If you’ve noticed that a trade in your MetaTrader 4 (MT4) account was closed automatically and you didn’t do it yourself. There are three main reasons why this might happen.
Let’s go over each one.
A Stop-Out was triggered on your account
When your losses reach a critical point, MetaTrader automatically closes your trades to prevent your balance from going negative. This is known as a Stop-Out.
🔸 What’s a Stop-Out?
It’s the forced closure of your open positions when your Margin Level falls to 50%.
Margin Level Formula: (Equity / Margin) × 100%
🔍 You can see this value under the “Trade” tab in MT4 when you have open positions. If it hits 50%, the system starts closing your trades — usually starting with the least profitable ones.
💬 In your account history, trades closed this way will show a comment like: [stopout] or [so].
An expert advisor (Trading robot) is enabled
An Expert Advisor (EA) is a trading robot that automatically opens and closes trades based on a programmed strategy.
📌 If AutoTrading is enabled, the EA can manage trades without your manual input.
😊 You’ll see a smiley face in the top right corner of your chart if the EA is active.
😐 Neutral = AutoTrading is off.
😀 Smiling = EA is active and can open/close trades.
📝 Some EAs leave comments in your trade history indicating they made the trade. However, not all EAs leave a trace — it depends on how they’re configured.
You should check your account history to see if a robot may have closed the trade.
A stop loss or take profit was hit
When you open a trade, you have the option to set automatic limits:
Stop Loss (to limit your losses)
Take Profit (to lock in gains)
If the market price reaches either of these levels, your trade will close automatically, even if you’re not online.
⚙️ You can set these levels:
When you open the trade.
Or later, while the trade is still active.
📌 In Summary:
Trades can close due to a Stop-Out if your margin level drops too low.
An Expert Advisor (trading robot) can close trades automatically if active.
Stop Loss and Take Profit settings may trigger automatic closures.