A futures prop firm platform outage can put traders with open positions at immediate risk. Those without market exposure may still lose valuable evaluation time or miss profitable trading opportunities. Worse, the firm may not reverse losses or account breaches caused by the disruption.
This guide explains why platform outages happen and what to do when one occurs. It also covers practical steps to limit damage to your account balance and strengthen your case when contacting support.
What Is a Futures Prop Firm Platform Outage?
A futures prop firm outage is when there is an issue with the platform you are trading on. You cannot open or close positions during this time, which is a partial outage. There is an issue with the platform’s connection or other systems. During a complete outage, traders cannot log into their account or even access the firm itself.
Causes of a partial outage include:
- API Integration Failure: A breakdown between the trading interface and the account provider.
- Market Data Feed Interruption: Delayed, frozen, or missing prices from the data provider.
- Trading Platform Connection Failure: An unstable connection between the trader’s application and the platform’s servers.
- Server Overload From High User Activity: Heavy trading volume or too many simultaneous users slowing the platform.
A complete outage can result from failures involving the firm’s servers, databases, authentication systems, order-management services, network connections, or data centre infrastructure. Less commonly, an exchange disruption can halt market data and order execution across multiple platforms, while a DDoS attack can overwhelm the firm’s systems and block trader access.
An easier way to differentiate the two:
- Partial Outage: Only certain functions, instruments, accounts, or users are affected.
- Complete Trading Outage: Traders cannot access or manage their accounts through any supported trading connection.
Losing access to a trading platform while holding an open position can be alarming. Even if you placed a stop-loss order beforehand, you may be unable to open the order book and confirm that it remains active. The risk is even greater if the position does not have a stop-loss, as market movements could cause losses to grow while the platform is unavailable.
How Do Futures Prop Firms Handle Platform Outage?
Futures prop firms use different procedures when responding to platform outages. When a verified disruption affects traders, a firm may reverse negative trading activity, restore breached accounts, or leave profitable trades unchanged. The examples below show how leading firms handled confirmed outages and determined who qualified for remediation.
My Funded Futures
MyFundedFutures was affected by the NinjaTrader and Tradovate disruption in July 2026. It worked with both platform providers to identify the traders and accounts directly affected by the outage.
The firm announced that it would remove trading activity resulting in net losses between July 16 at 6:00 p.m. EST and July 17 at 11:00 a.m. EST. To qualify for remediation, traders also had to meet at least one of the following criteria:
- A stuck order prevented them from closing an open position.
- NinjaTrader or Tradovate confirmed that they experienced login problems while holding an open position.
MyFundedFutures also instructed affected traders not to use their accounts until the unbreach and P&L adjustment process was complete. Anyone who continued trading during that session would lose eligibility for the correction.
Lucid Trading
In July 2026, a NinjaTrader and Tradovate outage affected traders across several futures prop firms, including Lucid Trading. Lucid worked with both platform providers to identify accounts affected between July 16 at 6:00 p.m. EST and July 17 at 10:17 a.m. EST.
Lucid took the same corrective action as MFFU for traders who meet the following criteria:
- A stuck order prevented the trader from manually closing an open position.
- NinjaTrader or Tradovate confirmed that the trader experienced login problems while holding an open position.
This meant a trading loss alone did not qualify for remediation. The platform issue also had to be verified as the direct cause of the loss.
Tradeify
Tradeify announced a remediation plan for users affected by the Rithmic outage between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. EST on April 17, 2026. The firm restored losing trades placed during the verified outage window while allowing profitable trades to remain unchanged. This protected affected traders from outage-related losses without removing gains earned during the disruption.
What Should You Do Immediately When the Platform Goes Down?
When a futures prop firm platform goes down, your immediate priority is to prevent further losses. Follow these steps to protect your account balance while you wait for trading access to return.
Stop Placing New Orders
Do not place new trades when the platform shows signs of an outage, such as frozen charts, delayed prices, or rejected instructions. If you have a pending entry order, cancel it if possible and verify that the cancellation was confirmed.
