How to Read Your MT5 Trade Report
Your MT5 trade report contains everything you need to know about your trading performance — but the raw HTML dump from MetaTrader is hard to read. Here's how to export it, understand every metric, and get a full psychology and strategy analysis.
Step 1: Export Your MT5 Trade Report
MetaTrader 5 generates a detailed HTML trade report from the Account History tab. Here's how to get it:
- Open MetaTrader 5 and go to the Account History tab at the bottom
- Right-click anywhere in the history area and select "Save as Detailed Report"
- Choose a date range (or "All History" for full analysis)
- Save the
.htmlfile to your computer - Done — you now have a complete trade report with every position, order, and deal
Pro tip: Export "Detailed Report" (not "Statement") — the detailed version includes open prices, close prices, commission, swaps, and every individual deal, which enables deeper analysis.
Step 2: Understand the MT5 Report Structure
An MT5 detailed report contains three sections. Most traders only look at Positions — but Orders and Deals tell you more about execution quality.
1. Positions (Trade History)
Shows every opened and closed position: symbol, size, open/close price, profit, swap, commission, and net result. This is the main section for P&L analysis.
2. Orders
Shows every order placed (market, pending, modify, delete). Analysis of orders reveals entry discipline, pending order placement patterns, and order management behaviour.
3. Deals
Shows every individual fill — partial closes, multiple fills on a single position, split entries. Deals analysis reveals fill quality, slippage, and execution reliability.
Step 3: Key Metrics — What They Mean
Your MT5 report calculates basic stats, but the real insights come from derived metrics. Here's what to look for:
| Metric | Formula | What It Tells You |
|---|---|---|
| Win Rate | Winning Trades / Total Trades | How often you're right. High win rate + low R:R suggests scalping. Low win rate + high R:R suggests trend following. |
| Profit Factor | Gross Profit / Gross Loss | The most important single metric. > 2.0 is excellent. < 1.0 means you're losing money. |
| Expectancy | Avg Win × Win Rate − Avg Loss × Loss Rate | Expected profit/loss per trade. Positive expectancy = edge exists. |
| Max Drawdown | Peak-to-trough equity decline | Your risk of ruin. Prop firms cap this at 5-12%. > 20% is dangerous for live accounts. |
| Recovery Factor | Net Profit / Max Drawdown | How well the system recovers from losses. > 5 is strong. |
| Sharpe Ratio | Return / StdDev of Returns | Risk-adjusted return. > 1.5 is good. > 2.0 is excellent. |
| Avg Holding Time | Sum of trade durations / Total trades | Reveals your trading style (scalp: minutes, swing: hours/days, position: weeks). |
| Consecutive Losses | Longest losing streak | Psychological resilience test. If your system has 10+ loss streaks, can you handle it? |
Step 4: Use the Free AlgoSpecial Trade Analyzer
Manually calculating all these metrics from a raw MT5 HTML report is tedious. Our free Forex Trade History Analyzer does it automatically — and goes deeper.
What Our Analyzer Gives You (7 Layers)
- Performance Summary: Net P&L, deposits/withdrawals, balance curve
- Win Rate & Profit Factor: Accuracy and reward-to-risk power
- Risk Analysis: Drawdown, risk per trade, exposure patterns
- Trade Psychology: Consecutive wins/losses, recovery behaviour, revenge trading flags
- Strategy Fingerprinting: Trading style detection (scalp, swing, grid), session analysis
- Symbol Performance: Best/worst symbols, pair-specific win rates
- Recommendations: Actionable suggestions for improving your trading
Step 5: What to Look For — Red Flags
Common issues that show up in trade reports:
High Drawdown
Drawdown > 20% means position sizing is too aggressive or stop losses are too wide. Reduce risk per trade.
Low Profit Factor (< 1.5)
Your wins aren't covering your losses. Either cut losers faster or let winners run longer.
Revenge Trading Pattern
A trade immediately after a large loss, often with increased position size. The analyzer flags this automatically.
Inconsistent Position Sizing
Wild variance in lot sizes suggests emotional trading or no fixed risk model. Professional traders use fixed-fractional or ATR-based sizing.
FAQs About MT5 Trade Reports
How do I export my MT5 trade report?
Open MT5, go to Account History tab, right-click and select "Save as Detailed Report". Choose your date range and save as HTML.
What is the difference between a detailed report and a statement?
A detailed report includes positions, orders, and deals with open/close prices, commission, and swaps. A statement shows only a summary balance history without trade-level detail.
What is a good profit factor?
A profit factor above 1.5 is considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Below 1.0 means you are losing money overall.
Can I analyze MT4 trade reports too?
Yes. The AlgoSpecial Trade Analyzer supports both MT4 and MT5 HTML trade reports automatically. It detects the format and applies the correct parsing strategy.
Stop Guessing — Analyze Your Actual Trading Data
Export your MT5 detailed report and upload it to our free analyzer. Get a complete 7-layer breakdown of your trading performance in seconds.
Analyze Your Trade Report Free