How It Works
When you set a Trailing Stop of, say, 30 pips on a buy position:
1. The Stop Loss is initially placed 30 pips below the current price
2. As the price moves up, the Stop Loss moves up with it, always maintaining a 30-pip distance
3. If the price moves down, the Stop Loss stays in place — it never moves backward
4. When the price reverses and hits the trailing Stop Loss, the position is closed
How to Set a Trailing Stop in MT5
1. Open a position (or select an existing one in the Trade tab)
2. Right-click the position
3. Select Trailing Stop
4. Choose a preset distance or select Custom to enter your own value
5. The trailing stop is now active
Important Notes
Trailing Stops run on your local MT5 client, not on the server. This means if you close MT5 or lose internet connection, the trailing stop will stop updating (but your last set SL remains active).
For 24/7 trailing stop operation, use a VPS.
Minimum trailing stop distance depends on the instrument.