Order rejected on timeout in MT4 or MT5, check before you resend
The short answer
An order rejected on timeout in MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5) got no answer in time. Treat its state as unknown, and check your open positions and history before you resend. A requote or a margin rejection is a different rejection, with a different fix.
Warning. Check before you resend
After a timeout, look for the order in your open positions and your history. If you resend without looking, you can end up with two positions.
Your order may have gone through, so check before you resend.
You click Buy or Close as a fast candle moves. The order ticket waits, then MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5) rejects the order on a timeout. By the time the message clears, the price has moved and you don’t know if you are in.
If you click again without checking, you can open a double position. Look at your open trades and history before you touch the order ticket again.
Four checks before you resend
- 01
Look at open positions
In MT4, open the Trade tab of the Terminal window. In MT5, open the Trade tab of the Toolbox.
What it tells you. If the position is there, your order was filled. Don’t send it again.
- 02
Look at the history
In MT4, open the Account History tab. In MT5, open the History tab, which lists orders and deals.
What it tells you. A filled or cancelled order here settles what happened.
- 03
Wait for the terminal to reconnect
If the connection dropped, wait until the terminal is back online. Then read both tabs again, or check from your broker’s phone app.
- 04
Ask your broker if it is unclear
Your broker’s records decide what happened. Ask support before you trade a position you can’t account for.
A timeout means no answer came back, not that the order failed.
A timeout means no answer came back in time. The order may never have reached your broker. Or your broker may have filled it and the answer got lost on the way back.
A 2006 user reply on the MQL5 forum describes the same doubt. It says an order has three stages. A request, processing and an answer. A timeout doesn’t say which one failed.
The code tells you whether your order’s fate is unknown or it was refused.
| Rejection | MT4 code and name | MT5 code and name | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timeout | 128, Trade timeout | 10012, Request canceled by timeout | No answer came back in time, or the request was cancelled. Treat the state as unknown and check first. |
| No connection | 6, No connection with trade server | 10031, No connection with the trade server | The terminal was offline when the order was sent, so it never reached your broker. |
| Requote | 138, Requote | 10004, Requote | Your broker got the order and returned new prices. It was not filled at your price. |
| Price moved or missing | 135, Price changed. 136, Off quotes | 10020, Prices changed. 10021, There are no quotes to process the request | A price matter, not a lost answer. The order was refused, not lost. |
| Margin | 134, Not enough money | 10019, There is not enough money to complete the request | The account didn’t have enough money for the order. |
| Too many requests | 8, Too frequent requests. 141, Too many requests | 10024, Too frequent requests | Requests are arriving too often. Check any program that sends orders. |
| Server busy | 4, Trade server is busy. 137, Broker is busy | None that we found in MetaQuotes’ list | Your broker’s side was busy. Ask support. |
Codes and names are from MetaQuotes’ MQL4 and MQL5 references. A program receives the code. On screen you may see only words, and your broker’s wording can differ.
A requote is about price. MetaQuotes’ help says your broker returns the prices at which the order can be executed. A timeout is about a missing answer, and requotes on gold covers the price case.
Five tests show where the answer got lost, and who can fix it.
Four places can lose it. Your own network, a proxy if you use one, the connection in between, or your broker’s server. The terminal can’t tell you which, so test.
Five tests, in this order
- 01
Read the Journal
Note the time you sent the order and the time of the rejection. Keep both for your broker.
- 02
Compare with your other apps
Did anything else stall at that minute? If so, start with your own network.
- 03
Change the network
Place a few demo orders on a cable, then on a phone hotspot. A demo account may sit on a different server, so this tests your network, not your broker’s live server.
What it tells you. If timeouts happen on one network only, that network is the cause.
- 04
Turn any proxy off
If you use a proxy, ours included, repeat with it off. A result that changes points at the proxy.
- 05
Ask your broker
Give support the two times and ask what its server recorded.
What it tells you. If its server recorded your order, the answer was lost on the way back to you.
MetaQuotes’ references give no timeout length, so don’t rely on a figure you read elsewhere.
Traders Proxy changes the connection near your broker, not your broker’s server.
Read this candidly before you change your setup. Traders Proxy does not cut order timeouts, speed up order confirmation, or change spreads, fills, requotes or local Expert Advisor (Trade context is busy) locks.
What Traders Proxy does is give your platform its own, separate connection from our server in your broker’s city to your broker. You paste four values into your platform’s proxy setting on your own computer, so there is no remote-desktop VPS screen in between.
Our server keeps the queue of unsent data short on both of its connections and turns Nagle’s algorithm off so small order packets leave as they arrive. That applies on our servers only, not on your computer or your broker’s server.