A frozen screen does not necessarily mean the original order failed. The instruction may have already reached the order system and could still execute, leaving you with an open position you cannot manage. Avoid repeatedly submitting the same order while its status remains unclear.
Confirm Your Open Positions and Working Orders
If your primary trading interface stops responding after you submit an instruction to close a position, confirm that the order was executed before assuming your account is flat. Traders with Tradovate-based accounts from firms such as MyFundedFutures, TakeProfitTrader, Lucid Trading and Tradeify can log directly into Tradovate using the credentials supplied by the firm.
After accessing the appropriate Simulation environment, select the correct account and open the Positions module. If the position is still listed, the closing instruction may not have been executed. Next, check the Orders module for orders marked Working or Pending, including any remaining stop-loss, take-profit, or bracket orders. Do not assume the position is closed until Tradovate confirms it.
Record Evidence of the Outage
Some reputable futures prop firms may offer account adjustments, free resets, or other relief when an outage originates within their systems. However, compensation is rarely automatic, and traders usually need to prove they were affected by providing timestamps, screenshots, recordings, and relevant account or order details.
Although it may seem unnecessary at the time, documenting an outage can support a later request for an account or trade adjustment. Record your screen to capture frozen or delayed prices, lagging orders, rejected instructions, and connection errors. You should also save screenshots of outage announcements published on the prop firm’s official website, status page, or social media accounts. Whenever possible, include visible timestamps and relevant order details to establish when the disruption occurred.
Do not resume trading simply because the firm announces that a fix is being deployed. Trades placed during the recovery period may fall outside the firm’s compensation window, leaving you responsible for any resulting losses. If you receive a free account reset, wait until the firm confirms that the outage is fully resolved before using it.
Check on PipBack’s Platform Downtime Tool
PipBack also offers a Platform Downtime tool that allows traders to report suspected futures prop firm outages and check whether other users are experiencing the same problem. These reports can help determine whether the issue is isolated or widespread. It helps you know if there is an issue with your ISP or hardware when connecting to the platform.
What Happens to Your Positions and Orders During an Outage?
A futures prop firm outage does not automatically close your positions or cancel your working orders. In many cases, your positions remain active and continue gaining or losing value even when you cannot access or control them.
If your stop-loss and take-profit orders were accepted and stored on the provider’s servers before a partial outage, they should remain active. Your position can then close automatically when the market reaches either price level. However, this protection only applies if the orders were successfully placed before the outage began. A trader who opened a position but had not yet added a stop-loss or profit target may remain fully exposed to market movements until access is restored.
When the Exchange Is Down
Even when an exchange platform such as CME Globex goes down, your existing position generally remains open. However, stop-loss and take-profit orders cannot execute while the exchange’s matching system is unavailable. Although no futures trades occur during the halt, related markets and the value of the underlying asset may continue to move. As a result, the futures contract could reopen at a significantly different price, exposing traders to gaps and larger-than-expected losses. It is important to note that an exchange rarely experiences an outage.
An exchange may also cancel working orders as part of its recovery process. During the CME Group outage in November 2025, the exchange cancelled all Day and Good Till Date orders for the November 28 trading session.
Are You Responsible for Losses During a Platform Outage?
You may remain responsible for losses incurred during a partial futures prop firm outage, particularly when the disruption originates outside the firm’s systems. This can include problems with your internet connection, an API, a data feed, or third-party trading software. Therefore, an adjustment should not be assumed simply because a technical problem affected your trade.
Will a Futures Prop Firm Reverse Losses Caused by an Outage?
If the outage is due to an issue within the firm itself, the business can reverse your losses, restore your account’s balance prior to the outage, reactivate the account if losses result in a breach, or give you a free reset.
There have been scenarios where firms gave free resets to traders affected by an outage. One example is Topstep X, which announced on social media that affected traders in the Tradovate outage are entitled to free resets.
