Set a Max Position Limit in Tradovate Risk Settings
Want a hard ceiling on how many contracts you can hold at once in Tradovate? A few clicks in Risk Settings gives you a Max Position Size a runaway order can't blow past.
Want a hard ceiling on how many contracts you can hold at once in Tradovate? Maybe you're protecting a funded evaluation, holding yourself to a trading plan, or wiring up automation like PickMyTrade. Either way, a few clicks in Risk Settings gives you a Max Position Size that a runaway order simply can't blow past. Here's how to set it.
What a Max Position Limit Actually Does
A max position limit, Tradovate labels it Max Position Size, is an account-level risk control. It caps the total number of contracts you can hold open at any one time, and that cap applies across all products, not per symbol. Hit the ceiling and Tradovate rejects any order that would push you past it. Simple as that. It's your guardrail against fat-finger sizing, over-leverage, or an algo that keeps piling onto a position that's already full.
Set a Max Position Limit in Tradovate: Step by Step
Open Application Settings
Log in to Tradovate, web or desktop, doesn't matter, and open Application Settings from the button in the upper-right corner of the toolbar.
Open the Accounts Tab and Risk Settings
Inside Application Settings, click the Accounts tab, select the account you want to protect, and hit the Risk Settings button to expand the risk-control panel.
Enable Max Position Size and Enter a Value
Scroll to Max Position Size, flip its toggle on, and type the maximum number of contracts you want open at once, say, 3. Remember, that number is your overall ceiling across every product you trade, not a per-symbol limit. Three means three contracts total.
Save and Test the Limit
Save your settings, then prove it works. Try to open more contracts than your cap allows. Tradovate should reject the order that would breach the limit and leave your position sitting right at the maximum you set.
Why You'd Want This
- Enforce your trading plan, kill the revenge trade or the "sure thing" before you can over-size into it.
- Protect a funded or evaluation account, stay inside the risk box instead of tripping a hard rule.
- Contain your automation, cap the damage if a strategy or webhook misfires and fires repeat entries.
- Keep multi-account discipline, hold every account you trade to the same sizing ceiling.
One thing to watch if you're a prop trader: on a prop-firm or evaluation account, the firm usually stacks its own position caps on top of yours. Those limits vary by firm and account size, so check your firm's current rules. A firm-side cap can reject an order even when your personal Max Position Size would have allowed it.
Automate This with PickMyTrade
PickMyTrade links your TradingView alerts straight to your Tradovate account, so your sizing rules ride along with every automated order, no manual clicks, no oversized entries slipping through. Set your quantity once and let validated orders route to a single account or many at the same time.
Keep Your Sizing Rules on Autopilot
Set your Max Position Size once, then let PickMyTrade route validated orders to your account automatically, no oversized entries slipping through.
Start Your Free 5-Day TrialFrequently Asked Questions
It's a total across all products. Set it to 3 and you can hold 3 contracts combined, 3 of one symbol or a mix, either way, and the order that would take you to 4 gets rejected.
That message usually comes from a prop firm's risk limits, not your own Max Position Size. Reduce your order size or ask the firm to raise the cap. These limits vary by firm and account.
Yes. Head back to Application Settings > Accounts > Risk Settings, then adjust the value or toggle Max Position Size off. Note that some prop accounts lock these fields, so only the firm can change them.
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.