Auto trading button
Also called Algo Trading button, AutoTrading button, Algo Trading, AutoTrading, Auto trading switch
The auto trading button is the master on/off switch on a trading platform that allows or blocks trading robots from sending orders. When it is off, a robot can still watch the chart, but it cannot open, change or close any trade.
Switching the button off does not close anything. Your open trades stay open, and whatever the robot was managing for you stops being managed. That gap is where the button costs you: a trade you believe is protected is not.
What the switch blocks and what it leaves alone
A trading robot is a program that places and manages trades for you. Some platforms call it an Expert Advisor, or EA. The auto trading button sits between that program and your broker.
With the button on, the robot's instructions pass through. With it off, they are stopped inside your platform and never reach the broker.
The drawing below shows where the switch sits and what keeps working when it is off.
The table shows what that means for each part of a trade.
| Part of the trade | Button on | Button off |
|---|---|---|
| New entries from the robot | Sent | Blocked |
| Stop loss or take profit already stored at the broker | Works | Works |
| Trailing stop (follows price) or break-even move (stop to entry) run by the robot | Works | Stops moving |
| Hidden stop kept only inside the robot | Works | Does nothing |
| Pending orders already waiting at the broker | Can fill | Can still fill |
| Orders you place by hand | Work | Work |
Where to find the button and how to tell if it is really on
On desktop platforms the button is in the main toolbar at the top of the window. It usually shows a green or play-style icon when on and a red or stop-style icon when off. The label differs between platforms, for example Algo Trading or AutoTrading.
Each robot also has its own permission: an allow-trading box in that robot's settings. Both must be on for that robot to trade. A small icon in the corner of the chart tells you whether that robot is allowed to trade.
The drawing below shows both states of the button and of the chart icon.
A common misread is that the toolbar button is green, so the robot must be live. Check the chart icon as well. If it shows the robot as disabled, the per-robot permission is off. A third block sits with the broker, which may not have enabled automated trading on that account. That one usually shows as a message in the platform's log, not on the chart.
Each block leaves its own line in the platform's log. The exact wording differs between platforms, but the message usually says whether trading was disabled by the client (you) or by the server (the broker).
| Where it is blocked | What you see | How to fix |
|---|---|---|
| Toolbar button off | Red button; failed robot orders say trading is disabled by the client | Click the button to switch it on |
| Robot's own permission off | Crossed-out chart icon; failed orders say the robot is not allowed to trade | Open the robot's settings and tick its allow-trading box |
| Automated trading disabled on the account by the broker | Button and chart icon both on; failed orders say trading is disabled by the server | Ask the broker to enable automated trading on that account |
The button belongs to one copy of the platform. If the same account also runs on a remote server or a second computer, switching it off on your laptop does not stop the robot there.
Mobile trading apps do not run robots and have no auto trading button. So you cannot stop a robot running on your desktop or a remote server from your phone. Closing its trades by hand there does not stop it opening new ones.
How switching it off mid-trade can cost you: a worked example
The figures here are an illustrative example, not real prices.
Your robot buys 0.10 lot of EUR/USD at 1.1000 with a stop loss at 1.0950. A 0.10 lot is 10,000 units of the base currency. The robot's rule is to move the stop to the entry price once the trade is 30 pips in profit.
At 1.1020 you get nervous about a news release and switch the button off. Price climbs to 1.1040, then drops to 1.0950.
- Button left on: at 1.1030 the robot moves the stop to 1.1000. The fall closes the trade there. Result: $0.
- Button switched off: the stop never moves. The trade closes at 1.0950.
The calculation below shows the loss.
The button did not cause the loss. It removed the protection you thought was still running.
Checks before you press it
Use this decision rule:
- If you have no open trades and no pending orders, switching off is safe. A pending order that fills while the button is off opens a trade nobody manages.
- If trades are open and the robot manages their exits, either leave it on, or switch it off and set the exits yourself at the broker straight away.
To stop a robot completely, the order of the steps matters:
- Switch the button off first, so the robot cannot reopen trades or fight your changes.
- Straight away, before doing anything else, set a stop loss and take profit on each open position at the broker, or close the positions by hand.
- Delete pending orders you no longer want.
Other checks:
- Look at the button after every account change, profile change, or chart symbol or timeframe change. Some platforms can be set to switch it off at those moments.
- Read the platform's log after switching it back on. Match any "disabled" line to one of the three blocks in the table above and apply its fix.
- Switching back on does not undo missed actions. The robot acts on the next price it sees, not on the moves it missed.
FAQ
Why does the auto trading button keep turning off by itself?
It is usually a safety setting, not a fault. Open the platform's options for automated trading and look for the boxes that disable it on certain events. Untick the ones you do not want, then switch the button back on.
Does my robot keep trading if I close the platform with the button on?
No. The robot runs inside the platform, so closing the platform stops it, whatever state the button was in. Stops, take profits and pending orders already stored at the broker keep working. Anything the robot handled itself does not.