Products

How to trade manually in Strategy Tester of MetaTrader 5 using Backtest Simulator

Sandro Begashvili · ·8 min read

The Rhino Backtest Manager is a trade manager that works in both Live Mode and Strategy Tester Mode. Most trade managers run only on a live chart. Rhino is built to run inside the Strategy Tester as well, so you can place, manage and review trades on historical data with the same interface you use on a live account.

This page is the user manual. It covers every window of the panel, the meaning of each button, and the differences between the two modes.

Before the first run you must install the fonts attached at the bottom of this post. Without them the panel is not displayed correctly.

Where to get it

Contents

  1. Control Panel
  2. Advanced TradeBox
  3. Trades Window
  4. Statistics Window
  5. Watch List
  6. Day Result Monitor
  7. Sticky Trades Labels
  8. Main Panel
  9. Differences between Live Mode and Tester Mode

1) Control Panel - trade execution

The Control Panel is the main interface for opening trades. It lets you execute long and short positions and pending orders, with a choice of how the volume is calculated:

  • Lot size - a fixed volume
  • Budget - a fixed amount of risk in the account currency
  • Percentage of balance - risk as a share of the account balance

Orders can be placed as Instant, Limit or Stop orders in a few clicks.

Risk and order management. The Risk-Reward ratio (RR), Stop Loss (SL) and Take Profit (TP) can each be activated or deactivated for a trade.

Custom order settings.

  • Adjust the order volume according to the selected risk type.
  • Set the entry price for limit and stop orders.
  • Define the SL and TP distances in points.
  • Configure the Risk-Reward ratio so SL and TP are calculated automatically.

Dynamic input controls.

  • Manual entry. In Live Mode, values can be changed by typing directly into the input fields. This is not available in Tester Mode, because MetaTrader does not accept keyboard input inside the Strategy Tester.
  • Quick adjustment. The left up and down arrows change a value in 1x steps. The right up and down arrows change it in 10x steps.
  • Market price reset. Click the En label to reset the entry price to the current market price - Ask for a long trade, Bid for a short trade.

Quick RR setup and execution. Predefined RR buttons select the common Risk-Reward ratios. Once the order settings are valid, click Purchase to send the request. The button changes to Please Wait... while the order is processed, and the broker's response confirms the result.

Rhino Backtest Manager Control Panel showing buy and sell buttons, risk type selection, order type selection and the Purchase button

Control Panel elements:

  1. Buy (Long)
  2. Sell (Short)
  3. Lot size risk
  4. Budget risk (fixed amount)
  5. Percentage risk (share of balance)
  6. Instant order
  7. Limit order
  8. Stop order
  9. Activate / deactivate Risk-Reward ratio
  10. Activate / deactivate Stop Loss
  11. Activate / deactivate Take Profit
  12. Show / hide the Advanced TradeBox
  13. Label of the control unit
  14. Up arrow, increase by 1x
  15. Down arrow, decrease by 1x
  16. Up arrow, increase by 10x
  17. Down arrow, decrease by 10x
  18. Amount of the control unit, editable with the keyboard in Live Mode
  19. Purchase button

2) Advanced TradeBox

The Advanced TradeBox shows the Stop Loss, Take Profit and entry price of the order you are preparing, together with what each level is worth in money before the order is sent.

Advanced TradeBox displaying take profit price level, pip distance from entry, resulting profit, symbol, lot size and risk-reward ratio

TradeBox elements:

  1. Role of the label, in this example the Take Profit
  2. Price level
  3. Distance in pips from the entry price
  4. Profit or loss if the level is reached
  5. Close label, which deactivates the Take Profit
  6. Type of order
  7. Symbol
  8. Lot size
  9. Entry price
  10. Risk-Reward ratio

For the Stop Loss the labels and buttons are the same as for the Take Profit.

In Live Mode the Stop Loss and Take Profit can also be moved directly on the chart by dragging them. This is not available in Tester Mode.

3) Trades Window - trade monitoring

The Trades Window gives an overview of all active positions and pending orders. It has two sections:

  • Positions - all open trades
  • Orders - limit and stop orders waiting to be triggered

Information shown for each trade: symbol, volume, direction, entry price, Stop Loss price and the loss it would produce, Take Profit price and the profit it would produce, the current result, and a button to close or delete the trade.

