Your first trade on MetaTrader 5, end to end.
This guide walks you through placing a trade on MT5 — desktop, web, or mobile. The steps are the same; only the buttons are arranged differently.
Before You Start
- Make sure your Rise account is funded, and your MT5 login details are saved.
- Confirm you are logged in to the correct live account (not demo) if you intend to trade with real money. The account number is shown at the top of the terminal.
Step 1 — Open the Instrument
- Open the Market Watch panel (Ctrl+M on desktop).
- Find the instrument — e.g. EURUSD, XAUUSD, US100.
- Right-click → Chart Window to open a price chart, or New Order.
Step 2 — Open the Order Window
You can also press F9 on desktop or tap the + icon on your mobile.
The order window shows:
- Symbol — the instrument.
- Volume — the size of your trade in lots.
- Stop Loss and Take Profit — optional but recommended.
- Type — Market Execution (open now) or Pending Order (open later at a chosen price).
- Comment — optional note for your records.
Step 3 — Choose Order Type
Market Order (open immediately)
- Pick Market Execution.
- Click Sell by Market (you expect price to fall) or Buy by Market (you expect price to rise).
Pending Order (open at a chosen level)
- Pick Pending Order.
- Choose one of:
- Buy Limit — buy when price falls to a chosen level.
- Buy Stop — buy when price rises through a chosen level.
- Sell Limit — sell when price rises to a chosen level.
- Sell Stop — sell when price falls through a chosen level.
- Enter the Price and an optional Expiration.
- Click Place.
Step 4 — Set Stop Loss and Take Profit
In the same order window, enter your SL and TP as price levels (not pip distance). See What are Stop Loss and Take Profit orders for guidance.
Tip: It's safer to attach SL/TP at the moment you open the trade than to add them later — markets can move sharply in the first seconds.
Step 5 — Confirm and Open
Review the volume, SL/TP and the side (Buy/Sell). When you click the action button, the trade is sent to our servers and you'll see a ticket number in the confirmation message.
The position then appears in the Trade tab at the bottom of MT5.
Modifying or Closing a Position
- Modify SL/TP: Right-click the position → Modify or Delete Order.
- Partial close: Right-click → Close Order → enter a lower volume than the position size.
- Full close: Right-click → Close Order → confirm.
Reading the Trade Tab
| Column | What it means |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Instrument |
| Type | Buy or Sell |
| Volume | Size in lots |
| Price (open) | Where the trade opened |
| Price (current) | Live market price |
| S/L, T/P | Your protective and profit-taking levels |
| Profit | Floating P&L in account currency |
| Swap | Overnight financing charge or credit |
Common Issues
- "Invalid S/L or T/P" — your level is too close to current price. Widen it by a few pips.
- "Not enough money" — your free margin doesn't cover the position size. Reduce volume or close other positions.
- "Trade is disabled" — usually means you're on the wrong account type (e.g. read-only investor login) or trading hours for that instrument are closed.