In a hypothetical workflow, a trader wants a message when EUR/USD meets a chosen price condition. A desktop MT5 alert can draw attention to that condition; it does not reserve an execution price or protect a position. Check the price side, the running terminal and the notification channel separately.

How an alert differs from a stop loss

A standard alert in the desktop Alerts tab is evaluated by the running terminal using available data. Closing the terminal, putting its computer to sleep or losing current quotes interrupts that monitoring. A stop loss or take profit accepted by the broker’s server has a different role and can operate without the desktop terminal; an ordinary stop still does not guarantee its execution price or loss amount. See whether stop loss and take profit work when your platform is closed.

Broker-supported trade-server notifications are another function. An order, deal or balance-operation notification may arrive while the computer is off; that does not move your own desktop price-alert rule to the server. Sound, email and push are notification actions. The File action can launch an executable, whose effects depend on that program; it is not necessary for a normal notification.

Four qualifying readings, two alert episodes

For one notification per episode, specify the rearming condition as well. Counting true readings answers a different question.

Scroll sideways to see the full diagram

Four qualifying readings, two alert episodesA custom state machine processes seven equally spaced readings of one fictional price: 99, 101, 101, 100, 101, 99, 101. Initially armed, it emits one signal when price exceeds 100 and then disarms. It rearms only at price 99 or below. Price 100 does not reset it. Signals occur at readings 2 and 7, although four prices exceed 100. The linear price axis is 98–102. This is custom discrete logic, not MT5’s built-in repetition limit or an order-execution model.TRUE DOES NOT MEAN NEW EPISODECustom logic • fictional price units98991001011021234567Reading number • signals: 2 and 7START: armedPrice > 100 and armed → signalAfter signal → disarmedPrice ≤ 99 → rearmedPrice 100 does not rearm.

Assumptions: One fictional price in arbitrary units; seven complete, equally spaced readings. The rule uses these readings only, with no knowledge of the path between them. Initial state: armed. Signal at price > 100 while armed; then disarm, reset at ≤ 99. This is not a built-in MT5 setting or trading advice.

The custom rule starts armed. At reading 2, price 101 emits a signal and disarms the machine. Readings 3 and 5 also equal 101 but emit no new signal. Reading 4 is 100: it neither exceeds the trigger nor meets the ≤ 99 reset.

Only reading 6 at 99 rearms the machine. Reading 7 at 101 emits the second signal. Log price, state before evaluation, signal and state afterward; this model has four readings > 100 but two episodes.

MetaQuotes — alert conditions and repetitions describes standard price comparisons and repetition settings. Our machine is a separate custom program specification. We do not assume the standard Alerts list includes this reset field. The alert places no order and does not guarantee delivery.

Returning to 100 does not meet the custom reset at 99.

Which conditions MetaTrader 5 can handle

The MT5 alert dialog includes Bid, Ask and Last comparisons, volume comparisons and a time condition. Check the current help and the available data for the selected symbol.

Last and last-deal volume are useful only when the selected instrument supplies suitable data; they do not describe every transaction in the global FX market. For a hypothetical EUR/USD quote of Bid 1.09990 and Ask 1.10002, Ask is already above 1.10000 while Bid is not. With pip = 0.0001, the spread is 0.00012 ÷ 0.0001 = 1.2 pips. Strict > is different from ≥.

Available conditions in the MT5 alert window
Bid above / belowThe selling price exceeds or drops below your specified level — use this to set alerts on key resistance or support
Ask above / belowThe same for the buying price; useful when watching entry levels for long positions to account for spread
Time conditionTriggers at a specific time regardless of price — ideal for reminding yourself of macro data releases or session opens

Choose an action for each alert: Sound, File, Email or Notification. Set the repetition interval, maximum repetitions and expiry separately. The expiry and Time condition use the local clock of the computer running the terminal, not the broker’s candle clock. The standard dialog is not an arbitrary indicator-expression editor.

Assume an event at 13:00 UTC and a Warsaw computer using UTC+2 on the chosen day. Its local alert time is 15:00; a VPS using UTC needs 13:00 for the same instant. Copying 15:00 unchanged to that VPS shifts the reminder by two hours. Recheck the date and offset around seasonal clock changes; this is an organisational example, not a universal year-round offset.