If a packet drops on the broker leg, our server recovers it inside that city instead of from your computer. If your device drops off, our server frees its dead connection quickly so your platform can reconnect.
It will not change how your broker’s server handles an order, or fix a loss on your own network. We don’t promise lower ping. Distance sets the minimum. If your broker prohibits proxies, don’t use one.
You cannot set up a proxy while an order is already timing out in a live trade. Paste the four values while the market is calm, before the next release.
Sometimes a cable, a new provider or a VPS is the better fix.
If the tests point at your home internet, fix that first. A cable or a different provider is the direct answer.
If an Expert Advisor must run while your computer is off, a VPS is the right tool. It moves the platform to another computer, and Traders Proxy doesn’t. Traders Proxy or a VPS compares the two.
Frequently asked questions
Was my order placed?
Possibly. A timeout means no answer arrived, not that the order failed. Check your open positions and your history, and ask your broker if they don’t match what you expected.
What is the difference between a timeout and a requote?
A requote means your broker received the order and returned new prices. A timeout means no answer arrived in time, so you don’t yet know what happened.
Can I change the timeout in MT4 or MT5?
Not that we could find. MetaQuotes’ help shows no setting for it. Treat it as outside your control, and test your connection.
What should my Expert Advisor do after a timeout?
Check before it retries. It should look for the order among open positions and history before it sends again. A requote, a margin rejection and a busy server are different codes, not timeouts.
Does Traders Proxy stop order timeouts?
Not on its own. An answer can be lost on your own network or at your broker. On the broker leg, our server recovers dropped packets inside your broker’s city and sends small order packets out at once.
Will my broker mind a proxy?
Check your broker’s terms before you connect. If your broker prohibits proxies, don’t use one on that account. Your broker sees our server’s address, which other Traders Proxy customers share.
Field reports · Verified forum threads
Real forum reports, what our system does, and where it stops.
Every quote below links to the forum thread or vendor guide where it appeared. Underneath each quote, see which parts of our system work together on it and where our server stops.
A firewall, router or ISP drops the platform's broker connection but lets ordinary web traffic through
“Access to 443 ports is usually available in proxy servers.”
How our system handles it. Your platform connects to our server through its built-in SOCKS5 or HTTP proxy setting, and our server opens the broker connection from inside the datacenter.
- Built-in
SOCKS5loginPrimary - Own separate connection to your brokerPrimary
- Unanswered broker server gives up fast and reportsSupporting
Where it stops. Works only if your network still lets you reach our server. We cannot repair a faulty home router or an ISP outage.
'Ping failed' and drops with disconnects every few minutes, re-login loops and dropped sessions
“Is the chart freezing, or is it the terminal? If it is the terminal, then it is likely a broken indicator.”
What our system reduces. If your device drops off, our server notices quickly and frees its place, so your platform can reconnect instead of hanging.
- Dead connections found and freedPrimary
- Straight back in after a dropPrimary
- Reconnect surges admitted in a steady streamSupporting
- Own separate connection to your brokerSupporting
Where it stops. We do not prevent internet drops or fix broker faults. After a disconnect, your platform logs in again, so always use broker-side stop-loss orders.
Connecting Telegram when your network blocks direct access
“ProtonVPN, Surfshark, NordVPN”
What our system reduces. Telegram in one tap on every plan. Telegram’s own proxy type is included on the 2-device and 5-device plans.
- Telegram in one tapPrimary
Where it stops. Telegram in one tap on every plan, plus Telegram’s own proxy type on the 2-device and 5-device plans. A network that inspects traffic can still block it.
Workplace, library or other managed network lets the web through but not MetaTrader
“I keep getting the message "Proxy test failed" no matter what proxy settings I try to set.”
What our system reduces. If a network blocks your platform's direct connection to your broker, our server can make that connection for you, as long as your network lets you reach our server.
- Built-in
SOCKS5loginPrimary - Own separate connection to your brokerPrimary
Where it stops. Many workplaces, libraries and campuses allow only web ports or block proxies altogether, and we can't tell in advance. Check your network's rules first, as using a proxy against an employer's policy is your call and risk. The Try plan is the way to test.
Sources
- MQL4 reference, error codesChecked
- MQL5 reference, trade server return codesChecked
- MQL5 forum, a 2006 user reply on the trade timeout errorChecked
- MetaQuotes, MT4 help, types of executionChecked
- MetaQuotes, MT5 help, basic principles of trading operationsChecked
- MetaQuotes, MT4 help, Trade tabChecked
- MetaQuotes, MT4 help, Account History tabChecked
- MetaQuotes, MT5 help, executing tradesChecked
- MetaQuotes, MT4 help, Journal tabChecked
- MetaQuotes, MT5 help, platform logsChecked