MT5 Alerts and Notifications: The Complete Setup Guide for 2026

MT5 alerts and notifications let you monitor price levels, market events and account activity without watching a chart continuously. In MetaTrader 5, you can create desktop price alerts, send those alerts to your phone through push notifications, receive certain broker server trade notifications, and build custom indicator alerts with MQL5.

As of September 18, 2026, MetaTrader 5 officially supports alert conditions based on Bid, Ask, Last price, volume and time. An alert can trigger a sound, email, file action or mobile push notification.

MetaQuotes describes the practical benefit simply:

“The trading platform will automatically notify of the specified event.”

That is how I think MT5 alerts should be used: not as trading signals, but as a way to reduce unnecessary screen watching while keeping important market levels visible.

What are MT5 alerts and notifications?

An MT5 alert is a condition you define inside MetaTrader 5.

For example:

EUR/USD Bid moves above 1.1800

Gold Ask falls below 3,500

A selected market reaches a chosen price

A specified time arrives

Once the condition is met, MT5 performs the action you selected.

That action can be:

Sound

Email

Push notification

File execution

MetaTrader 5 currently supports price conditions using Bid, Ask and Last prices, plus volume and time based conditions.

The important distinction is this:

An alert detects the condition. A notification is one way MT5 tells you that the condition happened.

This difference becomes important when setting up phone alerts.

How do you set up price alerts on MT5?

The simplest method is through the Alerts section in the MT5 desktop platform.

Here is the setup I recommend.

Method 1: Create an alert from Toolbox

1. Open MetaTrader 5 on desktop.

2. Open Toolbox.

3. Select the Alerts tab.

4. Right click inside the Alerts area.

5. Choose Create.

6. Select the financial instrument.

7. Choose your condition.

MT5 provides conditions including:

Bid below a value

Bid above a value

Ask below a value

Ask above a value

Last price below a value

Last price above a value

Volume below or above a value

Specific time

These options are documented directly in the current MetaTrader 5 desktop guide.

8. Enter your target value.

9. Choose the alert action.

10. Set the alert timeout or repetition settings if required.

11. Use Test to confirm the alert works.

12. Click OK.

Example

Suppose EUR/USD is trading around 1.1700 and I only want to look at the chart again if price reaches 1.1750.

I could create:

Symbol: EUR/USD

Condition: Bid >

Value: 1.1750

Action: Notification

Instead of repeatedly opening the chart, I can allow MT5 to notify me if the specified condition occurs.

Importantly, this does not mean I should automatically trade when the alert arrives. It simply tells me that a level I wanted to review has been reached.

A faster way to create MT5 price alerts

You can also create an alert directly from a desktop chart.

Right click around the price level you want and choose Alert.

MetaTrader automatically selects a condition based on where you clicked. Above the current price, it can create a Bid greater than condition. Below the current price, it can create a Bid less than condition.

A useful detail many basic MT5 guides miss is that chart created alerts can receive an automatic expiration period based on the chart timeframe.

For example, official MT5 documentation states that an alert created on:

M1 expires after about 1 hour

M5 after about 5 hours

M30 after about 30 hours

H1 after about 1 day

D1 after 24 days

A weekly chart alert receives a two week expiration, while a monthly chart alert receives a two month expiration.

I would therefore check the expiration setting whenever the price level matters for longer than the current trading session.

How do you get MT5 alerts on your phone?

To receive MT5 alerts on your phone, connect the mobile MetaTrader 5 app to the desktop platform using your MetaQuotes ID.

A MetaQuotes ID is the unique identifier MT5 uses to send push notifications to a mobile device.

Step 1: Install MetaTrader 5 on your phone

MT5 supports push notifications on both iOS and Android. Official documentation says push notifications can still arrive when the MT5 mobile application itself is not open, provided the device has an internet connection and notifications are allowed.

Step 2: Find your MetaQuotes ID

Open MT5 on your phone.

Go to the Messages section or notification settings and locate the MetaQuotes ID assigned to the device.

Step 3: Add the ID to desktop MT5

On desktop MT5, open:

Tools > Options > Notifications

Enable:

Enable Push Notifications

Then enter your MetaQuotes ID.

MetaTrader currently allows up to four MetaQuotes IDs, meaning notifications can be delivered to as many as four configured devices at the same time.

Source: https://www.metatrader5.com/en/terminal/help/startworking/settings

Step 4: Test the connection

Use the Test button.

If everything is configured correctly, a test push notification should appear on your phone.

I consider this step essential. It is much better to discover a permission or ID problem during setup than when you are waiting for a real market alert.

Step 5: Set your price alert action to Notification

Return to:

Toolbox > Alerts

Create or edit your alert and choose Notification as the action.

Now the desktop MT5 terminal can send the alert to your mobile device when the specified condition is triggered.

Can MT5 notify you when the desktop computer is off?

This needs an important distinction.

A manually configured desktop price alert depends on the environment running the alert logic.

MT5 also supports certain trade server notifications, which can be different. MetaQuotes explains that where supported by the broker, trade server notifications can arrive even when the user's computer is switched off. These can relate to supported account events such as orders, deals and balance operations. Availability depends on the broker.

For example, if a Take Profit is executed on the server while your computer is off, the broker's server may send a corresponding notification if that feature is supported and enabled.

Do not confuse that capability with a custom desktop price alert.

