Last updated 12 August 2026
How do I set a stop-loss or a target?
- There is no single stop-loss setting — there are four different places, depending on what you are doing.
- For a position you already hold: place a reverse order from the Trade screen (STOP_LOSS or SL_MARKET for a stop-loss, LIMIT for a target). Quickest: select it on Positions → Sq-off (Custom).
- For an order you have not placed yet: attach both with an AutoTrader bracket order (AT_BO), or AT_CO for a stop-loss only. Works on every broker, and can trail.
- For orders from a TradingView alert: set the target and stop-loss on the alert itself with Alert Automation.
- For a limit on the whole account — a maximum loss for the day, or a profit target — use Risk Management.
- The steps are completely different, so pick the one that matches your situation.
When this happens
- 1 Not knowing which of the four stop-loss features applies — a per-position order, an order that carries its own target and stop-loss, an alert-based target and stop-loss, or an account-level daily limit.
Four different things, four different places
People ask this question meaning quite different things, so start by picking your situation:
| What you want | Where to do it |
|---|---|
| Protect a position you already hold | A reverse order from the Trade screen — see below |
| A target and stop-loss attached to a new order, on any broker | An AutoTrader bracket or cover order (AT_BO / AT_CO) |
| Target and stop-loss on orders from a TradingView alert | Alert Automation |
| A daily loss limit or profit target for the whole account | Risk Management |
The steps are completely different, so it is worth being sure which one you need before you start.
1. A stop-loss on a position you already hold
This is the most common case: your order is filled, you now hold the position, and you want to protect it. You do this by placing a reverse order — a SELL if you are long, a BUY if you are short.
The quick way, from your position:
- Go to Trading → Portfolio → Positions tab.
- Select the position (or several similar positions).
- Click Sq-off (Custom).
- This opens the Trade tab with the reverse order already filled in for you — the correct side, symbol, exchange, product type and quantity.
- Change the Order Type to what you need:
- STOP_LOSS or SL_MARKET — for a stop-loss. Enter your Trigger Price.
- LIMIT — for a target. Enter your Price.
- Place the order.
Or straight from the Trade screen: fill in the same reverse order yourself — opposite side, same symbol and product type — and pick STOP_LOSS, SL_MARKET or LIMIT as the order type. See the Trade screen guide.
Your broker must support the order type you pick. Order types such as SL-M work only if your broker offers them on their own platform.
A stop-loss order is rejected if your trigger price is on the wrong side of the current market price. For a SELL stop-loss the trigger must be below the current price; for a BUY stop-loss it must be above. See Trigger price rejected.
2. A target and stop-loss attached to a new order
If you have not placed the order yet, you can attach the target and stop-loss to the order itself instead of adding one afterwards. That is an AutoTrader bracket order (AT_BO), or an AutoTrader cover order (AT_CO) if you want a stop-loss only. Pick it in the Variety box on the Trade screen and fill in your target and stop-loss as distances from your fill. It works on every broker we support, and the stop-loss can trail.
Once it is running, everything you can do with it — see your live levels, change them, stop watching them, or exit — is on the AT_BO pill on the Positions tab. See how to see, change, exit or stop watching an AT_BO or AT_CO.
These are intraday orders and are squared off automatically before the close.
3. Target and stop-loss on an automated alert
If your orders are placed automatically from a TradingView alert, you can set the target and stop-loss on the alert itself, and the position is closed for you when your level is reached.
This only applies to orders that come from an alert — it does nothing for a position you placed by hand. See Alert Automation for how to write it.
4. A limit for the whole account
If what you want is “stop me for the day once I am down by X”, that is not a per-trade stop-loss at all. Risk Management lets you set a maximum daily loss or a profit target for each broker account, emails you the moment it is crossed, and can optionally square off for you if you switch that on yourself.
See Risk Management.
Which one should I use?
That depends entirely on how you trade, and it is your decision — we only provide the tools. As a rough guide: a reverse order suits a position you already hold, an AT_BO or AT_CO suits an order you have not placed yet and want protected from the start, alert-based target and stop-loss suits orders that arrive automatically, and Risk Management suits a limit across the whole account rather than one trade. You can use more than one.