Additional functions.

  • Chart navigation. Click a symbol to open its chart. Available in Live Mode.
  • Batch close and delete. One button closes all positions or deletes all pending orders.
  • Combined result. The window shows the total profit or loss that would result if every Stop Loss or every Take Profit were reached, alongside the current total for open positions.
  • Automatic activation. When the market price reaches the entry price, a pending order is activated and moves to the Positions section.

Trades Window listing open positions with symbol, direction, volume, entry price, stop loss, take profit and current profit, with close buttons

Trades Window elements:

  1. Symbol
  2. Direction
  3. Volume
  4. Price
  5. Stop Loss level
  6. Loss if the Stop Loss is reached
  7. Take Profit level
  8. Profit if the Take Profit is reached
  9. Current profit
  10. Close or delete button
  11. Close all or delete all button
  12. Sum of the losses if all Stop Losses are reached
  13. Sum of the profits if all Take Profits are reached

4) Statistics Window

The Statistics Window shows current and historical trading data in three groups.

Account data: balance, equity, free margin and margin level.

Trade performance: total number of trades and win rate, with long trades and short trades listed separately with their own win rate.

Net profit by period: today, the current week, the current month, and the whole account history.

Statistics Window showing balance, equity, free margin, margin level, win rate for long and short trades, and net profit by day, week, month and lifetime

5) Watch List

The Watch List is available in Live Mode only. It is disabled in Tester Mode because of chart limitations in the Strategy Tester.

  • Shows all symbols from Market Watch with their current Bid and Ask prices.
  • Price changes are colour coded, so the direction of the move is visible at a glance.
  • Clicking a symbol switches to its chart and highlights the selected instrument.

Watch List window showing Market Watch symbols with live bid and ask prices and colour coded price changes

6) Day Result Monitor

A floating window fixed to the top right corner of the chart. It shows the net profit or loss of the current trading day in a large font, so the day's result is readable at a glance while you work.

Day Result Monitor floating in the top right corner of the chart showing the net result of the current trading day in a large font

7) Sticky Trades Labels

The Sticky Trades Labels show open trades directly on the chart. Each label contains:

  • Trade type - buy or sell, and whether it is a limit or stop order
  • Lot size and volume
  • Current profit, for active trades
  • A horizontal line marking the entry price
  • A close or delete button for that individual trade

The labels can be shown or hidden from the Main Panel.

8) Main Panel

The Main Panel is the central hub that opens and closes the other windows.

Rhino Backtest Manager Main Panel with buttons for the control panel, trades window, statistics window, theme, sticky labels and watch list

  1. Control Panel
  2. Trades Window
  3. Statistics Window
  4. Theme, switching between dark and light mode
  5. Show or hide the Sticky Labels
  6. Watch List, in Live Mode only
  7. Logo

9) Differences between Live Mode and Tester Mode

Function Live Mode Tester Mode
Instant, limit and stop orders Yes Yes
Stop Loss, Take Profit, Risk-Reward ratio Yes Yes
Trades Window and batch closing Yes Yes
Statistics Window Yes Yes
Sticky Trades Labels Yes Yes
Dark and light theme Yes Yes
Watch List Yes No
Moving SL and TP by dragging on the chart Yes No
Typing values with the keyboard Yes No

In Tester Mode all values are set with the arrow buttons instead of the keyboard, in 1x or 10x steps.

Using your own indicators in the Strategy Tester

Set up the chart with your indicators in Live Mode, then save the template under the name tester.tpl. The indicators are loaded automatically when the Strategy Tester runs.

Get the product

If something in this manual is unclear, or you would like a feature added to a future version, send me a private message.

Originally published on my MQL5.com blog.

Related reading

Product

Rhino Backtest Manager MT5

Manual trade panel for live accounts and the Strategy Tester, with risk-based position sizing.

Read more
Product

Rhino Backtest Manager MT4

Trade management panel that works in live trading and in the MetaTrader 4 Strategy Tester.

Read more
BlogMay 18, 2025

Backtest Simulator | Try Demo Version

Here is a Demo Version of Backtest Simulator in Strategy Tester MT5, which allow you to test the Product.

Read more