MT4 Indicators List: Built-In Tools by Category

By FXNook Lab team

MT4’s built-in indicators are grouped in the Navigator under Trend, Oscillators, Volumes, and Bill Williams. The table below lists the standard tools in those groups and describes what they show; to add one, open Navigator, expand Indicators, then drag the indicator onto a chart or double-click it.

Indicator names and available items can vary with an MT4 installation or broker package, and custom indicators may appear in the same list as built-in tools. The list tells you what is available in the terminal, not whether a particular indicator’s calculations are correct or suitable for your use.

MT4 built-in indicators list by category

MetaTrader 4 separates its standard indicators into four Navigator categories. Some indicators appear in a category whose name may seem broader than their function: for example, Average True Range (ATR) is listed under Oscillators, but it measures volatility, not whether price is moving up or down.

Trend indicators in MT4

Trend indicators plot information on the main price chart or in a separate window. They summarize price movement or variation over a chosen period, but their output is a calculation from historical or current chart data, not a forecast.

• Average Directional Movement Index (ADX): Displays trend-strength information through the ADX line and directional movement lines. The lines describe strength and direction-related movement separately; ADX itself is not an up-or-down direction line.
• Bollinger Bands: Draws a moving average and two bands whose distance from it reflects calculated volatility. The bands widen and narrow as that calculation changes.
• Envelopes: Places two boundaries a set percentage above and below a moving average. Unlike Bollinger Bands, the percentage distance is fixed in the indicator settings.
• Ichimoku Kinko Hyo: Plots multiple lines, including a forward-shifted cloud. The lines summarize price relationships across different lookback periods.
• Moving Average: Smooths price over a selected period. MT4 lets you choose the averaging method, the applied price, and a shift.
• Parabolic SAR: Places a series of dots on the chart. Its settings control how quickly the calculation can adjust as price changes.
• Standard Deviation: Shows the amount of variation around an average over the chosen period. It is a volatility measure, not a directional signal.

MT4 places ADX in Trend even though it includes a strength measure, and places Standard Deviation there despite its volatility information. Use the Navigator category to locate an indicator, then read its properties and chart output to understand what it plots.

Oscillators and momentum indicators

Most indicators in this group appear in a separate chart window. Their scales differ: RSI is bounded, MACD can cross above or below zero, and ATR reports price range. Do not interpret them as interchangeable simply because MT4 groups them together.

• Average True Range (ATR): Measures average true range over a period. It describes volatility and does not indicate whether price is rising or falling.
• Bears Power and Bulls Power: Compare price lows or highs with an exponential moving average. Each produces a separate view of pressure relative to that average.
• Commodity Channel Index (CCI): Shows how far the typical price is from its average in relation to mean deviation.
• DeMarker: Calculates an oscillator from recent highs and lows, reflecting changes in buying and selling pressure under its formula.
• MACD: Displays the relationship between two moving averages. Its main line, signal line, and histogram can be configured through the indicator’s inputs.
• Momentum: Compares the current price with a price from an earlier bar to show the rate of change.
• Moving Average of Oscillator (OsMA): Displays the difference between the MACD main line and its signal line.
• Relative Strength Index (RSI): Summarizes recent gains and losses on a bounded scale. Its period and displayed levels are adjustable.
• Relative Vigor Index (RVI): Relates the opening and closing price to the bar’s range, with a signal line.
• Stochastic Oscillator: Compares a close with the recent high-low range. Its main and signal lines are plotted in a separate window.
• Williams’ Percent Range: Also compares the close with the recent high-low range, but uses a scale that runs from zero to negative values.

A calculation can look different on another symbol or timeframe because it uses that chart’s price history and period. For a fair comparison, note the indicator inputs and the chart timeframe rather than relying on the indicator name alone.

Volume and Bill Williams indicators

The Volumes category contains four tools that process volume data or display it directly. In MT4, volume information on many forex symbols is tick volume, which counts price changes received by the terminal rather than centralized exchange-traded contract volume.

• Accumulation/Distribution: Builds a cumulative line using the position of the close within a bar and volume.
• Money Flow Index: Combines price and volume in an oscillator calculation.
• On Balance Volume: Adds or subtracts volume according to price movement to create a cumulative series.
• Volumes: Displays the volume value for each bar as a histogram.

The Bill Williams category includes six built-in tools. The Alligator plots three shifted moving-average lines; the Awesome Oscillator and Accelerator Oscillator show histograms; Fractals mark qualifying local highs and lows; the Gator Oscillator displays relationships between the Alligator lines; and the Market Facilitation Index compares price range with volume information.

