⚠️ Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged forex are complex instruments with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Most retail accounts lose money. This content is education only, not investment advice or a recommendation.
Place a market order
- Open New order. Press F9, click the New order button in the chart toolbar or Trade Watch, or right-click a symbol in Market Watch → Place new order.
- Choose type, symbol and direction. Pick Market order, check the symbol, then click Sell or Buy to choose the direction.
- Set the quantity. Enter the quantity in lots (or volume in units). Size it from the stop distance and the amount you are willing to lose.
- Add protection. Turn on Stop loss and Take profit and set them in pips or as a price. You can also add a trailing stop loss, a break-even rule, or up to five take-profit levels to scale out.
- Place it. Click Place order. The trade appears in the Positions tab of Trade Watch.
Place a pending order
- Limit order. Fills only at your price or better: a buy limit sits below the current Ask, a sell limit above the Bid.
- Stop order. Becomes a market order when price reaches your level: a buy stop above the Ask, a sell stop below the Bid.
- Stop-limit order. When the stop level is reached, a limit order is placed with the limit range you set in pips.
- Set entry price and expiry. Enter the Entry price and quantity, add stop loss and take profit, set an Expiry if the order should cancel itself, then click Place order.
Modify, cancel and close
- Modify a position. In Trade Watch → Positions, double-click the position (or right-click → Modify position), change the protections and click Protect.
- Modify or cancel an order. In the Orders tab, double-click an order to modify it, or click its X to cancel. Cancel all orders removes every pending order at once.
- Close a position. Click the X on the position row, or right-click → Close position. The Close dropdown at the top of the tab closes several positions at once.
- Avoid the shortcut buttons until you need them. The row icons can also reverse a position (U-turn arrow) or double it (double arrows). Both open new exposure, so use them deliberately.
Common problems
- Order not filled
- With Market range enabled, the price moved beyond the range you allowed. Widen it or place the order again.
- Not enough money
- Free margin is too low for this quantity. Reduce the size.
Frequently asked questions
Does a cTrader trailing stop work when I log out?
Yes. cTrader's help says all protections work on the server side and stay active after your session ends.
How do I set several take profits in cTrader?
In the New order or Modify position window, add take-profit levels (up to five) and the quantity to close at each.
Where do I cancel a pending order?
In the Orders tab of Trade Watch: click the X next to the order, or right-click → Cancel order.