- Published on: 2026-10-15 09:27:00
How to Place Pending Orders on MT5 (Limit and Stop)
Not every trading opportunity happens at the current market price. Sometimes the better strategy is to set an order in advance and let the market come to you. This is exactly what pending orders on MT5 are designed for. Instead of executing immediately like a market order, a pending order waits until the price reaches a level you've specified, then triggers automatically.
This guide explains the four types of pending orders available on MT5, how to place them correctly, and when each one makes strategic sense.
What Is a Pending Order?
A pending order is an instruction to buy or sell an instrument once the price reaches a predetermined level, rather than at the current market price. This allows traders to plan entries in advance, often based on technical analysis such as support and resistance levels, breakout points, or retracement zones, without needing to watch the charts continuously.
MT5 supports four main pending order types, split into two categories: limit orders and stop orders.
The Four Pending Order Types Explained
1. Buy Limit
A Buy Limit order is placed below the current market price. It's used when you expect the price to fall to a certain level before reversing upward. Traders commonly use Buy Limit orders at support levels or after a pullback in an uptrend.
2. Sell Limit
A Sell Limit order is placed above the current market price. It's used when you expect the price to rise to a certain level before reversing downward, often at resistance levels or after a temporary rally in a downtrend.
3. Buy Stop
A Buy Stop order is placed above the current market price. It's typically used to catch breakout momentum, entering a buy position only once the price confirms upward strength by breaking through a specific resistance level.
4. Sell Stop
A Sell Stop order is placed below the current market price. It's used to catch downward breakout momentum, entering a sell position once the price confirms weakness by breaking through a specific support level.
A simple way to remember the distinction: limit orders anticipate a reversal, while stop orders confirm a breakout.
Step-by-Step: Placing a Pending Order on MT5
Step 1: Open the Order Window
As with market orders, open the order window using one of the following methods:
- Double-click the instrument in the Market Watch window.
- Right-click the instrument and select New Order.
- Press F9 with the relevant chart active.
Step 2: Switch the Order Type to "Pending Order"
By default, the order window is set to "Market Execution." Use the dropdown menu near the top of the window to switch to Pending Order instead.
Step 3: Select the Specific Pending Order Type
Once "Pending Order" is selected, a second dropdown will appear, allowing you to choose between Buy Limit, Sell Limit, Buy Stop, and Sell Stop. Select the one that matches your trading plan.
Step 4: Set Your Trigger Price
Enter the exact price at which you want the order to activate. MT5 will only allow prices that are logically valid for the chosen order type; for example, a Buy Limit price must be below the current market price, and MT5 will alert you if the entered value doesn't meet this requirement.
Step 5: Set Volume, Stop Loss, and Take Profit
Just as with market orders, set your desired lot size in the Volume field. You can also define your stop loss and take profit levels at the same time, either as a specific price or a distance in points, so your risk management is built in before the order is even triggered.
Step 6: Set an Expiry (Optional)
Pending orders can be set to remain active indefinitely (Good Till Cancelled) or to expire at a specific date and time. This is useful if your trade setup is only valid within a certain window, such as before a major news release or the close of a trading session.
Step 7: Place the Order
Click Place to submit your pending order. It will not appear in your open positions immediately; instead, it will show under the "Trade" tab as a pending order until the trigger price is reached.
Managing Pending Orders
Once placed, pending orders can be adjusted at any time before they trigger:
- Modify: Right-click the pending order in the Trade tab and select "Modify or Delete Order" to change the trigger price, stop loss, take profit, or expiry.
- Delete: If your trade setup is no longer valid, simply delete the pending order before it triggers.
- Automatic activation: Once the market reaches your specified price, the pending order converts into an open position automatically, and it will then appear alongside your other active trades.
When to Use Each Pending Order Type
- Buy Limit: Anticipating a bounce off a known support zone in a broader uptrend.
- Sell Limit: Anticipating a rejection at a resistance zone in a broader downtrend.
- Buy Stop: Confirming a bullish breakout above a key resistance level, particularly useful in range-bound markets preparing to trend.
- Sell Stop: Confirming a bearish breakout below a key support level, often used around consolidation patterns before a downside move.
Common Mistakes With Pending Orders
- Placing orders too close to the current price: This can result in premature triggering due to normal price fluctuation rather than a genuine move.
- Forgetting to set an expiry: Orders left active indefinitely can trigger unexpectedly during unrelated market conditions weeks or months later.
- Ignoring the spread when setting stop levels: Since stop loss and take profit are calculated from the eventual entry price, sudden volatility around the trigger point can affect your intended risk-to-reward ratio.
- Confusing limit and stop logic: Placing a Buy Stop where a Buy Limit was intended (or vice versa) will result in a completely different trading outcome than planned.
Final Thoughts
Pending orders give MT5 traders the ability to plan entries strategically rather than reacting to the market in real time. Understanding the distinction between Buy Limit, Sell Limit, Buy Stop, and Sell Stop, along with correctly setting trigger prices and expiry conditions, allows you to build trade setups around your technical analysis with precision.
Practice placing each pending order type on your TradingPRO MT5 demo account to build confidence before applying them to live trades. Once you're comfortable with the mechanics, pending orders become a powerful tool for disciplined, plan-based trading.
