MT4 Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows: Charts, Tools and Fixes

The most useful MT4 shortcuts are the ones that save repeated trips through menus: opening Market Watch, inspecting an object, switching charts and returning to the latest bar. This reference is for the MetaTrader 4 Windows desktop terminal. Android, iPhone, web terminals and MetaEditor have their own controls.

Start with a small set and practise on a demo workspace. A shortcut is only useful when it acts on the chart or window you intended.

Keyboard shortcut illustration for MetaTrader 4 on Windows — Select the intended MT4 window before using a keyboard command.

Open the windows you use most

Windows and panels in the MT4 desktop terminal
Shortcut	Purpose
`Ctrl + M`	Show or hide Market Watch and its symbol quotes.
`Ctrl + N`	Show or hide Navigator for accounts and analysis tools.
`Ctrl + T`	Show or hide Terminal, which includes trades and account history.
`Ctrl + D`	Inspect the selected bar and indicator values in the Data Window.
`Ctrl + R`	Show or hide Strategy Tester.
`F11`	Toggle the terminal’s fullscreen view.

These commands have menu equivalents in View. That gives you a useful fallback if your keyboard intercepts a function key or a custom assignment changes the expected behaviour. Opening Terminal does not select a particular trade for you; check the relevant tab and row before taking an action.

Move around a chart and adjust its appearance

Navigation and chart tools
Shortcut	Chart action
`Left` / `Right`	Scroll towards earlier / later bars.
`Page Up` / `Page Down`	Scroll more quickly left / right.
`Home` / `End`	Go to the beginning / end of the loaded chart.
`F12` / `Shift + F12`	Shift the chart one bar left / right.
`+` / `−`	Increase / decrease chart zoom.
`Alt + 1` / `Alt + 2` / `Alt + 3`	Choose bars / candles / a line chart.
`F8`	Open chart properties.
`Ctrl + F`	Activate the crosshair.
`Ctrl + G`	Toggle the chart grid.
`Ctrl + I`	Inspect the chart’s indicators.
`Ctrl + B`	Inspect its drawing objects.
`Ctrl + Z`	Restore a deleted drawing object.

Page Down moves to the right; it is not a second Page Up command. For historical study, turn off Auto Scroll if the chart repeatedly returns to recent prices. MetaQuotes describes that setting in chart setup. Re-enable it when you want the latest bars to remain in view.

Switch charts and saved profiles

Chart switching is different from profile switching
Shortcut	Result
`Ctrl + F6`	Move to the next chart window.
`Ctrl + F5`	Move to the next profile.
`Shift + F5`	Move to the previous profile.

The next-profile command is Ctrl + F5, not F5 alone. A profile belongs to your saved workspace, whereas switching a chart changes which open chart is active. After changing either, read the symbol and timeframe again. This simple habit matters when two charts look similar but represent different instruments.

Commands that deserve a second look

F9 opens the order-entry window. Treat that as the start of an order check, not a completed trade. Review the symbol, volume, order type and price conditions in the dialog. The same care belongs in your risk and stop-loss process, regardless of how quickly you can open the window.

Ctrl + W closes the active chart, while Alt + F4 exits the terminal. Neither should be used as a substitute for the command that closes a trading position. MetaQuotes also notes that exiting the terminal stops Expert Advisors and trailing stops running in that terminal. If you depend on those local functions, consider what is running before you quit.

Ctrl + S saves chart history data. If you want an image for a journal, use the chart’s Save As Picture command instead. A data export and a screenshot are different records; the File menu documentation explains both.

Assigning a shortcut to an indicator or script

In Navigator, use the relevant item’s context menu and its Set hotkey command. MetaQuotes allows assignments for Navigator items other than the Accounts group. A custom assignment can override an existing terminal shortcut, so choose a combination you can recognise and keep a record of the change.

For example, assigning a familiar settings shortcut to an indicator can make the settings window appear to have stopped working. Check the assignment before reinstalling MT4 or resetting the workspace. Test any script shortcut with a program whose behaviour you understand; launching a script can do more than change the chart’s appearance. See the Navigator documentation for the supported assignment method.

When a shortcut does not work

Troubleshooting without resetting your workspace
What happens	A practical check
Nothing changes on the chart	Select the intended chart first and close any dialog that is receiving keyboard input.
F8 or F9 changes a laptop setting	Check whether your keyboard requires Fn to send a function key to the application.
The expected window does not open	Try its menu command and inspect custom Navigator hotkeys.
An older chart jumps back to the present	Check Auto Scroll before repeating the navigation command.
A command behaves differently in another app	Confirm you are in the MT4 Windows terminal, not MetaEditor, a browser or a mobile application.

For a short practice routine, open a chart, use Ctrl + D to inspect a bar, Ctrl + F to compare points, and Ctrl + B to review its drawings. Then switch charts and verify the new symbol. If you are changing platforms, our MT4 versus MT5 comparison explains the account and tool differences to check first. Phone users should use the separate Fibonacci guide for MT4 Android rather than translating these Windows shortcuts into touch gestures.

Sources and review

Documentation reviewed: 12 October 2026. Default mappings were checked against the MetaQuotes Windows terminal reference. Keyboard hardware and user-defined assignments can change what reaches the application.