How to Read Balance, Equity and Margin in the MetaTrader 5 Terminal

Where balance, equity, margin, free margin and margin level appear in the MetaTrader 5 terminal, what each one is telling you, and how to watch them change as a position moves.

The bottom of the Trade tab in MetaTrader 5 shows five numbers that describe the state of your account: Balance, Equity, Margin, Free Margin and Margin Level. This guide is about where they are and how to read them. What they mean is covered in balance vs equity vs free margin; this page is the platform view.

Key Takeaways

• The five fields sit on the status line of the Trade tab in the Toolbox window.
• Balance moves when a trade closes or money moves. Equity, Free Margin and Margin Level move every tick.
• Margin Level is the field the stop-out watches.
• The same fields appear on Web Trader and mobile, in slightly different places.

Where They Are

1. Open the Toolbox window (Ctrl + T if hidden).
2. Select the Trade tab.
3. The status line at the bottom reads, left to right: Balance · Equity · Margin · Free Margin · Margin Level.

With no open positions, Margin is zero and Balance, Equity and Free Margin are the same number. Margin Level shows nothing until a position is open.

On Web Trader, the same fields appear. On MT5 mobile, they are at the top of the Trade screen .

Reading Them While a Position Is Open

Open 1.00 lot EURUSD long at 1.0850 on a $5,000 account at 1:200 leverage, and watch the line:

Balance did not move until the trade closed. Everything else moved on the first tick. The margin figure is the position's requirement from the contract specification; Free Margin is what remains to open more positions or absorb losses; Margin Level is Equity ÷ Margin × 100, and it is the number the server compares with the stop-out threshold.

(Illustrative. Excludes spread, commission and swap; in a live account Equity opens slightly below Balance by the spread.)

What the Colours Mean

In the position rows above the status line, the Profit column shows floating P/L per position. The sum of that column is the difference between Equity and Balance. Colour conventions for profit and loss are set in the terminal's options and can be changed.

Why It Matters

Most traders watch the Balance because it is the largest and most reassuring number on the line. It is also the least informative while positions are open. Equity is the account's real value; Free Margin is how much room is left; Margin Level is how far the account is from being closed out by the server. Reading the line from right to left is reading it in order of urgency.

Common Mistakes

• Treating Free Margin as spare cash. It is what remains after margin is held and floating losses are counted. One adverse move across correlated positions can remove most of it.
• Watching Balance during a drawdown. It will not change until the position closes.
• Not knowing the stop-out level. The Margin Level field is only useful against a known threshold; MarketsAll's is in the account terms.
• Confusing Margin with a fee. It is held, not charged.

Why is my equity lower than my balance?

Open positions have a floating loss. Equity = Balance + floating P/L.

Why does Margin Level show 0 or blank?

No positions are open, so there is no margin to divide by.

What happens when Margin Level reaches the stop-out?

The server closes positions automatically, starting with the largest loss, until Margin Level rises above the threshold. On MarketsAll accounts, negative balance protection means the balance cannot go below zero.

Is Free Margin what I can withdraw?

Not necessarily. Withdrawable funds depend on the account's rules and on open positions; check the client portal.

Can I add these fields to the chart?

Not natively. Some custom indicators display account figures on the chart, but the Trade tab status line is the authoritative source.

Related Guides

Balance vs equity vs free margin · Margin · How to read contract specifications on MT5 · How leverage increases trading risk