How far can you trust the MT5 indicator's "Do not repaint" claim?
When searching for MT5 indicators, you will often see expressions like “no repaint,” “does not repaint,” and “the arrows do not disappear.”
Indeed, indicators where past signals disappear later or their positions change are hard to use for both testing and live trading.
On past charts, arrows appeared neatly, but in real time they disappear, move, or shift to a different bar.
If that happens, trusting those signals for trading becomes difficult.
However, just because it says “does not repaint” does not mean you can simply trust it as is.
What matters is not the phrase itself, butwhich bar is used to make the judgment, when it is confirmed, and whether it remains unchanged afterward.
In this article, we will整理 what repainting is, how to read the “No repaint” display, and the points to check when choosing an indicator.
What repainting is
First, let's整理 the meaning of the term “repainting.”
Generally, repainting refers tothe situation where signals or values for bars that have already closed change afterward.
For example, here are some cases:
Arrows displayed on past bars disappear later
The position of arrows moves to another bar
A buy signal that appeared once later changes to a sell signal
Past charts showed neat arrows, but the same arrows do not appear in real time
Alerts occur, but at a timing different from the arrows on the chart
All of these are cases where the “state of past bars” has changed.
In MQL5 discussions, repaint is treated as “the value of a bar that has already closed changes afterward.”
On the other hand, the bar currently forming, the so-called “current bar,” changes tick by tick. Highs, lows, and closing candidate prices change as the market moves. Therefore, indicators that reference the current bar or arrows can change until the bar closes.
This is technically somewhat different from repainting. In MQL5 discussions, changes in the current bar are described as “continuing painting,” while changes to already closed bars and their arrows are distinguished as “repainting.”
In other words, the problem iswhen signals for bars that have already been confirmed change.
The difference between “current bar” and “confirmed bar”
Here, let’s clarify the difference between the “current bar” and the “confirmed bar.”
The current bar is not yet closed. Its high, low, and closing candidate prices change as the market moves.
Therefore, indicators referencing the current bar and its arrows can change until the bar closes.
On the other hand, a confirmed bar is already closed. Its high, low, and closing price are fixed and will not change thereafter.
Thus, the values or arrows of indicators referencing a confirmed bar should not change once they are displayed.
In MQL5 discussions, changes to the current bar are described as “continuing painting,” while changes to the values or arrows of already closed bars are distinguished as “repainting.”
In other words, the problem iswhen signals of bars that have already been confirmed change.
Even if it says “No repaint,” what should be checked
Even if a indicator says it does not repaint, you cannot simply relax.
This is because the definition of “no repaint” can vary slightly from person to person.
Some people use it to mean “the arrows on past bars do not disappear.”
Others use it to mean “a signal that has appeared will not change later.”
Still others use it to mean “the past chart and real-time look the same.”
Therefore, the expression “No repaint” alone does not tell you exactly how it behaves.
Points to verify are as follows:
Does the signal appear midway through the current bar or after the bar is confirmed?
On which bar is the arrow displayed?
Once an arrow is displayed, does it stay or move?
Do alerts occur at the same time as the arrows?
If using multiple timeframes, do you wait for the higher bar’s confirmation or judge based on the current value?
Will it behave the same when called from a backtest or EA?
Do developers and users share the same definition of “No repaint”?
In particular, whether the timing of alerts and on-chart arrows aligns is quite important in live trading.
Even if the arrows are fixed to the confirmed bar, if the alert occurs in the middle of the current bar, the alert may be premature and represent a provisional signal before confirmation.
“No repaint” is not a guarantee
The expression “no repaint” itself also requires careful viewing.
Even if there is no change within a range of past bars, that only means “no change within that range,” and it does not guarantee that changes will never occur in all future bars.
In fact, explanations of repaint testing tools state that the observations are limited to the range of bars checked and do not guarantee all future bars.
Also, “No repaint” and “signal is excellent” are separate issues. Even if the arrows are fixed, if there are many false signals, it won’t be profitable.
Conversely, signals that appear slightly later but consistently on the confirmed bar can be easier to handle in live trading.
Past charts alone cannot determine
This is the most common pitfall.
When you look at past charts, arrows may appear neatly aligned.
However, that is the result of recalculating past data, and not necessarily what was truly displayed the moment that bar closed at the time.
In particular, indicators that reference multiple bars or future bars can look more accurate when viewed later.
But in real time, the information needed for that judgment may not yet exist, so the same arrows may not appear.
In MQL5 discussions, calculations that reference future bars are cited as a typical cause of repainting.
In other words, the abundance of arrows on past charts is not the same as being usable in real-time. Judging by past visuals often leads to a situation where it looks excellent in testing but unusable in practice.
“No repaint” alone is not enough
So far we’ve explained the importance of “no repaint.”
Yet, from a slightly different perspective, there is another important factor.
That is,what you do after seeing the signal.
Even if the signal is displayed correctly, if it takes time to confirm several bars, if you lose track of the situation each time you switch charts, or if placing orders is cumbersome, your judgments will be affected.
Moreover, performing stop-loss and take-profit management manually increases the chance of mistakes and adds mental burden.
I am developing a set of tools to make MT5 trading environments more comfortable, called Trade Toolbox.
These tools are not to increase the signals themselves, but to help traders act consistently and without hesitation after seeing a signal.
For example,
Trade_Toolbox_MTF_MA_6Lines to view moving averages across multiple timeframes on a single chart
Trade_Toolbox_Lite - Japan Time & Session to be aware of Japanese time and session
Trade_Toolbox_Sync to align conditions across multiple charts“TTB_Sync”
Trade management tools to organize orders and settlements“TTB_Smart_Order_EA”
OCO order handling“TTB_OCO_EA”
Make it easy to confirm profit and loss and results“TTB_Result_Panel”
These are the tools (product names are links).
These are not tools to produce repaint-free signals. Rather, they are supports to prevent traders from wavering in judgment and action after seeing a signal.
People who struggle with repaint problems should also prepare their environment to consider not only the appearance of signals but also how they will act afterward.
Seeking signals is important, but the trading environment that supports it is equally important.
Summary
“No repaint” is an important criterion when choosing indicators, but it is not sufficient by itself.
Check whether the bar used for judgment is a confirmed bar
Verify consistency between arrows, alerts, and backtests
Don’t judge based only on the past chart’s appearance
Understand whether signals that appear early may disappear or whether signals that appear late will be fixed
Choose the timing of the confirmation that matches your trading style
Also ensure the environment after seeing the signal supports decision and execution
When choosing MT5 indicators, what you truly should confirm is not whether it says it “does not repaint,” but“which bar is used for the judgment, when it is confirmed, and whether it remains unchanged afterward”.
And equally important is whether you can act consistently and without hesitation after seeing the signal.
If you feel stressed about MT5 orders, funds management, or checking multiple bars, tools that help structure your trading environment like Trade Toolbox might broaden your perspective if you take a look.
