Set Order Flags: DAY, GTC & GTD in Tradovate
An order flag decides how long your working order stays alive. Tradovate keeps all of this behind one small cogwheel, and once you know where it lives you can switch between DAY, GTC, and GTD in a couple of clicks.
An order flag decides how long your working order stays alive. Get it wrong and a resting limit either vanishes at the session close or hangs around for days after you've forgotten it. Tradovate keeps all of this behind one small cogwheel, and once you know where it lives you can switch between DAY, GTC, and GTD in a couple of clicks, or schedule an order to cancel or fire on its own.
What Are Order Flags?
The order flag is Tradovate's name for time in force, the rule that controls how long an unfilled order keeps working before it expires. You set it when you build the order, and it only matters for orders that rest in the book, like limit and stop orders. Here are the three you'll use:
| Flag | Full name | Stays working until… |
|---|---|---|
| DAY | Day order | The end of the current trading session, then it's cancelled automatically. |
| GTC | Good Till Canceled | You cancel it by hand. It carries across sessions until it fills or you pull it. |
| GTD | Good Till Date | The session close on a date you choose. A date/time picker appears when you select it. |
Prop and evaluation accounts often cancel working orders at the session close no matter which flag you set, so GTC and GTD may not actually persist overnight. This varies by firm and account, check your firm's current rules before you rely on a resting order carrying over.
How to Set Order Flags in Tradovate: Step-by-Step
Open the Order Flag Settings
Look for the small cogwheel/gear icon sitting right next to the Day/GTC buttons. On a chart it's beside the Day/GTC toggle in the order-entry strip; on the SuperDOM it's tucked at the bottom next to the same toggle; and inside the Order Ticket the flag selector sits with your order details. Click the cog to open the Order Flag Settings menu, the control panel for everything below.
Choose DAY, GTC, or GTD
Pick the flag that matches how long you want the order to live. DAY is the default and dies at the session close. GTC keeps a resting order working until you cancel it, handy for a limit you want parked for days. GTD splits the difference: the moment you select it, a date and time selector opens so you can set the exact day the order expires.
Set a Custom Cancel Time
Want the order gone at a precise moment whether it filled or not? Turn on the Cancel toggle and pick a date and time. Tradovate treats this as Good-Till-Date behavior, so the order cancels itself the instant that time hits, handy if you only want a level live through a news window or the first hour.
Schedule a Time-Released Order
The Release toggle is the mirror image of Cancel. Instead of killing an order later, it holds your order back and sends it to the exchange at a future moment. You get two ways to set it: "at" a specific date and time, or "in" a set number of hours, minutes, or seconds from now. That lets you stage an order ahead of a session open or a data release without babysitting the screen.
Place the Order and Confirm the Flag
Submit the order, then glance at the Orders module and make sure the flag column reads DAY, GTC, or GTD as you intended. One thing to watch: once an order is working, Tradovate generally won't let you switch its time in force, try it on a bracket and you'll hit a "Cannot Modify Time In Force" message. The fix is simple: cancel the order and place a fresh one with the right flag. Same goes for a scheduled release, pulling a working order back into the ticket to modify it switches the Release Time off, so set it again.
Quick Tips
- DAY is the safe default, nothing lingers past the close by accident.
- Reach for GTC when you want a level parked across sessions.
- Use GTD or the Cancel toggle to auto-expire an order instead of remembering to pull it.
- Set the flag before you send, changing it live usually means cancel-and-replace.
Skip the Manual Flag Setting Entirely
Setting flags by hand is fine for a few orders, but if your entries come from a TradingView strategy you're clicking the same settings over and over. PickMyTrade routes your TradingView alerts straight into Tradovate and fires the orders for you, so your timing stays consistent on every trade.
Keep Your Timing Consistent
PickMyTrade routes your TradingView alerts straight into Tradovate and fires the orders for you, so your timing stays consistent on every trade.
Start Your Free 5-Day TrialFrequently Asked Questions
GTC (Good Till Canceled) stays working until you cancel it yourself. GTD (Good Till Date) expires automatically at the session close on a date you choose, so you don't have to remember to pull it.
Usually not. Tradovate blocks time-in-force changes on a working order and shows a "Cannot Modify Time In Force" message. Cancel the order and place a new one with the flag you want.
They may not. Many prop firms cancel all working orders at the session close regardless of the flag. Confirm your firm's current rules before you count on an order carrying over.
This guide is for educational and informational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or trading advice. Trading futures and other leveraged products carries a substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. PickMyTrade is an independent third-party automation platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tradovate, Inc. "Tradovate" and all related names, logos, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Platform features and steps change over time, so always confirm the current process in the official Tradovate platform and documentation before acting.