MT4 (Mac) Platform Overview
This article introduces the basic screen layout of MT4 (MetaTrader 4) for Mac, including where each area is and what it is used for.
The MT4 layout on Mac is almost the same as on Windows. Getting familiar with each area first will make charting and placing orders smoother.
Basic Structure of MT4
The main screen of MT4 (Mac) consists of the following six areas:
① Menu bar
② Toolbar
③ Market Watch
④ Navigator
⑤ Terminal
⑥ Charts
Overview of Each MT4 Area
① Menu Bar
The menu bar sits at the very top of the screen, and most basic operations in MT4 can be performed from it. It has seven menus:
"File": Open new charts, open the data folder, log in to a trading account, and more.
"View": Show or hide the windows in MT4 and change the display language.
"Insert": Add indicators, objects such as lines, Expert Advisors (EAs), and scripts to a chart.
"Charts": Configure chart-related settings.
"Tools": Open the Options window or launch MetaEditor, the editor for MQL4 programs.
"Window": Arrange chart windows.
"Help": Open the help, visit the MetaQuotes website, and check version information.
② Toolbar
Frequently used operations are placed as icons below the menu bar, so you can run them with a single click.
For example, "New Order" opens the order window and "AutoTrading" turns automated EA trading on or off. There are also buttons to change the chart type, zoom in and out, and tile chart windows. The lower row holds drawing tools such as the crosshair, vertical line, horizontal line, and trendline, plus timeframe buttons from M1 to MN.
You can customize which buttons appear on the toolbar.
③ Market Watch
Market Watch shows real-time prices for each symbol, with the "Bid" and "Ask" for every "Symbol".
Click the tabs at the bottom to switch the view: "Symbols" lists prices, and "Tick Chart" shows a real-time tick chart for the selected symbol. To add symbols and more, see Configuration of the Market Watch in MT4 (Mac).
④ Navigator
Use the Navigator to switch between live and demo accounts (see How to Switch Accounts on MT4 (Mac)) and to manage indicators, EAs, scripts, and more.
"Accounts", "Indicators", "Expert Advisors", and "Scripts" are organized as folders. Double-click an indicator or EA, or drag and drop it onto a chart, to add it to the selected chart (see How to Set Up Indicators on MT4 (Mac)).
Use the "Common" and "Favorites" tabs at the bottom to switch the view.
⑤ Terminal
The Terminal sits at the bottom of the screen, and you can switch between its functions using the tabs along the bottom: "Trade", "Exposure", "Account History", "News", "Alerts", "Mailbox", "Market", "Signals", "Articles", "Code Base", "Experts", and "Journal".
The most used tabs are "Trade" for managing open positions and pending orders and checking your balance, equity, and free margin (see Check Positions, Orders, and Assets in MT4 (Mac)), and "Account History" for checking your trading history.
⑥ Charts
This is where charts are displayed. The tabs at the bottom list every open chart (including minimized ones); click a tab to switch to that chart.
Double-click a chart tab to maximize the chart or restore it to its original size.
