How to Place Orders in Tradovate
A clean guide showing exactly how to place market, limit, and stop orders in Tradovate without clicking random buttons or guessing.
Market Orders
Market orders in Tradovate hit the current bid or ask immediately. They are the fastest way to enter a position, but offer zero price control.
- Buy Market → buys at the current ask.
- Sell Market → sells at the current bid.
- Hotkey users rely heavily on these for instant entries.
Limit Orders
Limit orders give you price control. The trade only fills if price reaches your limit. You can place one directly on the chart with a single click.
- Buy Limit → place below current price.
- Sell Limit → place above current price.
- Drag the order to adjust price before it fills.
If you’re running small accounts, it pairs well with the execution concepts in Execution vs Idea.
Stop Orders
Stop orders trigger when price passes a level. Tradovate shows them on the chart as red (for stop sell) and blue (for stop buy).
- Buy Stop → above current price, used for breakout entries.
- Sell Stop → below current price, used for breakdown entries.
You’ll understand stop behavior better if you’ve already read Limit vs Stop Orders.
Canceling and Modifying Orders
Tradovate makes this stupid simple:
- Click an open order on the chart → you can drag it to a new price.
- Click the small “X” → cancels that specific order.
- Click the big red “Flatten” button → nukes the entire position and all working orders.
Using the DOM for Order Placement
Tradovate’s DOM lets you place limit orders with one click on either side of the price ladder. If you don’t know DOM basics yet, read: