MT5 stop loss and take profit changes in the history

The history keeps the final levels, not the steps along the way. Where modifications are recorded and how to keep the story of a trade.

You moved your stop to break even, then trailed it, then the trade closed. Open the history and you may see one row with the final stop and take profit values, not the steps along the way. Many traders are surprised by this. This page explains where modifications are recorded in MetaTrader 5, what the history keeps, and how to preserve the story of a trade when the platform only keeps the end of it.

Two different questions: what changed, and what was last

A position carries a stop loss and a take profit. Each time you or an Expert Advisor changes either value, the server processes a modification request. The terminal can show the current values on an open position, and the closed trade in the history shows the values that were in force at the end. What it does not give you, in a simple list, is a tidy timeline of every adjustment in between.

The logs are a different source. The terminal Journal tab records requests sent to the server, and an EA writes its own lines in the Experts tab. Those files can help you reconstruct a sequence, as explained in Experts tab vs Journal tab, but they are logs, not a statement of record, and they are limited in how far back they go.

Why this matters for a review

A stop moved to break even changes the trade. If it then exits for a small gain, the result reflects a rule you applied after entry. The final stop value alone can make the trade look like a tiny win from a tight plan, when the real plan was wider. Without a record of the changes, you may judge your entry on an exit that was shaped by something else. How break-even moves look in the records is explained in break-even stops in the trade history, and the mechanics of moving stops automatically are in MT5 trailing stop explained.

The comment field can also hint at how a trade ended, for example when a stop or take profit closed it. The meaning of those labels is covered in history comments for SL, TP and stop out.

A routine that keeps the story

• Write the planned stop and target in the entry note when you open the trade, as a plan, not as a hope.
• Each time you change either level by hand, add one line: the time (server time), the new value and the reason.
• If an EA changes levels, note the rule it follows once, and tag the trade with the EA’s name or magic number.
• When you close, state which part of the result came from the original plan and which from the changes.
• In the review, compare the result with the one you would have had if you had left the original levels alone, using the chart, not memory.

Where AI Trading Journal helps and where it does not

AI Trading Journal creates one entry per closed position with profit, commission and swap combined, dated by the last exit on the server clock. You can add setup, emotion, plan-followed, a rating, tags, notes and screenshots. A screenshot taken before and after a stop move is a cheap way to keep the sequence. The app does not record intended prices, does not log every stop adjustment, and does not capture charts automatically, so the notes and screenshots are yours to add.

A worked example (hypothetical)

A trader opens a buy with a stop 40 pips away and a target 80 pips away. After the price moves 40 pips, the stop is moved to the entry price. Later the price returns and the trade closes at the entry price plus a little, on the moved stop. The history shows a small gain and the final stop value. The trader’s note, written at the time, says the stop was moved at the half-way point by rule. In the weekly review, the trade is not counted as a failed entry; it is counted as a rule that traded a possible larger win for protection. Whether that rule helps over many trades is a separate question the notes make answerable.

These numbers are invented for illustration.

Limits of this page

• What the history displays varies by platform build and broker; check your terminal.
• Logs are limited in time and are not a guaranteed record.
• Nothing here is advice on where to place or move a stop.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• A local trading journal for MT5
• P&L calendar for MT5
• Trade notes, ratings and screenshots
• Trading progress and goals
• Back up your journal and move it to a new PC
• An offline trading journal for Windows
• How to set monthly trading goals
• Import your whole MT5 history
• How to tag trades
• Trade screenshots for your journal
• All trading journal comparisons