How to Take Screenshots in MetaTrader 4 (And Why You Might Want a Better Way)

You're staring at a textbook-perfect chart setup. The lines are drawn, the indicators are aligned, and the price action tells the exact story you've been waiting for. Your instinct is to capture it—for your trading journal, to share with a mentor, or to post in a trading community.

You reach for your phone and take a picture of the screen. The result? A blurry mess with glare and moiré patterns. There has to be a better way.

There is. MetaTrader 4 has a built-in screenshot feature, and it's actually quite good. Here's exactly how it works, along with a few alternatives you might not know about.

The Built-In Way: Save As Picture

MT4 includes a feature called "Save As Picture" that captures your chart or entire workspace as an image file directly from the platform . There are two ways to access it.

Method 1: Right-Click the Chart Right-click anywhere on the chart you want to capture, then select "Save As Picture" from the context menu . A dialog box will open with your capture options.

Method 2: The File Menu Click the "File" menu in the top-left corner of MT4 and select "Save As Picture" . The same dialog appears.

Once the dialog is open, you have three capture modes to choose from :

• Active workspace – Captures the entire MT4 application window, including the Market Watch panel, Navigator, Terminal, and all open charts. Use this when context matters.

• Active chart (as is) – Captures the currently selected chart at its current display size, with all visible indicators and drawing objects. This is the standard option for journals and sharing setups.

• Active chart (using selected sizes) – Captures the chart at custom pixel dimensions you specify. Use this when you need a specific image size for forum uploads or social media.

You can also choose your file format. PNG is usually the best choice—it compresses well while preserving chart quality. BMP files are uncompressed and much larger, while GIF files have limited color depth that can reduce readability .

The Quicker Alternative: Windows Snipping Tool

If you don't want to dig through menus, Windows has its own screenshot tools that work perfectly with MT4 .

Press Windows + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool's area selector. Drag to select exactly what you want to capture—a specific chart, a portion of the terminal, or even two MT4 windows at once . The image copies to your clipboard, ready to paste into an image editor or messaging app.

The Print Screen key captures your entire screen to the clipboard, and Alt + Print Screen captures only the active window .

These operating system tools have a real advantage when you want to annotate immediately, capture only a small portion of a chart, or combine multiple elements on screen.

A Note on MT4 Mobile

The MT4 mobile app does not have a "Save As Picture" menu. To capture a chart on your phone or tablet, use your device's built-in screenshot function . On Android, press Power + Volume Down; on iOS, press the side button and volume up button together .

Why Screenshots Matter

Traders use chart screenshots for several practical reasons: building a trade journal with before-and-after images, sharing setups with peers or mentors, attaching visual evidence to broker support tickets, and explaining ideas in forum or social posts . A screenshot preserves price action, indicators, and drawn objects at a specific moment—something you can't recover once new bars appear on the chart .

A Better Way to Work With MT4

There's a workflow problem that screenshots only partly solve. You're taking these screenshots because you're actively watching charts and managing positions. But that means keeping the MT4 window open, visible, and accessible at all times.

If you're like many traders, you don't always want the full MT4 window dominating your screen. Maybe you're working on other tasks, sharing your screen, or just prefer a cleaner desktop. That's where the MT4 screenshot workflow can feel clunky—you need the terminal open to capture, but you don't always want it visible.

Camovia Tray addresses this by turning MT4 into a system tray tool. You can check live quotes by hovering over the tray icon, view open positions, and even close trades—all without opening the main MT4 window. When you need a quick screenshot of price action, you can keep your MT4 window hidden from the taskbar and Alt+Tab switcher, then restore it instantly to capture what you need . The data stays local, and the terminal stays out of your way until you need it .

For traders who value a clean workspace and quick access to their terminal's essential information, it solves a problem that screenshots alone can't fix: managing your trading tools without managing a crowded desktop.

A Quick Tip: Disable Online Publishing

When using MT4's Save As Picture feature, there's a checkbox at the bottom of the dialog labeled "Publish image online" or similar . Unless you specifically want to share your chart on MT4's official forum, uncheck this box before saving. This ensures your screenshot stays on your computer—which, for most traders, is exactly where it belongs.