Home / Help / cTrader / Orders rejected

Orders rejected in cTrader

Your orders are rejected instead of filling.

cTraderOrders rejectedordersmargin

What is causing it

Not enough margin, a closed market, or invalid stop and target levels.

Why this happens

A rejection is the broker's server declining the order, so the reason lies in what the server checked rather than in cTrader. The checks are margin against the volume requested, whether the symbol's session is open, and whether the stop loss and take profit sit far enough from the current price. Each broker sets a minimum distance for stops, and an order with a stop closer than that is refused outright rather than being adjusted for you.

Margin is the most common of the three and the most misunderstood, because it is checked against free margin rather than balance, and because the requirement varies by instrument and often by exposure tier. A volume that is comfortable on a major forex pair can require far more margin on an index or a metal, and prop firm accounts frequently add rules of their own on top, which the platform enforces without explaining.

The fix, step by step

  1. Reduce the volume, and use our position size calculator to size to your risk.
  2. Check the market is open for that symbol.
  3. Make sure your stop loss and take profit respect the minimum distance from price.
  4. Confirm you have free margin available in the account.

How to confirm it is fixed

An accepted order appears in your positions or orders list with a fill price. If you reduced volume to fix it, check your free margin after the position opens rather than before, and confirm the margin level is not sitting close to the level at which your broker would close positions. If you moved a stop, confirm it saved at the distance you set rather than being rejected again.

Stopping it happening again

Size positions from the risk you are willing to take rather than a habitual volume, and leave a clear margin buffer instead of trading to the limit. Find out your broker's minimum stop distance for the instruments you trade, since it varies by symbol and is set by them. On a prop firm account, read their rules on lot size and stops, as those restrictions are enforced server-side and are not visible in the platform.

Trade with clarity once MetaTrader is running

Market Structure Pro gives one clear TRADE or NO-TRADE verdict on any MT5 chart, with confidence, grade and a plain-English reason. Free 7-day trial, no card.

Start free trial

Other cTrader problems

Stuck on connecting or will not connectLogin fails or cannot find brokerCharts not loadingcBot not running or not appearingMissing symbolsHigh latency or slow execution
Still stuck? Some issues are specific to your broker or your app version, and their support desk can confirm server names, account status and outages. See all cTrader problems or the full help hub.