See the H4 candle while you trade the M15. See the Daily candle while you trade the H1. One indicator draws your higher timeframe candles directly on your chart — live, flicker-free, one-click toggle.
Multi-timeframe analysis is the foundation of most professional trading strategies. But switching between charts to check the H4 or Daily candle breaks your focus and costs you context just when you need it most.
HTF Candle Overlay solves this by rendering your chosen higher timeframe candles directly on top of your current chart. Each candle is drawn to scale across the exact bars it covers — so you see both the lower timeframe detail and the higher timeframe structure at the same time, in the same window, without changing charts.
Select any higher timeframe — H1, H4, D1, W1, or any MT5-supported period. The indicator draws each candle body as a scaled rectangle spanning the exact bars it covers on your current chart, with the wick rendered at the candle's midpoint.
The live (current) HTF candle updates on every tick — extending the wick and adjusting the close in real time as price moves. Candle objects are updated in-place rather than deleted and redrawn, eliminating visual flicker even during fast news markets.
A toggle button on the chart shows the current timeframe and state — "HTF H4 ON" or "HTF H4 OFF". One click hides or shows the entire overlay without opening settings. Button state is saved to both a GlobalVariable and a persistent file so visibility survives timeframe switches and MT5 restarts.
Load two or more instances on the same chart simultaneously using unique Instance IDs. See H4 and D1 candles together on an M15 chart, or H1 and H4 on an M5. Each instance has its own toggle button and color scheme — as many layers as you need, fully independent.
Choose between solid fill and outline-only candle bodies. Outline mode keeps the chart underneath fully visible through the HTF candle body, so your lower timeframe candles and price action remain clear. Wick display is also independently toggleable.
Choose whether the HTF candles render behind (background) or in front of (foreground) your chart's existing objects and indicators. Background mode keeps price action and your other tools unobstructed by the overlay.
Button visibility is stored in two layers: a GlobalVariable for fast in-session persistence across timeframe switches and recompiles, and a persistent .ini file that survives full MT5 restarts and template reloads. Your on/off state is always exactly where you left it.
Separate bullish and bearish candle colors. Configurable line width. Adjustable number of historical candles (default 30). Full button customization: corner position, X/Y offset, width, height, font size, on/off colors, and custom label text for both states.
The most common multi-timeframe setups — all solved by dropping one indicator on your chart.
See whether the current H4 candle is bullish or bearish before entering an M15 setup. Trade in the direction of the dominant H4 candle without switching charts.
Know exactly where the Daily candle opened and whether the current H1 price is trading above or below the Daily open — directly on your H1 chart, without switching to the daily view.
Run two instances simultaneously. Load H1 in outline mode and H4 in fill mode on the same M5 chart. Read two levels of higher timeframe structure from a single view while executing on the M5.
Load the same indicator file multiple times on the same chart — just change the Instance ID setting to a unique value for each one. The Instance ID namespaces all chart objects so multiple instances never interfere with each other.
Each instance draws its own set of candles, maintains its own toggle button at a separately configured position, and saves its own visibility state independently. You can have one instance on and another off at the same time.
The most common setup is two instances: one for the intermediate timeframe (H4 on an M15) in outline mode, and one for the dominant timeframe (D1 on an M15) in a contrasting color — giving you two layers of bias in one view.
| Platform | MetaTrader 5 (MQL5) |
| Version | 1.04 |
| File Type | .mq5 source + .ex5 compiled |
| Chart Window | Main chart overlay (no subwindow) |
| Indicator Plots | 0 — all output via chart objects (rectangle + trend line) |
| Supported TFs | All MT5 timeframes M1 – MN1 |
| TF Validation | Rejects if selected TF ≤ current chart TF — shows error |
| Update Trigger | Every tick (OnCalculate) + 10s timer fallback |
| History Depth | Configurable — default 30 candles |
| Candle Body | Rectangle object — fill or outline mode |
| Candle Wick | Trend line object — independently toggleable |
| Rendering Layer | Background or foreground (configurable) |
| Line Width | Configurable (default 2px) |
| Toggle Button | On-chart — one-click show/hide |
| Toggle State | Persisted via GlobalVariable + .ini file — survives restarts |
| Multi-Instance | Yes — unique Instance ID per instance, no object conflicts |
| Instruments | Any MT5 symbol — forex, gold, indices, commodities |
| Flicker | None — in-place object update, not delete/recreate |
HTF Candle Overlay draws higher timeframe candles directly on your current chart. If you are on an M15 chart, you can overlay H4 candles to see higher timeframe structure without switching charts. Each candle is drawn as a scaled rectangle matching the OHLC data of the selected higher timeframe, updating live on every tick.
All standard MT5 timeframes are supported: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M10, M12, M15, M20, M30, H1, H2, H3, H4, H6, H8, H12, D1, W1, and MN1. The selected overlay timeframe must be higher than the current chart timeframe. The indicator validates this on load and shows an error message if the configuration is invalid.
Yes. Load the indicator multiple times on the same chart, setting a different Instance ID for each one. Each instance runs independently with its own candle objects, toggle button, and visibility state. A common setup is H4 in outline mode and D1 in a contrasting color, giving you two layers of higher timeframe context simultaneously.
Yes. The current (live) higher timeframe candle updates on every tick, extending the wick and adjusting the close price as the market moves. The indicator uses a flicker-free in-place update method — existing chart objects are modified rather than deleted and redrawn — so there is no visual flicker even during fast tick activity around news events.
The toggle button on the chart shows the overlay timeframe and state — for example "HTF H4 ON". Clicking it instantly hides or shows the candle overlay. The visibility state is saved to two locations: a GlobalVariable for fast persistence within the current MT5 session, and a persistent .ini file that survives full MT5 restarts. Your toggle setting is preserved across timeframe switches, indicator reloads, and terminal restarts.
Fill mode draws candle bodies as solid colored rectangles. Outline mode draws only the border of the rectangle, leaving the interior transparent so you can see your lower timeframe candles and other chart objects through the HTF candle body. Outline mode is recommended when you want the HTF context without obscuring the lower timeframe price action underneath.
Yes. HTF Candle Overlay works on any instrument available in MetaTrader 5 — forex pairs, XAUUSD (gold), US30, US100, US500, and any other CFD or futures symbol. The indicator fetches OHLC data for the selected higher timeframe using the current chart's symbol automatically.
Yes. HTF Candle Overlay is a display-only indicator — it draws chart objects and places no trades. It is fully compatible with MetaTrader 5 prop firm platforms including FTMO and Hola Prime. Display indicators that execute no orders are universally permitted on prop firm accounts.
Drop HTF Candle Overlay onto any MT5 chart and get your higher timeframe context without switching windows — live, flicker-free, one toggle away.
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