How to Place a Stop Loss Order on Robinhood Mobile

Setting a stop loss order on Robinhood mobile takes four steps: tap the stock, select "Sell," choose "Stop Loss" as your order type, set your trigger price, and confirm

A stop loss order automatically sells your shares if the price drops to a level you choose in advance. On Robinhood's mobile app, you place it the same way you place a regular sell order, but you pick "Stop Loss" instead of "Market" or "Limit." The order sits inactive until the stock hits your trigger price — then it converts to a market sell and executes at the next available price.

This matters because you do not have to watch the stock all day. You set the price once, and Robinhood monitors it for you. If you are holding a stock that could drop fast — during earnings, a news event, or a market downturn — a stop loss lets you walk away knowing you have a floor.

Key Takeaways

• Stop loss orders on Robinhood mobile execute as market sells when the trigger price is hit, so the actual sale price may be lower than your stop price in fast-moving markets.
• You set the stop price once in the app, and the order remains active until the price is hit, the market closes, or you cancel it.
• Stop loss orders do not protect you from gaps — if a stock opens below your stop price after news or earnings, your order sells at the open price, not your stop price.
• Robinhood charges no commission on stock sales, but your stop loss order still costs you the bid-ask spread when it executes.

The four-step process to place a stop loss order

Open the Robinhood app and search for or navigate to the stock you own. Tap the stock name or ticker to open its detail page. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a button labeled "Sell" — tap it.

On the sell screen, you will see order type options at the top. The default is usually "Market." Swipe or tap to reveal the other options: "Limit," "Stop Loss," and sometimes "Stop Limit." Select "Stop Loss."

The screen will now show a field for your stop price. Enter the price at which you want the order to trigger — this is the price that, once hit, will cause Robinhood to sell your shares. Below that, you will see the number of shares you are selling (you can adjust this if you want to sell only part of your position). Review the details and tap "Review Order" or "Place Order," depending on your app version.

A confirmation screen will appear showing your stop price, the number of shares, and the stock name. Tap "Place Order" to confirm. The order is now active and will remain so until the stock hits your stop price, the market closes for the day, or you cancel it manually.

Understanding stop price versus execution price

The stop price is not a may provide of the price you will receive. It is the trigger — the price that tells Robinhood to start selling. Once the stock hits that price, Robinhood converts your stop loss order into a market order, which means it sells at the next available price, whatever that is.

In a stock that trades slowly or in normal market conditions, the execution price is usually very close to your stop price. But in fast-moving markets — during a market crash, after bad earnings news, or in a stock with low trading volume — the execution price can be significantly lower. If a stock gaps down overnight and opens below your stop price, your order executes at the open price, not your stop price.

This is why some traders use a stop limit order instead, which adds a second price floor: you set both a stop price (the trigger) and a limit price (the lowest you will accept). The trade-off is that if the stock falls through your limit price, the order may not execute at all, leaving you holding shares in a falling market.

When your stop loss order stays active and when it cancels

A stop loss order on Robinhood remains active during regular market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays when the market is open). If the stock does not hit your stop price by market close, the order stays in your account and remains active the next trading day.

The order cancels automatically only if you manually cancel it yourself, or if you close your Robinhood account. It does not expire after a certain number of days — it will sit there indefinitely until the trigger price is hit or you remove it. This means if you set a stop loss on a stock and then forget about it, the order is still there months later, ready to execute if the price drops.

Stop loss orders do not work during after-hours trading (4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern). If a stock drops sharply after the market closes, your stop loss order will not trigger until the market opens the next day. By then, the price may have fallen further.

Viewing and canceling your active stop loss orders

To see all your active stop loss orders, open the Robinhood app and tap the "Account" or "Portfolio" tab at the bottom. Look for a section labeled "Orders" or "Open Orders." This shows every order you have placed that has not yet executed — including stop loss orders, limit orders, and any other pending trades.

Each order in the list shows the stock name, the order type (Stop Loss), the trigger price, the number of shares, and the date you placed it. Tap any order to see more details or to cancel it. Canceling is instant — as soon as you confirm, the order is removed and will not execute even if the stock later hits your stop price.

If you want to change your stop price after placing the order, you cannot edit it directly. Instead, cancel the existing order and place a new one with the new stop price. This takes less than a minute.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

The most common mistake is setting a stop price too close to the current stock price. If you own a stock at $50 and set a stop loss at $49, a normal daily fluctuation could trigger it, selling you out of a position you wanted to keep. Most traders set stops at least 5 to 10 percent below their entry price, depending on how volatile the stock is and how much loss they can tolerate.

Another mistake is forgetting you have a stop loss order in place. If you set one and then the stock drops for reasons you think are temporary, you may be surprised to find it has already sold. Check your "Open Orders" section regularly if you are holding positions with active stops.

A third mistake is using stop loss orders during earnings announcements or major news events. Stocks can gap down sharply on bad news, and your stop loss will execute at whatever price the stock opens at — often far below your stop price. If you want to hold through earnings, consider removing the stop loss beforehand or using a stop limit order instead.

Stop loss versus stop limit: which to use

A stop loss order (also called a "stop market order") converts to a market sell the moment your stop price is hit. It almost always executes, but the price is not may provide. A stop limit order adds a second price: it only executes if the stock is at or above your limit price when the stop is triggered.

Use a stop loss order if your main goal is to get out of a position no matter what — you want to limit your loss and you accept that you might sell at a worse price than your stop price. Use a stop limit order if you want to protect yourself from selling at a price that is too low — but understand that the order may not execute at all if the stock falls through your limit price.

On Robinhood mobile, you place a stop limit order the same way: tap "Sell," select "Stop Limit" from the order type menu, then enter both your stop price and your limit price. The order will only execute if the stock hits your stop price and there are buyers at or above your limit price.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Robinhood charge a fee to place a stop loss order?

Robinhood does not charge a commission to place or execute a stop loss order. You pay only the bid-ask spread — the difference between what buyers are willing to pay and what sellers are asking — which happens on every stock trade regardless of order type.

What happens to my stop loss order if the market closes?

Your stop loss order remains active and carries over to the next trading day. It does not execute during after-hours trading (4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern). If the stock gaps down overnight and opens below your stop price, your order executes at the market open price, not your stop price.

Can I set a stop loss order on fractional shares?

Yes, Robinhood allows stop loss orders on fractional shares. The process is identical — you enter your stop price and the number of shares (including fractional amounts), and the order executes the same way. Fractional shares may have wider bid-ask spreads, so your execution price could be further from your stop price than it would be for whole shares.

What if I want to change my stop price after placing the order?

You cannot edit a stop loss order once it is placed. You must cancel the existing order and place a new one with the new stop price. Open your "Open Orders" section, tap the order, and select "Cancel." Then place a new stop loss order with your updated stop price.

Will my stop loss order execute if I do not have the app open?

Yes. Robinhood's servers monitor your stop loss orders continuously during market hours. You do not need to have the app open or your phone on for the order to execute. Once the stock hits your stop price, Robinhood automatically sells your shares.