When NinjaTrader disconnects on a VPS, first identify what stopped: your Remote Desktop session, the Windows application, the broker/data connection, or the strategy. Reconnecting your screen does not reconnect a feed, and a moving chart does not establish that a strategy is running. Use the symptom below to choose the next check.
Identify the failure before restarting#
| What you can observe | Check next | What the symptom does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Remote Desktop closes or cannot reconnect | Try your configured backup device or another network; note the exact RDP error | That NinjaTrader stopped on the server |
| The remote picture or mouse is slow, but applications appear to keep updating | Compare remote access from another connection and inspect the VPS itself | That the VPS-to-broker route is slow |
| Windows responds, but NinjaTrader freezes | Inspect NinjaTrader CPU and memory use, and its logs | That the entire server needs restarting |
| Windows and several applications stall together | Inspect overall CPU, memory and disk activity | Which application or resource caused the stall |
| The desktop responds, but a named trading connection drops or quotes stop | Check that connection, the instrument/session and provider status | That more RAM will restore market data |
| Quotes update, but automation has stopped | Inspect the Strategies tab and the strategy’s error/startup state | That an open chart means the strategy is enabled |
If an interruption leaves an order’s status uncertain, use your broker’s supported account access or contact its trade desk. Repeatedly submitting the same instruction is not a connection test.
Remote Desktop disconnects or feels slow#
Remote Desktop carries the screen and input between your device and the VPS. NinjaTrader has a separate connection from the VPS to its provider. A problem on either route can look like a frozen trading screen.
Reconnect to the same server and Windows user from your configured backup device. If that session responds normally while the original device remains slow, investigate the original device’s network and remote client first. If neither reaches the desktop, send support both errors and their times; failed remote access alone cannot identify a VPS outage.
Disconnect and sign out have different effects. Microsoft documents that disconnecting can preserve the session’s processes, while signing out terminates them. Session policies and server restarts can still end a disconnected session. See Microsoft’s session guidance and our Windows VPS remote access guide.
For persistent delay, measure the two routes separately using the VPS latency test guide. A ping result is a network measurement, not a measurement of order execution.
Windows works, but NinjaTrader freezes#
Open Task Manager inside the VPS and observe the processes using CPU, memory and disk while the slowdown occurs. Capture the process names and readings with the time. A brief loading spike differs from sustained resource use that coincides with repeated stalls.
If only NinjaTrader is affected, note whether the problem began after opening a workspace, loading history or adding an indicator. Preserve that context and the platform logs before changing the setup. In simulation or a separate test workspace, isolate one suspected component at a time; closing a live strategy’s chart is not an observational check.
Use the NinjaTrader VPS sizing guide when the evidence points to workload capacity. It covers specifications and workload testing without assuming that every freeze needs a larger server.
Rithmic or Tradovate disconnects while the desktop works#
Record the affected connection’s name and error in NinjaTrader’s Control Center and Log tab. Distinguish a connection failure from one inactive chart: check the selected contract, trading session and market-data entitlement before concluding that the feed is down.
Check your provider’s service notices and current connection instructions. Credentials, the selected system/environment and account access must match the actual account. Our Rithmic and Tradovate guide covers those distinctions; the multiple-account guide explains separate Rithmic logins versus multiple accounts under one login.
For automatic recovery, we recommend our partner Ninja Watchdog. It detects NinjaTrader disconnects, reconnects supported accounts including Rithmic and Tradovate, waits for live data and can restore interrupted strategies. It can also relaunch NinjaTrader after a crash or reboot. The partnership overview explains its role alongside your VPS.
Recovery still depends on the provider becoming available. Reconnecting cannot repair a provider-wide outage or guarantee that missed trading instructions will be recovered. After recovery, verify account, strategy and copier state.
The feed is back, but the strategy is stopped#
Inspect the affected row in the Strategies tab, including its account and instrument. NinjaTrader’s strategy display documentation distinguishes a running strategy, a disabled strategy and one waiting until flat. Check filters if the expected row is missing.
Then read the Log entries around the interruption. NinjaTrader’s connection-loss handling can keep a strategy running, recalculate it after reconnection or stop it. The configured behavior and the strategy’s own logic determine what happens; changing the setting to keep running is not a universal fix.
Before re-enabling, compare the actual account position and working orders with the strategy’s expected state. Review the strategy vendor’s recovery instructions and NinjaTrader’s startup and synchronization behavior. Synchronize account options can submit live orders. Use the configuration already validated for that strategy, rather than trying synchronization settings to see which clears the status.
For automation that includes a separate copier or bridge, also inspect its destination account and log. The automated trading setup guide explains how to trace an event through those components.
Choose a reconnect or restart from the evidence#
- Only remote access failed: reconnect the RDP client to the existing session. Inspect the trading applications when access returns.
- A provider connection failed: follow its connection instructions and address any explicit login, entitlement or service error. After reconnecting, verify current data and account state before resuming automation.
- NinjaTrader remains unresponsive: preserve available evidence and account/order status before a controlled application restart. Check the restored connections and strategies afterward.
- Windows itself remains unresponsive: contact VPS support with the time and failed access attempts so it can investigate the host and advise on recovery.
A server reboot, reinstall or disabled firewall should not be the first response to every symptom. Those changes can interrupt other applications and remove useful evidence without addressing the failed component.
Send support the evidence that identifies the problem#
Include the following in one ticket:
- Incident time and time zone: when it started, when it recovered and whether your device and VPS clocks use different zones.
- Scope: RDP access, all of Windows, NinjaTrader alone, a named connection, or a specific strategy/copier.
- Exact error and context: screenshot, affected instrument/contract, platform and add-on versions, and what changed immediately beforehand.
- Observations: Task Manager readings, whether another device/network worked, and what you already tried.
- NinjaTrader diagnostic files: preserve the incident date’s files from
Documents\NinjaTrader 8\logandDocuments\NinjaTrader 8\trace. NinjaTrader’s support instructions describe attaching compressed log and trace folders. Share diagnostics privately with support; do not post credentials or full account details publicly.
Contact Ninja Mobile Trader support for VPS access and host-performance issues. Broker/account errors belong with the provider, while a repeatable strategy error needs the strategy developer’s review. The same timestamped evidence helps each team identify its part of the interruption.