How to set a daily loss limit on cTrader

The problem: cTrader lets a bad day keep going

cTrader is a well-designed platform for placing and managing trades, but it does not decide when you should stop. Without a daily limit, a bad morning can turn into a bad week, because there is nothing between you and the next entry button.

A daily loss limit is a number you set in advance. When your account is down by that much for the day, you are done trading until the next day. The value comes from deciding before the day starts, when you are calm, and not during a losing streak.

Step 1: decide the amount and the day boundary

Choose a limit as a share of your starting balance and convert it to money. Plenty of traders use between 1% and 3% as a starting range, but the right number depends on your strategy and any rules your firm or broker applies. On a $5,000 account, 2% is $100.

Then fix when your day starts. Pick one reset time and use it every day, such as the server midnight or the time you normally sit down to trade. A moving boundary makes the rule easy to bend.

Decide whether open losses count. We suggest counting equity, not just closed trades, because a floating loss that you are hoping will recover is still a loss.

Step 2: track it inside cTrader

1. Open the Trade panel at the bottom of the cTrader window. It shows your balance, equity and margin for the account.
2. At the start of your day, note the equity. Subtract your limit to get your stop-trading level, for example $5,000 minus $100 is $4,900.
3. Write the level down where you will see it. Some traders add it to the account nickname or keep it in a notes window next to the chart.
4. Check equity against the level on a schedule, for example at the top of every hour, and every time a trade closes at a loss.

Step 3: make each trade small enough to respect the limit

If one trade can use up half your daily limit, the limit will not protect you. Set a stop loss on every trade and choose the position size so the money at risk is a fraction of the day's allowance. If your limit is $100 and you want room for roughly three losing trades, each should risk about $30 or less.

This is arithmetic, not advice about how much risk to take. Your own plan and your firm's or broker's rules decide the real figures.

Step 4: stopping is part of the plan

When the level is reached, close your positions and stop. Log out of the platform if that helps. Do not open a smaller trade just to see. Many traders find that the trade right after a limit breach is the one that does the most damage.

Afterwards, write a few lines in a journal about what went wrong. Look at it the next day.

What about cBots?

cTrader supports automated programs called cBots, and it is possible to write one that watches equity and closes positions at a threshold. If you can write code and maintain it, that is a legitimate route. Be aware that a cBot has to be running, usually on your machine or a hosted server, and that a bug in it can fail silently on the day you need it. Test it on a demo account first.

Where LossGuard helps

LossGuard connects to your cTrader account through cTrader's own sign-in page: you log in with your cTrader ID and press Allow, then choose the account. There is nothing to install. You set a daily loss limit, and if your account reaches it, LossGuard closes open positions, cancels pending orders and blocks new trades until your daily reset. The lock cannot be lifted early.

No tool can guarantee the exact exit price. In fast markets a close may fill beyond your limit. LossGuard is a rule enforcer, not a promise about outcomes.

If you trade a prop firm challenge on cTrader, check your firm's rules about third-party tools and connections first. LossGuard is not affiliated with any prop firm.