This guide covers built-in drawing objects in MT4 and MT5 desktop. FXTRADING.com Web Trader and FXTRADING.com App have their own chart controls. Use the corresponding menu names in your selected language; Windows shortcuts below may differ on Mac.
What is a chart drawing?
A horizontal line, trend line, channel, shape or text annotation marks information on a chart. You position these objects yourself. An indicator instead calculates values from its inputs. Drawing a price level does not place an order or set a Stop Loss or Take Profit. A line drawn at your intended exit price will not close a position when price reaches it.
Add a drawing to the correct chart
First check the chart's complete instrument name and timeframe. An object belongs to the chart where you create it; do not assume it will appear on another chart, device or platform. Use an ordinary analytical drawing tool, rather than a trading command or a custom EA button.
Choose the required drawing from Insert or the Line Studies toolbar. For example, select a horizontal line to mark a price, or a trend line to connect two points.
For a one-point object, click the required location on the chart. For a trend line, set its starting point, hold the mouse button and drag to the second point, then release.
Other tools may need additional control points. Complete those points before deciding the object is missing. Check the resulting position and shape; selecting a tool alone does not finish the drawing.
Select, move and edit an object
Click or double-click the drawing according to your platform's object-selection setting. Visible handles or a frame indicate selection. Drag the appropriate handle to reposition or reshape it; a central moving handle and an endpoint have different purposes. Check that the intended drawing is selected before dragging.
Right-click the selected drawing and open its Properties. Common settings cover its name, description and appearance, including line colour, thickness and style. A clear name helps distinguish several similar drawings on the same chart. These are object properties, separate from the chart's overall properties.
Parameters lets you inspect or change the object's time and value coordinates. Visualization controls the timeframes where it appears. Options depend on the object: a trend line may offer a ray setting, while Fibonacci tools have level settings. Review the available fields rather than expecting every object to have the same tabs.
Find a drawing through the object list
In MT4 desktop, open Charts → Objects → Objects List. Select the named object and use its available properties controls.
In MT5 desktop, right-click the chart and open Object List, or use Ctrl+B on Windows. Check the object's name, type and chart window. Show moves the chart to the selected object; Properties opens its settings.
MT5 objects created by an MQL5 program can be hidden from the default list. List all includes these objects. A drawing missing from the list is therefore not necessarily absent from the chart. Indicators and Expert Advisors have separate management lists.
Remove a drawing without changing a trade
Select the exact object, then choose Delete from its context menu or object list. Avoid a bulk-delete command when you only want to remove one annotation.
If you remove a drawing accidentally, use Undo Delete from the object controls, or Ctrl+Z on Windows, to restore the last deleted object. This command is for drawing deletion; it does not reverse a trade or recover an entire account history.
Removing an ordinary analytical drawing does not cancel an order or remove a position's Stop Loss or Take Profit. Trade levels and EA controls are different. To change a trade, use the appropriate trade-management process and check the resulting order or position, rather than relying on the appearance of a chart line.
If the drawing is missing or difficult to select
Check that you are looking at the same chart, complete instrument and chart window where you created it. A drawing in an indicator subwindow may not be in the main price window.
Check Visualization: the object may be configured to appear only on selected timeframes. Changing timeframe can therefore hide it without deleting it.
Use the object list to find its name. In MT5, Show can bring an off-screen object into view; a time or price coordinate outside the visible area can explain an apparently missing drawing.
Check single-click versus double-click selection and whether the object's appearance blends into the chart background. For a program-created object, available selection and visibility controls may differ; do not delete the program or alter its trading permissions just to recover a drawing.
Keep the platform and purpose clear
These instructions describe desktop chart annotation, not a trading strategy or a promise that a marked level will hold. Drawing tools do not guarantee a market outcome. Mobile MetaTrader, FXTRADING.com App and FXTRADING.com Web Trader use their own interfaces; desktop menu paths and shortcuts should not be applied to them automatically.
On Mac, use the menus provided by your installed version if a Windows shortcut does not work. Changes to a drawing are local chart actions; do not assume automatic synchronization with other devices or FXTRADING.com platforms.