MT5 Error Codes Explained: 10027, 10030, 10016 & More

MT5 / MQL5 Error Codes: Retcodes 10004–10031 and Runtime Errors

MT5 reports two kinds of errors: 5-digit trade retcodes (e.g. 10027 AutoTrading disabled, 10030 unsupported filling mode, 10016 invalid stops, 10019 not enough money) and 4-digit runtime errors from GetLastError() (e.g. 4401, 4756) — the table below maps each to its fix.

Quick Lookup: Code → Meaning → Fix

Numbers and constant names follow the official MQL5 reference (trade server return codes and runtime errors).

Trade retcodes (MqlTradeResult.retcode)

Runtime errors (GetLastError())

How to Check the Experts Tab

Click the Experts tab at the bottom of MT5 to see a chronological log of all EA activity.

Log format:
2026.05.18 10:00:01.234  GOLD VIPER XAUUSD,M30: [ERROR] 10016

Timestamp   EA Name          Symbol    Timeframe  Message

When an error appears, use the code number to find the cause in the table above.

Common Error Codes and How to Fix Them

10019 — Not enough money (TRADE_RETCODE_NO_MONEY)

MT4 equivalent: 134 ERR_NOT_ENOUGH_MONEY. ERR_NO_MONEY is a widely used shorthand for the same situation.

Example messages: "Order failed: not enough money"
                  "No money"

Cause: Insufficient margin — the EA cannot open a new position.

Fix:

1. Check the current margin level in MT5's Trade tab
2. If margin is close to or below 100%, consider depositing additional funds
3. Lower the EA's RiskPercent setting to reduce position size
4. Manually close some open positions to free up margin

10027 — AutoTrading disabled by client (TRADE_RETCODE_CLIENT_DISABLES_AT)

Related MT5 runtime error: 4752 ERR_TRADE_DISABLED. MT4 equivalent: 4109 ERR_TRADE_NOT_ALLOWED.

Example messages: "AutoTrading disabled by client"
                  "Trade is not allowed"

Cause: Automated trading is turned off in MT5.

Fix:

1. Click the Algo Trading button in the MT5 toolbar to enable it (it should turn green)
2. Go to Tools → Options → Expert Advisors → enable Allow Algo Trading, then restart MT5

This error often occurs when MT5 auto-starts after a VPS reboot.

10018 — Market closed (TRADE_RETCODE_MARKET_CLOSED)

MT4 equivalent: 132 ERR_MARKET_CLOSED.

Example message: "Market closed"

Cause: The EA attempted to enter a trade outside of market hours (weekend or holiday).

Fix: No action needed. The market is closed over the weekend, and any entry attempt during that window produces this error; the EA resumes automatically when the market reopens.

10016 — Invalid stops (TRADE_RETCODE_INVALID_STOPS)

MT4 equivalent: 130 ERR_INVALID_STOPS.

Example message: "Invalid stops"

Cause: The SL (stop loss) or TP (take profit) value violates the broker's minimum stop level requirement.

Fix:

1. Check the broker's stop level (minimum SL distance): right-click the symbol in MT5 → Specification → look for the Stops level field
2. Ensure the EA's SL distance is greater than the stop level
3. This error is most common during low-volatility periods when ATR values are very small

10021 — No quotes (TRADE_RETCODE_PRICE_OFF)

MT4 equivalent: 136 ERR_OFF_QUOTES.

Example message: "Off quotes"

Cause: No price quote received from the broker server — a connectivity issue.

Fix:

1. Check the connection status in MT5's status bar at the bottom of the screen
2. If disconnected, restart MT5
3. Check your broker's server status page for outages
4. Verify the network connection on your VPS

10012 — Request timed out (TRADE_RETCODE_TIMEOUT)

MT4 equivalent: 128 ERR_TRADE_TIMEOUT.

Example message: "Request canceled by timeout"

Cause: The order timed out due to server congestion or network latency.

Fix:

1. This is most common immediately after major news releases when server load is high
2. The EA will typically retry on the next tick — no action required
3. If this happens frequently, review your VPS network environment or consider a different broker

10006 — Request rejected (TRADE_RETCODE_REJECT)

Example message: "Request rejected"

Cause: The broker rejected the order — typically due to spread exceeding limits or price moving too fast.

Fix:

1. Review the MaxSpreadPoints setting; this error is common when spreads widen significantly
2. During and immediately after news releases, this is expected behavior — you can ignore it
3. If it occurs frequently, slightly increase the MaxSpreadPoints value

"Margin level too low"

Example message: "Margin level too low. Skip signal."

Cause: The EA's UseMarginCheck = true setting detected that margin level has dropped below MinMarginLevel (e.g. 200%), so new entries are automatically blocked.

Fix:

1. This is normal protective behavior — it is not an error
2. Entry will resume automatically once the margin level recovers
3. Root fix: deposit more funds or lower RiskPercent

"No signal on this bar" or "Wait for next bar"

These are not errors — they are debug log entries.

"No signal. ATR=1245, EMA(50)=1998.23"

The EA evaluates the chart on every bar and logs when entry conditions are not met. This is normal operation.

Error Priority Classification

How to Read the Experts Tab Efficiently

Filtering Logs

Right-click inside the Experts tab and select Filter to display logs for a specific EA or error type only.

Log File Location

MT5 log files are saved here:

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes\Terminal\[ID]\MQL5\Logs\

Files are created automatically by date. Open this folder when investigating errors.

Summary

Most EA errors fall into four categories:

1. Insufficient margin (10019) — Deposit more funds or reduce lot size
2. AutoTrading off (10027 / 4752) — Click the Algo Trading button to enable it
3. Connection issues (10021 / 10031) — Restart MT5 or check VPS network
4. Normal behavior — No action needed (weekend market close, spread-avoidance, etc.)

Make it a habit to check the Experts tab daily so you can quickly catch critical errors (10019 and 10027) before they cause problems.

FAQ

Q: Where can I look up error codes?

The official MQL5 reference lists every code: trade server return codes for the 10004–10046 range and runtime errors for the 4xxx range. You can also search from MT5's built-in help (press F1).

Q: What is the difference between a retcode and GetLastError()?

A retcode (10004–10046) is the trade server's answer to an order and is stored in MqlTradeResult.retcode. GetLastError() returns a runtime error of the MQL5 program itself (4xxx and 5xxx). When OrderSend() fails you often get both: 4756 from GetLastError() plus a retcode that tells you the actual reason.

Q: Should I stop the EA if errors are appearing frequently?

If 10018 (market closed) or 10012 (timeout) appear occasionally, there is no need to stop the EA. However, if 10019 (not enough money) repeats, pause the EA, review your margin situation, and restart once resolved.

Q: I'm seeing an "Invalid account" error.

Your MT5 login credentials (server name, login ID, or password) may be incorrect. Go to File → Open an Account to log in again.

Q: No errors are showing, but the EA isn't entering any trades.

If there are no errors and no entries, the EA is simply waiting for its entry conditions to be met — this is perfectly normal. EAs do not enter on every candle; they enter only when all conditions align. Give it some time. An H1 EA entering one to three times per day is operating normally.