Get Symbols¶

List available symbols, query their specifications, and get the current tick.

List all symbols¶

res = mt5.symbols_get()

if res.success:
    print(f"Total: {len(res.data)}")
    print("First 5:", res.data[:5])

Total: 120
First 5: ['EURUSD', 'GBPUSD', 'USDJPY', 'AUDUSD', 'USDCAD']

Filter by group pattern¶

res = mt5.symbols_get(group="*USD*")

if res.success:
    print(res.data)

['EURUSD', 'GBPUSD', 'AUDUSD', 'USDCAD', 'USDCHF', ...]

Symbol specification¶

res = mt5.symbol_info("EURUSD")

if res.success:
    info = res.data
    print(f"Digits:        {info.digits}")
    print(f"Spread:        {info.spread_pips:.1f} pips")
    print(f"Contract size: {info.contract_size}")
    print(f"Min volume:    {info.volume_min}")
    print(f"Max volume:    {info.volume_max}")
    print(f"Volume step:   {info.volume_step}")
    print(f"Pip size:      {info.pip_size}")

Digits:        5
Spread:        1.5 pips
Contract size: 100000.0
Min volume:    0.01
Max volume:    100.0
Volume step:   0.01
Pip size:      0.0001

Current tick¶

res = mt5.symbol_info_tick("EURUSD")

if res.success:
    tick = res.data
    print(f"Bid:    {tick.bid}")
    print(f"Ask:    {tick.ask}")
    print(f"Spread: {tick.spread:.5f}")
    print(f"Mid:    {tick.mid_price:.5f}")

Bid:    1.08450
Ask:    1.08465
Spread: 0.00015
Mid:    1.08458

Add/remove from Market Watch¶

# Add BTCUSD to Market Watch
res = mt5.symbol_select("BTCUSD", enable=True)

# Remove it
res = mt5.symbol_select("BTCUSD", enable=False)

A symbol must be in Market Watch before you can trade it or fetch its data.

Key SymbolInfo fields¶

Field	Description
`name`	Symbol name
`digits`	Decimal places in price
`point`	Smallest price increment
`pip_size`	Pip size (accounts for 3/5-digit symbols)
`spread`	Current spread in points
`spread_pips`	Current spread in pips (computed)
`bid` / `ask`	Current bid/ask prices
`volume_min`	Minimum trade volume
`volume_max`	Maximum trade volume
`volume_step`	Volume increment
`trade_contract_size`	Contract size (e.g. 100000 for standard Forex lot)
`currency_base`	Base currency
`currency_profit`	Profit currency

Failure examples¶

Example 1: Symbol not found¶

res = mt5.symbol_info("INVALID_SYMBOL")

if not res.success:
    print(f"Error: {res.error_message}")
    print(f"Code: {res.error_code}")

Output:

Error: Symbol not found or not available
Code: 4301

Fix: Use symbols_get() to list available symbols, or enable the symbol in Market Watch first.

Example 2: Symbol not in Market Watch¶

# Symbol exists but not visible
res = mt5.symbol_info("BTCUSD")

if not res.success:
    print("Symbol not available")

    # Enable it
    enable = mt5.symbol_select("BTCUSD", True)
    if enable.success and enable.data:
        # Now it works
        res = mt5.symbol_info("BTCUSD")
        print(f"Symbol enabled: {res.data.name}")

Example 3: Empty symbol list¶

res = mt5.symbols_get(group="*XYZ*")

if res.success:
    if not res.data:
        print("No symbols match this pattern")
    else:
        print(f"Found: {res.data}")

Output:

No symbols match this pattern

Note: success=True with empty data means the operation worked, but no symbols matched the filter.

Practical notes¶

Check spread before trading

info = mt5.symbol_info("EURUSD")
if info.success and info.data.spread_pips > 3.0:
    print("⚠️ High spread — consider waiting")

Volume constraints

Always check volume_min, volume_max, and volume_step before placing orders:

info = mt5.symbol_info("EURUSD")
if info.success:
    # Round volume to valid step
    volume = 0.15
    step = info.data.volume_step
    valid_volume = round(volume / step) * step
    print(f"Adjusted volume: {valid_volume}")

Pip size calculation

The SDK automatically calculates pip_size for both 3-digit (JPY) and 5-digit (EUR, GBP) symbols: - EURUSD (5 digits): pip_size = 0.0001 - USDJPY (3 digits): pip_size = 0.01

Use spread_pips instead of spread for consistent pip-based calculations.

Symbol groups

Common patterns: - "*USD*" — All symbols with USD - "EUR*" — All symbols starting with EUR - "*JPY" — All symbols ending with JPY - "Crypto*" — All crypto symbols (if broker supports)