Pending Order in MT5: How to Place, Modify and Delete One

What you'll learn

• What a pending order is and the four ways its life can end.
• How to place one in MetaTrader 5 on desktop and mobile, and set its expiry.
• How to modify, drag or delete it.
• What gaps and the free margin check do to it.

This lesson opens the MT5 Power User module. It is the hands-on follow-up to our lesson on forex order types, which explains when each order fits. New to the platform? Start with how to use MetaTrader 5.

What is a pending order?

A pending order is an instruction to buy or sell later, only if the price reaches a level you choose. Until then it waits, with no open position and no running profit or loss. When the price gets there, MetaTrader 5 tries to open the position.

MetaTrader 5's basic principles of trading define four basic types:

MetaTrader 5 adds buy stop limit and sell stop limit, for six pending types in all; the stop limit is explained below.

Definitions

• Trigger price: the level that activates the order. Buy orders trigger on the Ask, sell orders on the Bid.
• Expiry: the rule that decides how long an unfilled order keeps waiting.
• Gap: a jump between two prices with no trading in between, common after a weekend.
• Slippage: the difference between your order price and the price you got.

How do you place pending orders in MT5?

To place a pending order in MetaTrader 5 desktop, press F9, set Type to Pending Order, fill in the order type, price, volume, stop loss, take profit and expiry, then press Place. The steps follow MetaQuotes' help on executing trades. The Place button stays inactive while any field is incorrect.

1. Press F9, or right-click the symbol in Market Watch and choose New Order.
2. Set Type to Pending Order and choose the order type, for example Buy Limit.
3. Enter the Volume in lots and the Price at which the order should trigger.
4. Enter a Stop Loss and Take Profit. Left at zero, they are not set.
5. Choose the Expiration and press Place.
6. Check the Trade tab of the Toolbox: it should list an order, not a position.

A stop loss or take profit on a pending order only acts once the order has triggered. Choosing those levels is covered in the stop loss and take profit lesson.

How do you place a pending order in MT5 mobile?

On the MetaTrader 5 mobile app, tap the symbol in Quotes, choose New order, switch the trade operation type to a pending type, then set the volume, price, SL, TP and expiration. The fields match the desktop ones, according to MetaQuotes' Android help on placing pending orders.

To change or delete the order later, tap and hold its line in the Trade tab and choose Modify order or Delete order, as the Android help on managing pending orders describes.

How do pending orders expire in MT5?

A pending order in MetaTrader 5 lasts until it triggers, you delete it, or its expiry is reached, and you choose the expiry when you place it. There are four settings, with slightly different names on desktop and mobile. If the Expiration field is greyed out, your broker has locked it on the server.

How do you modify or delete a pending order?

You modify or delete a pending order from the Trade tab of the Toolbox: right-click it, choose Modify or Delete, then change the fields or press Delete. You can change the price, stop levels and expiry, but not the volume. To change the size, delete the order and place a new one.

What happens to a pending order after you place it?

A pending order waits until it fills and becomes a position, you cancel it, its expiry passes, or it is rejected when it triggers. It stays visible in the Trade tab while it waits, and its final status appears in the History tab. These are the main MetaTrader 5 statuses:

Free margin is checked when the order triggers, not when you place it. If it is too low at that moment, the order is cancelled and moved to history as Rejected. Free margin is explained in the leverage and margin lesson.

How does a pending order play out?

The same pending order can fill at your price, fill at a better price after a gap, or never fill, while a stop order in the same gap fills at a worse price. The numbers below are synthetic: a buy limit on EURUSD 30 pips below the Ask, with a 25-pip stop loss and a 50-pip take profit.

EURUSD is quoted at 1.08480 Bid and 1.08500 Ask. You place a buy limit for 0.20 lot at 1.08200, 30 pips below the Ask. One pip on 0.20 lot of EURUSD is worth about $2 (0.0001 × 20,000 euros); the pip value calculator works out other sizes.

Margin at the trigger. The position is 20,000 euros × 1.08200 = $21,640. At an assumed 1:30 leverage it needs $21,640 ÷ 30 = $721.33 of free margin when the order triggers.

