Skip to main content
All CollectionsTrading PlatformsTopstepX
TopstepX™ Lockout and Trade Limits
TopstepX™ Lockout and Trade Limits
Updated this week

TopstepX™ Lockout

The TopstepX™ Lockout button is a powerful feature that lets you manually lock yourself out of specific trading sessions (New York, London, Tokyo, or Sydney) or set a custom end-time to suit your needs. This feature is intended to help you step away from trading when you're ready to call it a day. Perfect if you are up big (or down) on the day and need a helpful hand in controlling your emotions.

Once you've locked out your account, it cannot be canceled or adjusted. Any open positions or working orders are flattened automatically and any copy-traded follower positions are exited. Topstep's Trader Support Team is not able to reverse a Lockout once it's completed.

Get started with the Lockout feature on TopstepX:

Click the Platform Settings Gear and then the Risk Settings tab. Next, click Personal Lockout and Set Lockout.

Tip: The Lockout feature applies only to the selected account, so it won’t impact your other accounts. To lock multiple accounts, be sure to enable this setting individually for each one.

Next, choose a specific session to lock or set a custom end-time for when you want your trading access to resume. After you've selected an end-time, click "Yes, Lock Me Out". If you're having second thoughts, click "Cancel".

After locking your account, a timer will display on your dashboard, counting down until your lockout session ends.


TopstepX™ Trade Limits

TopstepX has added Trade Limits to give traders like you more control over your trading. This is designed to help you stick to your strategy, avoid overtrading, and manage risk like a pro. This feature lets you set a cap on how many trades you can take in a day or a week. Think of it as a safeguard to prevent overtrading or breaking your own rules.

  • How does it work?

    • You pick a trade limit—for example, five trades per day.

    • Once you hit that limit, you’re locked out from making more trades for the rest of the day (or week, depending on your chosen settings).

    • Any working orders are canceled, so you won’t accidentally trigger more trades.

    • Every entry and exit counts as a trade. For example, if you enter a position with five contracts and scale out (like 2, 2, and 1), that counts as 4 trades for the day.

    • Once you hit your limit, the system blocks you from placing any more trades. You’ll still have the flexibility to manage any open trades using Flatten All, Break Even, or your bracket settings (stop loss and profit target), but if you’re holding multiple contracts, you won’t be able to scale out.

  • Why is it useful?

    • It keeps you disciplined. If you’ve committed to trading fewer, higher-quality setups, this feature helps you stick to that plan.

    • Prevents emotional trading—like chasing losses or revenge trading.

    • Lets you step back and focus on reviewing your trades instead of potentially digging yourself into a deeper hole.

👇 Read this before using the Trade Limit Feature 👇

  • Trade Limits will never liquidate open positions and working orders, so you should never assume when a trade limit is reached that any open working orders (limits or stops, not attached to a position) and/or open positions will be liquidated; you must still manage these positions.

  • If a trade copier is enabled and an account is set as a follower, trade limits will not apply to that follower account. Even if limits are configured, they will still show as being set, but will not take effect when the account operates as a follower in the trade copier setup.

Get started with the Trade Limit feature on TopstepX:

Click the Platform Settings Gear, and then click the Risk Settings tab

Here, you can choose custom limits. Daily, weekly, or both.

Once you enter your limit, the dashboard creates a countdown box to help you track your trades. Once you confirm that you've set the correct limits, make sure to click save!

If you hit your limit, a countdown timer will display above the charts, showing you when you can place another trade.

It’s important to remember that hitting the last available trade doesn’t cancel any open orders, so you will have to continue managing any open trades. Once you close that final trade, you won't be able to place another order until the lockout has ended.

Did this answer your question?