Trailing stop in MT5 and MT4: types, settings and common mistakes
Updated 13 October 2026
A trailing stop pulls the stop along behind the price and lets you keep most of a move without guessing the exit. Here is MetaTrader’s built-in trailing, other ways to trail, and the settings that decide the outcome.
MetaTrader’s built-in trailing
In MT5 and MT4: right-click a position → Trailing Stop → choose a distance. The stop follows the price at that distance and never moves back.
The built-in trailing runs in the terminal itself, not on the broker’s server. Turn off the computer and the stop stops moving (the last level stays with the broker). For round-the-clock use, keep the terminal on a VPS.
Types of trailing
- Fixed distance in points — simple and predictable, but blind to volatility: too far in a quiet market, too close in a fast one.
- ATR — distance = multiplier × average candle range. Adapts to the symbol and timeframe by itself.
- Fractals — the stop sits behind the latest swing low (for a buy) or high (for a sell). Follows market structure.
- Moving average — the stop sits behind the MA line. Good in trends, gets hit often in ranges.
- Parabolic SAR — accelerates as the move grows, locking in profit fast in an impulse.
- Previous candle high/low — a tight trail for short moves.
The settings that matter
- Start — the profit at which trailing begins (points or R). Starting early turns trailing into a stop that is too tight.
- Distance — how far the stop lags behind the price.
- Step — the minimum move before the stop is changed, so the order is not modified on every tick (brokers dislike thousands of modifications).
Common mistakes
- A distance that is too tight: normal noise hits the stop.
- Trailing through news: spread and spikes close the trade at a worse price.
- The same trailing for gold and EURUSD — their volatility is different.
- Expecting the trail to work with the terminal off.
Trailing in TradeDeck
The panel’s Trailing tab has six methods: points, ATR, fractals, moving average, Parabolic SAR and previous candle high/low, with a start in points or R and a step. Settings apply to all positions or to one you pick. It pairs well with breakeven and partial close: bank half at 1R and let the trail run the rest.