“Invalid stops” error in MT5 and MT4: causes and fixes
Updated 13 October 2026
“Invalid S/L or T/P”, Invalid stops, error 10016 in MT5 or 130 in MT4 — the terminal refuses your stop or target. The cause is almost always one of four broker rules. Here is each one.
1. The stop is too close to the price
Each symbol has a stops level — the minimum distance in points between the current price and a stop or target. If it is 50 points, no stop closer than 50 points is accepted. To check: Market Watch → right-click the symbol → Specification → Stops level.
The distance is measured from the closing price: Bid for a buy, Ask for a sell. With a wide spread, a stop that looks far on the chart can still be too close.
2. Frozen near the price — the freeze level
The freeze level: once the price is closer than this distance to the stop or target, they cannot be modified or deleted — the broker freezes the order before it executes.
3. The stop is on the wrong side of price
- Buy: stop below the current Bid, target above.
- Sell: stop above the current Ask, target below.
- If price has already passed the level (say you move the stop to breakeven but price is back beyond the entry), that stop cannot be placed — close at market instead.
4. Market execution
On market execution accounts some brokers do not accept a stop and target in the opening order itself. The position is then opened without them and the levels are set in the next step. EAs and panels usually do this for you.
How to fix it
- Check the stops level and freeze level in the Specification.
- Move the stop or target beyond that distance, with room for the spread.
- Check the side of price and the digits: 50 pips on 5-digit quotes is 500 points.
- If the error appears only around news, wait for the spread to narrow.
A hidden stop held by an EA is not sent to the broker and is not subject to this rule, but it only closes while the terminal runs — see hidden stop loss.
How TradeDeck handles it
The panel respects the broker’s stops and freeze levels: stops, targets and breakeven are never placed closer than allowed, and the Info tab shows the stops level, spread and other symbol settings. When a level cannot be set, the panel says why instead of just “error”.