commission included), the Shift+E hotkey and the Breakeven+ tab: a move triggered in points, R, percent of price or of the way to the target. You can also set breakeven from your phone. Automation runs while the terminal is on — for round-the-clock use, keep it on a VPS.
Related: trailing stop, partial close.