Configure Account Risk Settings in Tradovate
Want to keep your risk in check on Tradovate? Here's exactly where the risk settings live and how to configure each limit, step by step.
Want to keep your risk in check on Tradovate? Whether you're capping a bad day, protecting a funded balance, or wiring up automation like PickMyTrade, here's exactly where the risk settings live and how to configure each limit, step by step.
What Are Tradovate Risk Settings?
Tradovate risk settings are account-level guardrails. Hit a loss, profit, drawdown, or position threshold you set in advance, and the platform automatically locks trading, closes positions, cancels working orders, and blocks new entries until the next session. You set the rules once, and the platform enforces them, so you're not relying on willpower in the middle of a losing streak. They're a good fit for disciplined day traders and anyone guarding a max-drawdown balance.
Configure Risk Settings in Tradovate: Step-by-Step
Open Application Settings
Log in to Tradovate on the web or desktop app, then click the Application Settings button in the upper-right corner of the platform.
Open the Risk Settings Panel
Inside Application Settings, head to the Accounts section and click the Risk Settings button. That expands a detail panel listing every configurable limit for the selected account.
Enable the Limits You Want
Toggle on the parameters that fit your plan. The controls you'll usually see include:
Daily Loss Limit — caps net loss for the session, calculated on P&L from the 5:00 PM CT session start, fees and commissions included.
Weekly Loss Limit — caps cumulative loss across the trading week.
Daily Profit Trigger / Weekly Profit Trigger — locks trading once you bank a target, so you don't hand profits back.
Trailing Max Drawdown — a loss floor that trails your account's peak balance.
Max Position Size — the largest total position you can hold across products.
Products Permitted — restricts trading to specific symbols or contracts.
Enter Values and Save
For each setting you enable, type your value into the box, then scroll down and click Save. Don't leave a field at zero, since zero disables the rule. And if you turn on the option to lock risk settings while trading is locked, you won't be able to loosen them again until the account unlocks at the next session reset. That's the point, really: it stops you from moving the goalposts mid-tilt.
Why You'd Need This
- Enforce daily discipline, walk away automatically after a set loss instead of revenge-trading your way to a bigger hole.
- Protect a funded or drawdown-based balance, keep a buffer before a trailing threshold gets breached.
- Standardize an automated strategy, pair a hard account limit with your bot so a runaway script can't blow through your risk budget.
- Lock in a good day, a profit trigger stops you from giving back what you just made.
One important caveat: Tradovate's built-in Risk Settings apply to live and demo Tradovate Brokerage accounts. Trade a prop-firm evaluation or funded account and the firm typically controls those limits on their side. The exact rules, drawdown type, daily loss, contract caps, vary by firm and account size, so check your firm's current rules rather than assuming a number.
Automate This with PickMyTrade
PickMyTrade links your TradingView alerts straight to your Tradovate account, so entries, exits, and position sizing execute automatically, no manual clicks while you watch a limit tick down. It adds its own quantity and symbol validation on top of Tradovate's risk settings, so an oversized or malformed alert gets caught before it ever reaches your account.
Automate Inside Your Risk Limits
PickMyTrade links your TradingView alerts straight to your Tradovate account, so entries, exits, and position sizing execute automatically, no manual clicks while you watch a limit tick down.
Start Your Free 5-Day TrialFrequently Asked Questions
Click Application Settings in the top-right corner, open the Accounts section, and click Risk Settings to expand the panel of configurable limits.
Built-in Risk Settings work on live and demo Tradovate Brokerage accounts. On evaluation or funded prop accounts, the firm sets and enforces the limits, contact your provider to adjust them.
Tradovate closes open positions, cancels working orders, and blocks new entries until the next trading session begins. The daily session resets at 5:00 PM CT.
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.