Master Accounts — Documentation

What a master account is

A master account is one account whose trades are copied to other accounts. The accounts that receive the copies are called child accounts.

When the master places an order, AutoTrader Web copies that order to each child. Each child has its own multiplier, so a child can trade the same quantity as the master, more, or less. You set all of this up yourself, and you can stop it at any time.

This is the screen behind master-child copy trading. Master-child is one of two copy methods — the other is PMS copy, where you place the order in our terminal and pick the accounts to copy it into. To compare the two and pick the right one, see PMS copy vs master-child. To understand master-child in full first, see Master-Child Copy Trading.

The Master Accounts list

Open it from the menu: Accounts -> Master Accounts.

The list shows each master account with:

its name, login and broker,
whether it is live,
whether copy-place, copy-cancel and copy-modify are on,
the number of active children and total children, and
the total multiplier of its children.

From the list you can:

Create — make a new master account.
Enable Copy / Disable Copy — quickly turn copy-place and copy-cancel on or off for a master.
Delete — remove a master-child mapping.

Click a master’s name to open it and change its settings.

Set up a master account

If you are new, first add your trading accounts.
Open the menu: Accounts -> Master Accounts.
Click Create and choose the account that will act as the master.
Open the master to edit it. From the Available accounts list, click Add to attach the accounts you want as children.
Set a multiplier for each child (see below).
Turn on the copy options you need (copy place, cancel, modify).
Click Save.

To remove a child later, click Remove next to it in the Child accounts list.

One child can follow more than one master

You are not limited to one master per child. The same account can be a child of several masters — just add it as a child under each master (repeat the steps above for each one). Every master then copies its own orders into that child, each with its own multiplier and copy settings. All of those masters share the one child account, so their orders and positions add up there — make sure the child has enough margin for all of its masters together.

The only rule is that an account cannot be both a master and a child at the same time (this stops an endless copy loop). So an account that follows several masters must itself be a plain child. For the full picture, see Master-Child Copy Trading.

Copy settings you control

On the master’s edit screen you decide exactly how copying works:

Setting	What it does
Copy (copy-place)	Copy each new order from the master to the children.
Copy Cancel	Also copy it when the master cancels an order.
Copy Modify	Also copy it when the master modifies an order.
Copy Parallel	Send the copied orders to all children at the same time, instead of one after another.
Split Quantity	Automatically break a large order into smaller orders so each stays within the exchange freeze limit.
Copy Start Time / Copy End Time	The time window during the day when copying is active.
Segments to Copy	Choose which market segments are copied — for example cash, F&O and commodity.

The multiplier

Each child has its own multiplier. It sets how much quantity that child copies compared to the master.

A multiplier of 1 copies the same quantity as the master.
A multiplier of 2 copies double, and 0.5 copies half.

For the exact rounding and calculation rules, see Quantity Multiplier.

Precautions

Copy trading is fully under your control. You choose the master, the children, the multipliers and the copy window, and you can turn copying off at any time.
Some brokers are not a good choice as a master account. For example, IIFL is not recommended as a master. Please read the limitations and precautions before you go live.
Test with a small multiplier first, then scale up once you are confident the setup behaves the way you expect.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop or pause copy trading for a few hours?▾

The quickest way is the one-click button on the Master Accounts list. Go to Accounts -> Master Accounts, click the master account row to select it, then click Disable Copy at the top — copying stops at once. When you want to resume, select the row again and click Enable Copy. You do not need to open the master account or delete anything. You can also open the master, untick Copy Placement and Save, but the Disable Copy and Enable Copy buttons are faster for a short pause. Nothing is lost while it is paused — your master and child links and settings stay exactly as they were.

Is creating a master account free, and can I delete and recreate it?▾

Yes. A master account is just a copy-trading setup, not a separate paid account. Creating, deleting and recreating master accounts is free and unlimited — you only pay the normal monthly per-account charge for your actual trading accounts. Deleting a master account removes only the copy setup; it does not touch your trading accounts or their licence.

If I delete a trading account and add it again, do I get a fresh free trial?▾

No. The licence and any free-trial days belong to the trading account itself and stay with it. Deleting an account and adding it again — by you or anyone — does not reset the free trial or change the expiry date; the account keeps whatever licence time it already had. This is separate from master accounts, which are only a copy setup. See No free trial after adding an account (/knowledgebase/no-free-trial-after-adding-account/).

How do I swap a master and a child — make the current child the new master?▾

First delete the existing master account, then create the new one. Deleting frees both accounts from their roles; after that, click Create, pick the account you now want as the master, and add the old master as a child. You must delete first because one account cannot be a master and a child at the same time, so the old roles have to be cleared before you set the reversed ones. Go to Accounts -> Master Accounts, delete the current master, then Create the new master-child setup.