How to set a price alert step by step

  1. Open the Toolbox window with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+T or via the View menu, and navigate to the Alerts tab.
  2. Right-click anywhere in the empty list area and select Create.
  3. Choose the symbol whose data the price or volume condition should monitor. For a Time condition, the symbol does not matter.
  4. In the Condition field, select Bid > or Bid <, and in the Value field, enter your price target, such as 1.0900.
  5. In Action, choose the required reaction, such as Sound, Email or Notification. Test that selected channel rather than treating one successful sound test as a phone-delivery test.
  6. Set an Expiration date so your alert list does not become cluttered with stale historical levels, and click OK to confirm.

Before enabling the alert, compare its condition with the current Bid, Ask or other specified input. A condition already true need not wait for a fresh crossing. Set expiry and repetition limits, use Test for the selected reaction, then separately observe a readily checked demo condition. Record the data timestamp and actual reception time; a successful test does not guarantee every future delivery. Disabled alerts are inactive rather than deleted.

Push and email notifications — configuration guide

Find the mobile app’s MetaQuotes ID, enter it in desktop notification settings, enable push and send a test. If delivery fails, inspect the ID, permissions, network and terminal logs; no failure-frequency statistic is assumed.

For email, configure Tools → Options → Email using the SMTP provider’s permitted server, port and authentication method, plus sender and receiver addresses. Use Test and check the receiver’s inbox and spam folder. Do not publish a screenshot or configuration file containing credentials. Successful push delivery does not test SMTP, and an email test does not test the alert’s market condition.

When an alert fails to trigger

If an alert is silent, check Enable, symbol, expiry and repetition limits first, then connection and quote freshness. Compare the rule against its specified price side. Inspect the platform log to distinguish a condition not detected from a notification generated but not delivered. Change one part at a time so the next test can identify its effect.

A full remote computer running your terminal may keep desktop alerts available while the home computer is off; it can still disconnect or restart. MetaQuotes virtual hosting is a different environment with explicit migration rules for programs, charts and settings. Do not assume that hiring it transfers the ordinary Alerts list. For an MQL notification program, verify migration and the remote journal rather than relying on the local terminal’s status.

Indicators and macro data — what MT5 cannot do natively

The standard alert dialog provides price, volume and time conditions rather than an arbitrary indicator-expression field. Indicator or Expert Advisor logic can implement custom notification conditions.

For a scheduled release, a Time alert reminds you of a chosen time; it does not wait for the report itself or predict its market impact. Check the current publication date and source time zone, then convert to the terminal computer’s local clock. Plan what to inspect after the message. The guide on how to read the economic calendar develops that release review.

Two received messages do not prove that two conditions were true together. Consider a hypothetical rule requiring Bid > 1.1000 and spread < 2 pips in the same reading, with EUR/USD pip = 0.0001. At t1, Bid/Ask 1.1002/1.1006 gives 4 pips: the price test passes, the spread test fails. At t2, 1.0998/1.0999 gives 1 pip: the spread test passes, the price test fails. Neither reading passes the complete rule.

A message about t1 may arrive alongside a message about t2. Delivery time is not the timestamp of the inputs used to evaluate the rule. A custom combined condition needs inputs from the same reading and a recorded timestamp; the standard Alerts dialog is not an editor for this arbitrary expression. After a notification, recheck current prices and the remaining criteria instead of carrying an earlier “yes” into the decision indefinitely.

What to do tomorrow

  1. Choose a manageable set of price levels and document why each matters. Three is a possible workflow choice, not an optimal threshold established by evidence.
  2. Configure a test alert and verify the observed notification and log. One successful test confirms that occasion, not continuous reliability.
  3. Test mobile push before relying on it. Use the intended MetaQuotes ID and observe the message on the target phone. Check permissions and connection; a successful send indication alone does not verify every future reception.
  4. Set expiry to match the setup’s validity. Review surviving rules after changing the account, instrument or plan, so the alert description still identifies the condition you intended.
  5. Log price level, notification timestamp and decision. Review the sample and identify interruptions or useful reminders; one month does not guarantee a conclusive pattern.