Trade copier settings explained: every copy setting, what it does and its default

Updated 2026-11-07

This is the reference for the copy settings in SnapCopier: what each one does, what it is set to when you do not touch it, and where the details are. It follows the order of the settings window: lot sizing, risk and protection, stop loss and take profit, order execution, filters and what happens when you pause.

The defaults are a starting point for a first test on demo accounts: proportional lot sizing, and no stop loss or take profit copied. Pausing a link closes nothing unless you choose to. Change a setting when you know why.

Where the settings live

Every master has Copy Settings, which are the defaults for all of its followers. A follower gets its settings from three levels, and the most specific one wins, field by field:

1The follower’s own setting, if you changed that field for this follower.
2The group’s setting, if the follower is in a group that sets the field.
3The master’s default.

A field you did not change follows the level above it, so changing a default reaches every follower that has not set it itself. A follower’s field can be set back to the master’s default with one click. The symbol mapping of a follower is a setting of its own, and works the same way. See how to copy to many accounts for groups and invite links.

Lot sizing and volume

Setting	What it does	Default
Lot sizing: proportional to balance	The follower risks the same share of its balance as the master did. The number next to it, Risk ×, scales that: 2 means twice the risk.	Selected, Risk × 1
Lot sizing: proportional to equity	Like balance, but by equity, so open profits and losses on either side change the size.
Lot sizing: master lot × N	The master’s lot times the number, whatever the two balances are. Cent accounts are converted automatically.
Lot sizing: fixed lot	The same lot on every trade, whatever the master trades.
Below minimum lot	What to do when the calculated size is under the follower broker’s minimum or your Min lot limit: open the minimum lot, or skip the trade. A skipped trade is shown in the copy log with the reason.	Open the minimum lot
Min lot limit	Optional floor for the volume of a copy.	Empty
Max lot limit	Optional ceiling for the volume of a copy. The broker’s own maximum applies as well.	Empty
Proportional series (martingale)	While a symbol has open copies in one direction, new trades keep their ratio to the first one: 2× the first trade stays 2×. It has no effect on fixed lots.	Off

The result is always rounded down to the broker’s lot step. How the modes calculate, with numbers, is in how lot sizes are calculated when copying trades, and the cent account cases are in copying between cent and standard accounts.

A multiplier ignores the balances, so it can be right for only one pair of accounts. Start with proportional to balance and a risk of 1, and watch a few copies before changing it.

Risk and protection

Setting	What it does	Default
Max slippage (points)	The deviation an order accepts from the requested price, and the limit for late copies: a trade that is copied late, for example after a reconnect, opens only if the follower’s price is still within this distance of the master’s entry. 10 points are 1 pip on a five-digit pair.	50
Margin guard	Off sends the order as calculated and lets the broker decide. Reduce cuts the lot to what the free margin allows when the trade would need more than 90% of it, and skips the trade if even that is below the minimum. Skip does not open a trade that would need more than 90% of the free margin. It acts on market orders; for a pending order the broker checks the margin when it fills.	Off
Reverse trade direction	A buy becomes a sell and the other way round. The master’s take profit then protects the follower’s losing side.	Off

Why the prices differ in the first place, and what the slippage setting can and cannot do, is in why copied trades open at a different price than the master.

Stop loss and take profit

Setting	What it does	Default
Copy Stop Loss	Copies the master’s stop loss and its changes. Off: the follower closes when the master closes.	Off
Copy Take Profit	Copies the master’s take profit and its changes.	Off
SL/TP calculation mode: same price levels as master	The follower gets the master’s exact stop and target prices.	Selected
SL/TP calculation mode: same distance from slave fill	The follower gets the master’s distance to its stop and target, measured from the follower’s own entry. This keeps the risk to the stop the same when the entry price differs.

Stop loss and take profit are sent after the entry. A level that the follower’s broker refuses, for example one that is too close to the price, does not take the entry away.

Order execution and timing

Setting	What it does	Default
Pending orders	Copies limit and stop orders, and their changes and cancellations, when the follower is on the master’s server. On another server the prices differ, so only the fill is copied: the follower gets a market trade the moment the master’s order fills. Always copies them on any server as well, Don’t copy never does.	On the same server
Market fallback for pending fills	If the master’s pending order filled but the follower’s did not, the follower’s pending order is deleted and the trade is opened at market, as long as the follower’s price is still close to the master’s.	On
Late copies also at a better price	A missed trade is also opened late when the follower’s price is better than the master’s entry (lower for a buy, higher for a sell). It is not opened if the price has already passed the stop loss. The check runs every five minutes.	Off
Copy trades opened before link	Copies positions the master already had open when you activated the link. Off: only trades opened after activation are copied. The late-copy price rule applies to them as well.	Off

Connecting a copier to a master that already has positions open is covered in connecting a copier when trades are already open.

Trade filters

Setting	What it does	Default
Symbol filter	Copy every symbol, only the listed ones, or all except the listed ones. Enter names separated by commas. Suffixes are ignored, so XAUUSD also matches XAUUSD.m.	Copy every symbol
Magic numbers	Copy only the trades that carry one of the listed magic numbers, which is how an expert advisor marks its trades. Switch on Exclude specified magic numbers to skip them instead.	Empty

A trade that a filter leaves out is shown in the copy log as skipped, with the filter as the reason.

What happens when something stops

Setting	What it does	Default
Close orphaned positions	Closes the follower’s copies whose master trade is gone, for example after a reconnect or a restart. Only copies made by this link are ever closed. The follower’s own trades and the copies of other links are never touched.	On

What a pause does to the open copies is not a setting: when you pause a link that has open copies, you choose. Keep managing them: nothing new opens, but the master’s closes, partial closes and stop changes still reach the copies. Stop managing them: the copies stay open and are yours to manage. Close them now: they are closed at market price, after one more confirmation.

Disabling an account is different: it disconnects the account, and its open trades stay open at the broker. While a master is disabled its closes do not reach the copies, and while a follower is disabled the master’s closes do not reach it. If that would leave copies unmanaged, the confirmation says how many and offers to close them first: on a master, close the copies and disable in one step; on a follower, pause instead, so the account stays connected while they close. Deleting an account takes its links with it, so nothing manages those copies ever again: its confirmation counts them too and offers to close them first, and you delete the account once they are closed.

Symbol mapping

Symbol names are matched across brokers automatically (EURUSD.m, #US30, GOLD and XAUUSD). When a name cannot be matched, set the follower’s symbol by hand under Symbol mapping in the copy settings window. A trade whose symbol does not exist at the follower is skipped, with the reason in the copy log. More in symbol names across brokers.

Questions

What are the defaults when I connect a follower?

Proportional to balance with a risk of 1, open the minimum lot when the size is too small, max slippage 50 points, margin guard off, stop loss and take profit not copied, pending orders copied on the same server, market fallback for pending fills on, late copies at a better price off, trades opened before the link not copied, every symbol copied, orphaned positions closed, and copies kept open when you pause.

Can each follower have its own settings?

Yes. The master’s Copy Settings are the defaults, a group can change some of them for its members, and a follower can change a field for itself. A field that is not changed follows the level above, and one click sets it back to the master’s default.

Why was a trade not copied?

The copy log of the link shows every skipped trade with its reason, for example a filter, a size under the minimum lot, not enough free margin, a symbol the follower does not have, or a price that moved too far for a late copy. Most of these are decided by the settings on this page. Every reason is explained in why a trade was not copied.

Try it with your own accounts

Connect a master and a follower and watch the first copy appear in the log.

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