FXRobotEasy
Beginner12–15 minLesson 3

Working with Charts in MetaTrader 5

Master chart types, timeframes, zoom and layouts, indicators, and key drawing tools — then save it all as templates for faster work.

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Learning Objectives

  • Switch between Candlesticks, Bars, and Line charts
  • Navigate timeframes from M1 to MN1
  • Zoom in/out, tile and switch chart windows efficiently
  • Add/remove indicators and customize their parameters
  • Draw trendlines, channels, Fibonacci retracement, and rectangles
  • Save and reuse chart templates
Note
New to MT5? Make sure you've completed Lesson 2: Installation before diving into charts.

Chart types: Candles, Bars, Line

MT5 supports three primary chart types:

Candlesticks

Most popular for price action — open, high, low, close with body color showing direction.

Bars

Similar OHLC information, more minimal look.

Line

Closes only — great for quick trend reading and reducing noise.

How to switch:

Use the chart type toolbar icons or the main menu: Charts → Bar Chart / Candlesticks / Line Chart.

Pro tip
Keep Candlesticks as the default for most analysis; use Line to spot clean support/resistance.

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Chart type toolbar in MT5

Switching between Candlesticks, Bars, and Line (placeholder).

Timeframes: M1 to MN1

Timeframes define how much price data each bar/candle represents: from M1 (1 minute) to MN1 (1 month). Use lower TFs for entries and higher TFs for trend context.

How to switch:

  • Use the Timeframes toolbar (M1, M5, M15, M30, H1, H4, D1, W1, MN1).
  • Right‑click chart → Timeframes → choose.
Best practice
  • Top‑down analysis: start with D1/W1 for trend, refine on H1/H4, execute on M15/M5.
  • Favorite timeframes: keep 2–3 primary TFs to simplify decisions.

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Timeframes toolbar

Switching timeframes M1–MN1 (placeholder).

Zoom, window management, templates

Zoom and navigation

  • Zoom in/out: toolbar zoom icons or keyboard (+ / −). Scroll to move left/right.
  • Auto Scroll and Chart Shift: toggle from the toolbar for better space to the right of price.

Window management

  • Tabs for each open chart appear below the toolbar.
  • Window → Tile Windows to arrange multiple charts; right‑click a tab → Maximize/Close.

Templates vs Profiles

  • Templates save a single chart's look and attached indicators/objects. Right‑click chart → Templates → Save Template… Name it (e.g., "chart-basics.tpl").
  • Profiles save the entire workspace (all open charts and layout). File → Profiles → Save Profile…
Pro tip
Set your favorite chart colors, grid preference, and a couple of indicators; save as a template. Apply it to any new symbol in one click.

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Zoom and layout toolbar

Zoom, Auto Scroll, Chart Shift (placeholder).

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Tile Windows view

Tiling multiple charts (placeholder).

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Save Template dialog

Saving a chart template (placeholder).

Indicators: add, remove, customize

Adding indicators

  • Insert → Indicators → choose category (Trend, Oscillators, Volumes, etc.) and pick an indicator.
  • Or drag an indicator from the Navigator → Indicators onto the chart.

Customizing

  • After adding, set parameters (periods, price, method), colors/styles, and visualization (timeframes).
  • To edit later: right‑click indicator line → Properties, or use the chart context menu → Indicators List → select → Edit.

Removing

  • Right‑click indicator → Delete, or use Indicators List to remove multiple at once.
Note
  • Less is more: avoid overloading charts.
  • Use visualization to show indicators only on chosen timeframes.

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Indicators List

Editing and removing indicators (placeholder).

Drawing tools: trendlines, channels, Fibonacci, rectangles

Trendlines

Select the Trendline tool, click start point, drag to end point. Properties: color, thickness, Ray (extend), "Lock" to prevent accidental moves.

Channels

Use "Equidistant Channel": draw a base line, then adjust parallel line to define width.

Fibonacci retracement

Select Fibonacci Retracement, drag from swing low to swing high (or vice versa). Customize levels (e.g., 0, 0.236, 0.382, 0.5, 0.618, 1, 1.618) and colors in Properties.

Rectangles

Mark consolidation or supply/demand zones. Adjust fill and border colors for clarity.

Managing objects:

  • Press the Objects List (via chart context menu or main menu) to view, rename, lock, or delete multiple objects at once.
  • Snap to price/time: enable Magnet mode (icon) for precise anchor points.

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Trendline on chart

Drawing and editing a trendline (placeholder).

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Equidistant Channel

Parallel channel (placeholder).

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Fibonacci retracement

Customizing Fibonacci levels (placeholder).

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Rectangles on zones

Highlighting zones with rectangles (placeholder).

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Objects List

Managing objects in one place (placeholder).

Hands-on Checklist

0/6 completed
Progress0%

Frequently Asked Questions

Lesson 3 Quiz

Answer at least 4 out of 5 questions correctly to pass (80%).

Mini-Quiz

Test your understanding with 5 questions. Pass with 4/5 correct.

Resources

Chart Template Starter (TPL)

Ready-to-use chart template

Hotkeys Cheat Sheet (PDF)

Quick reference for MT5 keyboard shortcuts

Next: Lesson 4 — Instruments

Trading instruments and contract specifications — spread, swaps, contract size, margin, and more.

What's Next?

You've mastered chart types, timeframes, indicators, and drawing tools. In Lesson 4, we'll learn about trading instruments and contract specifications — spread, swaps, contract size, margin, and more.

This material is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice. Trading involves risk of capital loss. MetaTrader 5 is a trademark of MetaQuotes Ltd.