Getting Started
Getting started with cTrader
Learn the basic route from signing in to managing a demo position. Begin with the account and workspace before exploring automated trading.
What cTrader is
cTrader is a trading platform for viewing market prices, analysing charts and placing orders through a broker. The instruments and trading conditions available to you depend on the broker and account. A chart is a view of market data; an order is an instruction to trade. Opening a chart alone does not open a position.
Your login and your trading account
Your cTrader ID is the identity you use to sign in. A broker trading account is where your balance, positions and trading history belong. Several demo or live accounts can be linked to the same identity, so signing in does not tell you which account is active.
Check the account selector before every exercise. Choose an account explicitly marked Demo and confirm the broker, account number and currency. Demo uses virtual funds; it lets you practise the mechanics without placing a live trade. It does not reproduce every aspect of live execution.
Choose the appropriate app
Windows and Mac are the practical starting points if you want to build custom indicators, develop cBots or run historical tests. Web lets you trade and view charts through a browser. Mobile is useful for monitoring and managing an account away from a desktop.
Cloud cBots can be managed from all four app types. Local cBots and custom indicators need the desktop apps. Do not assume that a custom indicator installed on a computer can be displayed in Web or Mobile. This guide uses cTrader Windows for the first-trade procedure; layouts and controls differ elsewhere.
Find your way around Windows
The Trade area brings together the symbol list, chart workspace and Trade Watch. The symbol list is where you find an instrument; the chart shows its price history. Trade Watch contains your open positions, pending orders and history. Algo is the area for cBots and custom development.
Find a symbol in the watchlist or symbol search and open its chart. Select a time period and check the symbol name on the chart. Changing the chart period changes how price bars are grouped; it does not change the instrument or create a trading instruction.
Place and close a first demo trade
- Confirm that the active account is Demo. Choose a symbol with an open trading session and a current price.
- Open the new order dialogue for that symbol. Choose a market order for this exercise, then review Buy or Sell, the volume and its units. Use a small size allowed by the demo account rather than accepting a size you do not understand.
- Review any stop loss and take profit you set, together with the estimated margin. Submit only after checking the account, direction and volume. A market order seeks execution at an available price; the chart price is not a guaranteed fill.
- Find the resulting position in Trade Watch’s Positions tab. Check its direction, volume and entry price. If no position appears, inspect the order response rather than clicking repeatedly.
- Use the position row’s close control (X) or its Close position command. Check that it has left Positions and appears in History. An unfilled pending order must be cancelled separately; closing a chart does neither.
Where to go next
Repeat the exercise until you can identify the active account and distinguish an order from a position. Then read cBots and indicators explained before installing a custom tool. Keep a demo account for checking each new tool and each change to its settings.