A gap. Suppose you had chosen GTC and the order waited over a weekend. On Monday the Ask opens at 1.08100. A limit order fills at your price or better, so it can fill near 1.08100. Your stop loss is now only 15 pips away, so the risk to it is 15 × $2 = $30.

A sell stop for 0.20 lot at 1.08200 behaves differently. A stop order fills at your price or worse, so with the Bid opening at 1.08100 it fills 10 pips worse: 10 × $2 = $20 of slippage.

What is a stop limit order in MT5?

A stop limit order is a stop order that places a limit order, instead of a market order, when its stop price is reached. You set two prices: the stop price that activates it and the limit price where the new order waits, so it fills only at the limit price or better.

In the gap above, a sell stop limit with a stop price of 1.08200 and a limit of 1.08150 would not fill at 1.08100. It would fill only if the Bid rose back to 1.08150.

How do skilled traders manage pending orders?

Skilled traders match the order type to the fill they want, give every order an expiry that fits the analysis behind it, keep free margin for the trigger, and review open orders daily. MetaTrader 5 executes the order exactly as written while you are away, so the setup does the work.

• Stop orders for entry on a move: a triggered stop order fills at the next available price, so in a fast or gapping market it can fill past your level.
• Limit orders for price: a limit order fills at your price or better, and only if the market reaches it.
• Free margin at the trigger: keep enough free margin for the position, or the order is Rejected.
• Expiry that matches the idea: use Today or Specified for a setup tied to one session; a GTC order stays live until you delete it, so check the Trade tab each day.

Try it on demo

On a demo account in MetaTrader 5, press F9 on EURUSD and place a buy limit 300 points below the Ask, at the smallest volume, with expiry set to Today. Drag its price line on the chart, then delete the order and find it marked Canceled in the History tab.

How do I cancel a pending order in MT5?

Right-click the order in the Trade tab of the Toolbox, choose Modify or Delete, and press Delete. On mobile, tap and hold the order line and choose Delete order. The order then shows as Canceled in History.

Do pending orders expire over the weekend?

Only if their expiry passes. A Today order ends with the trading day, so it does not wait over a weekend. A GTC order keeps waiting and can be filled at Monday's opening price, which may have gapped past your level.

Why can't I place a pending order in MT5?

Usually a field is incorrect, which keeps the Place button inactive. Common causes are a price on the wrong side of the market, such as a buy limit above the Ask, or a stop loss on the wrong side of the order price.

• MetaQuotes, MetaTrader 5 Help: Executing Trades, accessed 19 October 2026: opening the order window with F9 or New Order and choosing Pending Order in the Type field; the order fields; expiry options GTC, Today, Specified and Specified day; limit orders fill at the specified price or better and stop orders at the specified price or worse; stop limit orders place a limit order when the stop price is reached; stop loss and take profit act only on open positions; modifying, dragging and deleting pending orders, volume cannot be modified, deleted orders show as Canceled. https://www.metatrader5.com/en/terminal/help/trading/performing_deals
• MetaQuotes, MetaTrader 5 Help: Basic Principles, accessed 19 October 2026: definitions of market and pending orders; the six pending types, the four basic ones plus buy stop limit and sell stop limit; buy orders trigger on the Ask and sell orders on the Bid; a triggered order that cannot be executed, for example because free margin is not enough, is cancelled and moved to history as Rejected; order states Placed, Filled, Canceled, Rejected and Expired. https://www.metatrader5.com/en/terminal/help/trading/general_concept
• MetaQuotes, MetaTrader 5 Android Help: Placing Pending Orders, accessed 19 October 2026: placing a pending order from Quotes or the Trade tab; the volume, type, price, SL, TP and expiration fields; expiry options GTC, Today, Date and Time, and Date. https://www.metatrader5.com/en/mobile-trading/android/help/trade/pending_place
• MetaQuotes, MetaTrader 5 Android Help: Managing Pending Orders, accessed 19 October 2026: Modify order and Delete order commands in the Trade tab; volume cannot be changed; orders are deleted automatically at their expiration; deleted orders show as Canceled in History. https://www.metatrader5.com/en/mobile-trading/android/help/trade/pending_change