cTrader connection unstable and keeps disconnecting, what to check
The short answer
If cTrader keeps disconnecting, test your own side first. Try an Ethernet cable and a phone hotspot, and log each drop. Spotware says cTrader uses its own proxies, so Traders Proxy is an option for Windows, not a fix.
When cTrader drops, your prices stop until it signs you back in.
You click Buy or Close as a fast candle moves, and cTrader drops or signs you in again. While it reconnects, your prices stop updating and the real market moves on.
If you change nothing, the same drop can lock you out on the next release. Why it matters, you can’t manage a trade while cTrader signs back in.
cTrader picks its own connection, so fewer fixes are in your hands.
This changes which checks are worth your time. MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) connect to a broker server you can look up. cTrader works differently.
Spotware staff say in the cTrader community forum that cTrader apps connect through Spotware’s own proxies. You never see the trade server’s address, so you can’t test it directly.
Spotware’s mobile help says cTrader picks among those proxies by delay and capacity. It signs you in again if it judges the connection too weak. A weak moment on your Wi-Fi can sign you out.
Five checks show whether the drops start in your home, a VPN or your broker.
Each check removes one cause, so you stop guessing. The next section says what each result means.
Five checks, in this order
- 01
Write down the time of each drop
Note the exact minute cTrader disconnects or signs in again. Check whether other apps stalled at the same minute.
- 02
Plug in an Ethernet cable
Run cTrader on a cable instead of Wi-Fi for a session. If the drops stop, look at your Wi-Fi.
- 03
Compare on a phone hotspot
Run cTrader on your phone’s mobile data for a few hours. If it holds there and drops at home, look at your home internet provider.
- 04
Switch off any VPN or proxy
Spotware’s troubleshooting page notes that a VPN with a mismatched location can cause problems. In cTrader for Windows, untick Use proxy to connect under Settings → Advanced → Connection.
- 05
Ask your broker about that time window
If cTrader drops on a hotspot too, with no VPN or proxy on, send the times to your broker’s support.
What it tells you. If their logs show trouble at those times, the fix is on their side, not yours.
Each result tells you who can fix the drops.
- The drops stop on an Ethernet cable. Your Wi-Fi. Stay on a cable while you trade.
- Other apps stall at the same minute. Your router or internet provider. Restart the router and give your provider the times.
- The drops stop when a VPN is off. The VPN. Leave it off while you run cTrader.
- The drops start after you added a proxy. The proxy values or type. Untick Use proxy to connect and click Apply.
- The drops happen on every network, with no VPN or proxy. Your broker’s side or your account. Send the times to your broker’s support.
Traders Proxy works with cTrader for Windows, but we don’t claim it stops drops.
Read this before you pay, so you know what we can and can’t say for cTrader. Its Windows app has its own proxy setting, at Settings → Advanced → Connection → Use proxy to connect.
It asks for Server, Port, Protocol, Login and Password. Choose HTTP and type in the four values from your dashboard. You get a separate trading password that you can replace in your dashboard, so your billing login never touches cTrader.
Our cTrader proxy setup guide has the steps.
Spotware’s help page doesn’t list the protocol choices or say which traffic uses the setting. A Spotware administrator’s forum example uses HTTP, and a 2024 post reported that only HTTP connected. So we confirm HTTP only.
Mac, cTrader Web and phone apps have no documented cTrader proxy setting. We give no steps for them.
To check the setting, sign in and watch prices update on a chart. That shows cTrader can connect with the setting on, not where its traffic goes. A working chart proves your values are right, not that we help.
If cTrader fails, untick Use proxy to connect and confirm it works without it first.
cTrader connects to Spotware’s proxies, not straight to a broker. We don’t claim our server changes where cTrader’s lost data is sent again. We don’t promise lower ping. Distance sets the minimum.
We don’t claim Traders Proxy stops cTrader disconnecting. You cannot set up a proxy while your platform is disconnected in a live trade, so test any setup while the market is calm. If your broker prohibits proxies, don’t use one.
If your cBots must run with your computer off, you need a VPS.
If you run automated cBots that must stay online while your computer is off, use a VPS. Traders Proxy never keeps a platform running when your computer is off. Traders Proxy or a VPS compares the two.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn’t Traders Proxy stop cTrader disconnecting?
We don’t claim it does. Spotware says cTrader already connects through its own proxies. It doesn’t document which traffic uses the Windows proxy setting.
Where is the proxy setting in cTrader for Windows?
Click Settings in the bottom-left corner of cTrader for Windows. Open Advanced → Connection and tick Use proxy to connect.
Which proxy protocol should I choose in cTrader?
Choose HTTP. Spotware’s help names no types, a Spotware administrator’s example uses HTTP, and SOCKS5 is unconfirmed.
Can I use a proxy with the cTrader phone app?
We give no steps for the cTrader phone app. Spotware documents no proxy setting in it. Our Android test with a proxy app covered MT4 and MT5 only.
Do my stop-loss and take-profit orders stay active if cTrader disconnects?
Ask your broker which order types it holds on its trade server. Some need your cTrader terminal or cBot running and connected.
Field reports · Verified forum threads
Real forum reports, what our system does, and where it stops.
Every quote below links to the forum thread or vendor guide where it appeared. Underneath each quote, see which parts of our system work together on it and where our server stops.
cTrader drops and re-logs in on a loop (Disconnected, Slow connection or Connection failed)
“Reconnections happen because cTrader cannot establish a good connection with the proxy. There are many reasons this can happen and they are usually temporary.”
What our system reduces. Traders Proxy gives your platform its own route to its servers, which can help when your provider's route is the weak stretch. It does not fix your own Wi-Fi or router.
- Dead connections found and freedPrimary
- Straight back in after a dropSupporting
- Short send queuesSupporting
- Built-in
HTTPproxy loginPrimary
Where it stops. Helps only when your provider’s route is the weak stretch. It does not fix Wi-Fi, router drops or Spotware faults, and cTrader uses HTTP only.
When a provider or country blocks the direct route to cTrader
“someone appears to be (AWS? A middle-man routing provider?) blocking, or not allowing, any addresses from the 77.90.x.x network.”
What our system reduces. If your provider blocks the route to your platform's servers, you can send your platform through a Traders Proxy server instead. It works only if your provider lets you reach us.
- Built-in
HTTPproxy loginPrimary
Where it stops. Works only if your network lets you reach our server. cTrader on Windows uses an HTTP proxy setting and does not route the installer through it.
Invalid account, Authorization failed and an empty broker server list
“Many (or most of) demo accounts are provided by brokers for limited time only. Besides, the demo account may be expired because of inactivity.”
Why a proxy does not change this. Traders Proxy forwards your platform’s traffic. It does not create, verify or fix your broker login.
Where it stops. If the Journal reports Invalid account or Authorization failed, your terminal reached the server and your login or server name needs checking.
Home connection lags when someone else uploads or streams at home
“The goal is to set the software shaper to a bandwidth that is slightly lower than the actual (bloated) bottleneck in the hardware, so we can control the queue using FQ-CoDel or CAKE.”
Why a proxy does not change this. No claim. Lag that appears only while others upload or stream on your connection starts in your own router, which we can't change.
Where it stops. Our short send queues apply to our server's two connections only, not to your router.
Sources
- cTrader Help, settings, connectionChecked
- cTrader Help, troubleshootingChecked
- cTrader Help, Android troubleshootingChecked
- cTrader Help, mobile troubleshootingChecked
- cTrader Community, proxy hostname, Spotware staff, 2021Checked
- cTrader Community, connectivity, Spotware administrator, 2012Checked
- cTrader Community, proxy protocol user report, 2024Checked