Use this guide when a desktop chart keeps jumping back, candles look too small or too large, or prices seem to have moved outside the visible area. Start by checking which chart is active.
Before changing the view
These instructions cover MT4 and MT5 desktop. FXTRADING.com App and Web Trader have separate chart controls. The shortcuts below refer to Windows; on Mac, use the corresponding menu if your installed version handles the keys differently.
Check the complete instrument name and timeframe on the chart you intend to inspect. Settings apply to the selected chart. A different view of the same instrument is not a different trading account, and navigating a chart does not transfer money or close a position.
How do I review older bars without the chart jumping back?
Click the required chart to make it active. Note the instrument, timeframe and date range on the horizontal time axis.
Open Charts and turn off Auto Scroll. This lets you stay on the period you are reviewing instead of repeatedly returning to the newest bars.
Hold the left mouse button on an empty part of the chart and drag horizontally to move through the available price history. Avoid grabbing a drawing handle or a trade level when you only want to move the view.
Check the time axis after moving. When you want to follow current quotes again, turn Auto Scroll back on and check that the latest bars are visible.
For example, if you are examining yesterday's candles, the chart need not display today's candle at the same time. Being scrolled into the past does not by itself show that the connection has failed. Check the displayed date and connection separately.
How do I change horizontal zoom and vertical scale?
Use Zoom In or Zoom Out in Charts to show larger bars or fit more bars into the same window. On an active Windows chart, + and - also control zoom.
To change the visible price range, drag vertically on the price scale at the right edge of the chart. This adjusts the vertical presentation rather than how many time bars fit across the window.
Double-click the price scale to restore its scale. If the view is still constrained, inspect the fixed-scale settings described below rather than repeatedly changing the timeframe.
Horizontal zoom helps inspect a shorter or longer time span. Vertical scale changes how price distances look on screen. Neither changes the underlying prices; a visually taller candle is not evidence that the price movement has become larger.
What is the difference between Auto Scroll and Chart Shift?
Auto Scroll keeps the view near the latest bars. Chart Shift instead leaves a gap to the right of the latest bar. Enable Chart Shift in Charts and adjust its marker, the small triangle near the top of the chart, to change that space.
You can use both together when following current prices with space on the right. Chart Shift is not a tool for downloading future prices: the blank area is layout space, not missing candles or a price forecast.
How do I recover a chart constrained by a fixed scale?
Right-click the intended chart, open Properties and inspect Common. On Windows, F8 opens the chart properties window.
Check Scale fix and Scale fix One to One. Fixed maximum and minimum values can keep prices outside the visible range. If you want automatic vertical scaling again, clear the fixed-scale options instead of entering guessed price limits.
Confirm the change with OK, then check the visible price range and the intended instrument. Adjust horizontal zoom separately if the number of bars is still unsuitable.
Chart-view settings are separate from order management. Changing zoom, scrolling or fixed scale does not change an order's Stop Loss or Take Profit. Dragging an actual trade level is a different action; do not use it to adjust the chart view.
What should I check if the display still looks wrong?
The chart jumps forward while you inspect old bars: check whether Auto Scroll is still enabled on that chart.
Candles appear flattened, cut off or outside the window: check the vertical scale and fixed maximum/minimum before treating the issue as missing market data.
Older bars are unavailable: check the connection, complete instrument name and available history. Scrolling cannot create data the server does not supply, and this guide does not guarantee a particular historical coverage period.
A shortcut has no effect: first activate the chart and make sure another window is not receiving the keys. Use the displayed menu controls if your keyboard or Mac installation handles the shortcut differently.
What information helps explain a continuing display problem?
Record the platform and version, instrument, timeframe, displayed date range, action attempted and exact error. A cropped image can show the chart controls and scale; remove unrelated account details, and never include a password or verification code. A chart image alone does not prove an order's execution price or account history.