These names describe the calculations and display types, not a recommended way to trade. If you need to understand a specific indicator’s exact inputs or calculation, open its properties in MT4 or inspect its source when it is available.

Where to find indicators in MT4

1. Open the Navigator. If it is not visible, select View > Navigator from the MT4 menu.
2. Expand the Indicators section in Navigator.
3. Expand a category such as Trend, Oscillators, Volumes, or Bill Williams, then locate the indicator name.
4. Drag the indicator onto the chart, or double-click its name to open its settings.
5. Choose the inputs and display options, then select OK. The indicator should appear on the chart or in a separate window.

You can also use Insert > Indicators from the main menu and choose a category there. Menu labels, category contents, and bundled items can differ between MT4 installations, so use Navigator as the practical starting point when following instructions for another terminal.

How to add an indicator and adjust its settings

RSI is a straightforward example because it normally appears in a separate window below the price chart. In Navigator, expand Indicators > Oscillators, then drag Relative Strength Index onto the chart or double-click it.

1. In the indicator dialog, open the Inputs tab to set the period and applied price. Use the Colors and Levels tabs to adjust how the line and reference levels appear.
2. Choose whether to apply the indicator to the main chart or a separate window when that option is available. RSI is displayed in its own window; a Moving Average is usually plotted over the price chart.
3. Select OK and look for the RSI line in the new subwindow. If you do not see it, make sure the window has not been collapsed and that the line color is visible against the background.
4. To change the settings later, right-click the chart and open Indicators List, select RSI, then choose Edit. Select Delete in the same list to remove it.

An indicator’s settings belong to that chart instance. Adding a second RSI with different inputs creates another instance; it does not change the first one. If the display is unclear, reopen the properties and review the inputs, colors, and levels before adding another copy.

Built-in indicators vs custom indicators

Built-in indicators are supplied with the MT4 terminal and normally appear under the standard Navigator categories. A custom indicator is an additional program, often provided as an .ex4 compiled file or an .mq4 source file. Custom indicators can appear in Navigator after installation, so being listed there does not prove that the indicator is built in.

To install one, select File > Open Data Folder in MT4, then open MQL4/Indicators and place the indicator file there. If the download includes an .mq4 file, open it in MetaEditor and compile it to create an .ex4 file; an .ex4 file can be used without its source, but its calculation cannot be inspected as MQL4 source.

1. Copy the custom indicator file into the terminal’s MQL4/Indicators folder, keeping any supplied subfolder structure if the instructions require it.
2. Return to MT4 and right-click the Navigator’s Indicators section, then choose Refresh. Restart the terminal if refreshing does not make the file appear.
3. Expand the relevant custom-indicator folder and attach the indicator to a chart. Read any setup notes supplied with the file, since its inputs and display requirements are specific to that program.

A custom indicator may compile and load yet still calculate or draw incorrectly. The presence of a file in Navigator verifies only that MT4 can list it; it does not verify its logic. For a working MQL4 example, see MT4 Indicator Source Code: A Working MQL4 Example. If you want to specify a new indicator in plain language, the FXNook AI indicator builder turns a description into an exact specification, writes MQL4 or MQL5 code, and compiles and checks it before download.

When an indicator is missing or not displaying

• It is not in Navigator: If it is a custom indicator, confirm that its file is in the correct terminal’s MQL4/Indicators folder. Then refresh Navigator or restart MT4. A standard tool should be in one of the built-in categories, though the exact installation may vary.
• It appears in Navigator but cannot be added: Look at the Experts and Journal tabs for an error message when you attach it. A custom file may be incompatible, incomplete, or unable to load; the error text can help identify which.
• It is attached but not visible: Check whether the indicator is in a separate window, whether that window is collapsed, and whether the line or histogram color contrasts with the chart. Verify the timeframe and symbol, along with the indicator’s applied price and other inputs.
• It draws unexpected values: Compare its settings with the intended configuration and check whether the indicator uses the current bar or closed bars. If it is custom and source code is available, its implementation can be inspected; an indicator’s name alone does not establish what its logic does.

A clean compile is useful for catching code errors, but it does not prove an indicator’s calculations or chart behavior are correct. If you are building or changing a custom indicator, start by writing down exactly what it should display, which bars it should use, and whether it needs alerts.

Next step

Use the Navigator list to identify the standard tool that matches the chart information you need, then add it and review its inputs on the timeframe you intend to inspect. If a built-in tool does not show the information you need, describe the required lines, arrows, bands, or alerts before creating a custom indicator; the FXNook AI indicator builder supports custom MT4 and MT5 indicators.