If I needed continuously running custom alert logic, I would make sure the relevant MT5 terminal or hosted environment remained connected.

Can you set alerts on custom indicators?

Yes, but the custom indicator must be programmed to generate the alert.

The standard MT5 Alerts panel works with simple conditions such as price, volume and time. It does not automatically understand every custom indicator rule.

For example, suppose you created a custom indicator based on two moving averages and wanted:

“Notify me when the fast moving average crosses above the slow moving average.”

That condition needs to be coded into the indicator or another MQL5 application.

MQL5 provides functions specifically for this purpose.

Alert()

The Alert() function creates an alert message inside the desktop terminal.

MetaQuotes documents Alert() as a function that displays a message to the terminal user. It does not work inside the Strategy Tester.

SendNotification()

For phone notifications, developers can use:

SendNotification()

MetaQuotes states that MQL5 applications can use this function to send push notifications to the MetaQuotes IDs configured in the terminal.

So a custom indicator could be designed to detect:

RSI crossing a threshold

Moving average crossover

MACD condition

Breakout from a custom range

Indicator divergence logic

A combination of several conditions

and then call SendNotification().

This is much more flexible than a basic price alert.

Important limits for custom MT5 notifications

Developers should not create alert logic that fires continuously on every tick.

The official MQL5 documentation places limits on SendNotification().

A message can contain up to 255 characters.

The function is limited to no more than 2 calls per second and 10 calls per minute. MetaQuotes notes that repeated violations can cause the notification function to be disabled.

The normal platform alert system also applies rate controls, with the current documentation stating no more than one message every 0.5 seconds and no more than 10 messages per minute.

This matters when designing custom indicators.

A good alert should normally trigger once when the condition changes, rather than generating another message on every incoming price tick.

Price alerts and trade notifications are not the same thing

This is one of the most common sources of confusion.

A price alert watches a defined market condition.

Example:

GBP/USD Bid > 1.3500

A trade notification tells you something happened to the account.

Example:

Order executed

Position closed

Balance operation recorded

Take Profit executed

MT5 can automatically send notifications for supported successful trade activity, while broker server notifications may cover orders, deals and balance operations depending on what the broker provides.

I would configure the two separately rather than assuming enabling mobile notifications automatically creates price alerts.

Why am I not receiving MT5 push notifications?

Most MT5 notification problems come from setup rather than the alert itself.

Check these items in order:

1. Confirm your phone has internet access.

2. Confirm operating system notifications are enabled for MetaTrader 5.

3. Check that the correct MetaQuotes ID is entered in desktop MT5.

4. Make sure Enable Push Notifications is selected.

5. Press Test before troubleshooting the market alert.

6. Confirm your alert itself is enabled.

7. Check that the price condition is realistic and has actually been reached.

8. Review the alert expiration setting.

9. For custom indicators, check the Experts or Journal logs for errors.

10. If you expect broker server trade notifications, confirm that your broker supports them.

MetaTrader's mobile documentation specifically notes that broker based trade notification availability can vary and may even be disabled by the broker.

A practical MT5 alert setup I would use

Rather than creating dozens of notifications, I prefer a small alert hierarchy.

Level 1: Market awareness

Set an alert shortly before an important price area.

Level 2: Decision level

Set another alert at the actual level you want to review.

Level 3: Account events

Enable relevant trade notifications so you know when supported order or position activity occurs.

This avoids one major problem with alerts: notification fatigue.

If your phone generates dozens of messages every hour, the important one becomes easy to ignore.

The goal should be fewer alerts with clearer meaning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can MT5 send price alerts to my phone?

Yes. A desktop MT5 alert can use Notification as its action and send the message to a mobile device linked through a MetaQuotes ID.

Does the MT5 mobile app receive notifications when closed?

Yes. MetaQuotes states that push notifications can be received even when the mobile MT5 app is not running, provided the device has an internet connection and notification permissions are enabled.

Can I create an RSI alert in MT5?

Yes, but if the condition depends directly on RSI rather than a simple price level, the indicator or another MQL5 application needs alert logic programmed into it.

Can a custom MT5 indicator send notifications to my phone?

Yes. An MQL5 application can use SendNotification() to send messages to configured MetaQuotes IDs.

Are MT5 alerts trading signals?

No. An alert simply reports that a predefined condition occurred. Whether that condition has any trading value depends on the strategy and analysis behind it.

Final takeaway

The most useful MT5 alerts setup in 2026 is not the one with the most notifications.

It is the one that tells you exactly what changed and why you wanted to know about it.

For simple price monitoring, use the desktop Alerts tab.

For phone alerts, connect MT5 using your MetaQuotes ID and enable push notifications.

For account activity, check whether your broker supports trade server notifications.

For RSI, moving average, breakout or other custom conditions, use an indicator or MQL5 program with properly designed alert logic.

Once configured correctly, MT5 alerts can reduce unnecessary chart watching while keeping you informed about the market conditions you have already decided are important.

Disclaimer

This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment or trading advice. Alerts and notifications do not guarantee that a message will arrive at a specific time or that a market condition represents a suitable trading opportunity. Internet connectivity, terminal availability, device permissions, broker settings and technical issues can affect notifications. Forex and CFD trading involves significant risk, and trading decisions should be based on your own analysis, financial circumstances and risk management process.