MT5: SL and TP disappeared overnight — what to check?

SL and TP can be removed at a day change if the MT5 symbol is configured that way. This is not a rule for every Forex account or proof of a fault. Check the current position, validity settings and history of changes. Our example separates keeping a position from keeping its exit conditions: they require different checks.

Why is the GTC label insufficient?

GTC means Good Till Canceled. MT5 nevertheless requires reading two layers: permitted symbol expiration modes and its additional GTC policy. MetaQuotes explains that SYMBOL_ORDER_GTC_MODE matters when SYMBOL_EXPIRATION_MODE includes the GTC mode. The abbreviation shown beside an order does not describe the complete day-end behaviour.

Distinguish a pending order’s expiry from levels attached to an open position. Stop loss is an exit condition intended to limit a loss, while take profit specifies an exit at a favourable price. Removing a level does not automatically execute an opposite trade. A position can retain its quantity even though its previous exit condition has disappeared.

Record the exact symbol, server, account and observation time. Similar instrument names do not establish identical settings. Obtain the day-change boundary from provider conditions rather than substituting midnight on your computer. A quotation break, session end, calendar date and financing cutoff need not identify the same event. International readers should use the actual server convention, not a presumed Polish or local time.

What survives under the three GTC policies?

MT5 symbol properties describe these variants: GTC retains pending orders and SL/TP; DAILY removes them at day end; DAILY_EXCLUDING_STOPS retains protection while removing pending orders. These are documented platform settings, not a claim about the choice your provider made. Nothing in our model closes P1.

The diagram’s conclusion: an empty pending-order list can coexist with either retained or removed protection. Read the current position’s SL and TP fields. The empty list alone is insufficient. Under DAILY, assess the remaining exposure separately: the 0.20-lot buy still exists without its earlier SL. The position count has not decreased merely because the stop field became empty.

For arithmetic only, additionally assume 100,000 EUR per lot, P1 entry at 1.1000 and a USD account, without costs or slippage. The previous stop distance represented 20,000 × (1.1000 − 1.0950) = 100 USD. Once the SL is removed, that 100 USD refers to an exit condition no longer present, rather than a current loss limit. Unchanged quantity does not establish unchanged protection.

How do you distinguish expiry from another change?

Compare the record before the day boundary with a reading after synchronization. Establish whether the position still has the relevant identifier, direction and quantity. Then read current SL/TP and inspect order history and journals. When seeking technical help, request both symbol settings and the boundary time with its zone, rather than sending only “my stop disappeared.” Mark missing information as unresolved instead of guessing the cause.

Order properties distinguish expiry, cancellation, rejection and execution. Pending order P2’s status helps establish its outcome but does not prove the SL state on P1. Do not invent a separate historical “expired SL” ticket if the server represents a level change differently. Record what the account actually exposes, together with the source of each observation.

Removal can also follow manual modification, EA activity, full closure or reversal. The SL/TP inheritance guide explains how an increasing or reversing order can replace levels in MT5 netting. That mechanism is distinct from daily validity policy. If several actions coincided, reconstruct their confirmed sequence instead of attributing everything to rollover simply because it occurred overnight. Preserve the earlier state before issuing another request.

Moving an OTC position to the next day with swap is not itself a general instruction to remove protection. MT5 basic principles distinguish it from exchange-market events where levels can reset. Check the product and actual event; do not transfer an exchange instrument’s behaviour to every Forex contract. A financing entry alone does not identify the reason a level disappeared.

How do you verify restored levels?

Assess the present direction, quantity, prices and available ways to reduce exposure. Do not blindly restore yesterday’s stop: the market may have crossed its level and symbol conditions may have changed. Do not move it further away merely to gain acceptance. The MT4 and MT5 error guide helps identify rejected modifications and instrument distance requirements. A technically valid request still needs to fit the risk plan.

Changing SL/TP requires an accepted instruction. The position-modification instructions specify symbol conditions and current protection fields. After the reply, read both levels and remaining quantity. An EA setting or chart line does not replace confirmed server state. Our article on protection after switching the platform off explains that difference when the terminal is switched off. Preserve the final read instead of relying only on the submitted values.

A day-end check examines the position, pending orders and protection separately. One disappearing list cannot answer all three questions.

What should you do tomorrow?

1. Establish symbol rules without trading. Record both validity properties, the product and day boundary with an explicit time zone. If you cannot confirm a field, mark it missing and ask the provider. Do not substitute another account or symbol’s settings.
2. Prepare two demo observations. For the same position, record identifier, quantity, SL, TP and pending orders before and after the day boundary. Preserve journals and history. Avoid changing settings during the comparison when your goal is to identify the cause.
3. Assess remaining exposure. If a level disappeared, inspect the open position rather than assuming it closed. Verify each subsequent instruction through a current reading. Before another overnight period, record checks appropriate to the actual configuration without promising unconditional protection.