Keep in mind that account adjustments and free resets are not always applied automatically. Even if a firm such as Topstep announces relief for eligible traders, you may still need to contact support and request a review of your account. This is where screenshots, screen recordings, timestamps, and order details become particularly valuable. They can help show that your loss or account breach occurred during the confirmed outage period.
When Should You Stop Trading After an Outage?
Even if you are able to place orders, the outage could still be ongoing. Entering a position during this time could leave you with an order you cannot immediately cancel should the market go against you.
Stop trading or entering a position if the following is happening:
- Delayed Market Data: The DOM, charts, or bid-and-ask prices are updating slowly, freezing or showing different prices across platforms.
- Delayed Order Confirmations: Orders take unusually long to receive a filled, working, cancelled or rejected status. Until the status is confirmed, you may not know whether the instruction reached the order system.
- Mismatched Positions and Orders: Your primary platform and backup connection display different position sizes, working orders, or account statuses.
- Incorrect Account Balance: Your dashboard shows an unexpected balance, profit and loss, or drawdown amount following the outage.
- No Official All-Clear: The firm or platform provider has not confirmed that the outage is resolved. Temporary access does not necessarily mean every service is operating normally.
- Limited Drawdown Room: Your account is already close to its maximum drawdown. Another delay or disconnection could cause an account breach.
Resume trading only after the firm confirms that the outage has been resolved. An official announcement on its website, status page, or social media account provides greater assurance that market data and order execution are operating normally. Even then, verify your balance, positions, and working orders before entering another trade. This reduces the risk of entering another position while your account information remains inaccurate.
How Can You Prepare for the Next Platform Outage?
While you cannot prevent a futures prop firm outage, you can protect your account for unexpected disruptions. Below are ways you can prepare for the next outage and lessen the risk of an account breach.
Place Protective Orders Immediately
Place a protective stop as soon as you enter a position. If your strategy uses a fixed profit target, submit and confirm that order at the same time. To learn more about setting the SL and TP of your positions to set the right risk-reward ratio, watch our co-founder Arjo’s video.
https://youtu.be/WWulQ4Mi0fM?si=fmHRw0yBSQk7ttnD
Keep in mind that there is a risk for your orders not executing if the outage is affecting the platform.
Use Proper Position Sizing
Your position size should account for the additional risk created by a platform outage. Do not use the maximum contract allowance simply because it is available. Only consider a larger position when your account has enough room above the drawdown threshold to absorb the planned loss and a possible delay in execution. While no position size can eliminate outage risk, trading smaller can reduce the chance that an unmanaged position causes an account breach.
Check Platform Health and Maintenance Schedules
Always check the firm’s dashboard announcements, status page and official social media channels before starting a trading session. You should also review updates from your trading provider, such as Tradovate or Rithmic. These notices can alert you to scheduled maintenance that may temporarily affect platform access, market data, or order execution.
Final Word: Futures Prop Firm Outage
A futures prop firm outage can lead to an account breach when you have an open position that you cannot manage or close. Stop placing new trades as soon as warning signs appear, and document the disruption with screenshots, recordings, and timestamps. Placing protective stops in advance and using an appropriate position size can reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of an outage-related loss reaching your drawdown threshold.
FAQs About Futures Prop Firm Platform Outages
What Happens to an Open Position When a Prop Firm Platform Goes Down?
Your position generally remains open during an outage until a closing order executes or the prop firm’s risk system liquidates it. If the market moves against a position you cannot manage, the resulting loss may reach the drawdown threshold and cause an account breach.
Will My Stop-Loss Work During a Platform Outage?
During a partial outage, your stop-loss and take-profit orders should still work as normal. However, there is a chance for your orders to not execute during a complete outage.
Can a Prop Firm Fail My Account During an Outage?
A prop firm will normally fail an evaluation account or close a funded account when its balance reaches the drawdown threshold, even if an outage contributed to the loss. You can contact the firm’s support team and request an account review, but restoration is not guaranteed. Include screenshots, screen recordings, timestamps and order details showing that the breach occurred during the outage.