How to cancel a pending order on Kite
Cancelling a pending order on Zerodha Kite removes it from the exchange order book and releases any margin blocked for the unfilled quantity. Orders can be cancelled at any point before they are fully executed, as long as they carry status Open (for resting limit and market orders) or Trigger pending (for SL, SL-M and GTT orders). This guide covers single order cancellation, bulk cancellation and cancellation of GTT orders.
Which orders can be cancelled
| Order status | Cancellable? |
|---|---|
| Open | Yes |
| Trigger pending | Yes |
| Complete | No, the trade has executed |
| Cancelled | Not applicable, already cancelled |
| Rejected | Not applicable, never reached the exchange |
| AMO (queued) | Yes, before market opens |
Partially filled orders can be partially cancelled: the filled portion cannot be reversed, but the unfilled remainder can be cancelled.
Step-by-step procedure
Log in to Kite
Open kite.zerodha.com or the Kite mobile app. Authenticate with your Zerodha client ID, password and TOTP.
Open the Order book
On Kite web, click Orders in the left navigation panel. The Order book lists all orders placed during the current session, sorted with the most recent at the top. Pending orders are shown with their current status (Open or Trigger pending).
On the Kite mobile app, tap the Orders tab in the bottom navigation.
Cancel the order
Method 1, Expand and cancel: Click the order row to expand it. Action buttons appear below the order details: Modify and Cancel. Click Cancel.
Method 2, Direct cancel icon: On Kite web, hover over the order row. A red X or Cancel button may appear directly on the row without needing to expand it. Click it.
Method 3, Right-click context menu: Right-click (or long-press on touchscreens) the order row. A context menu appears with Modify and Cancel options.
On the Kite mobile app: Tap the pending order in the Orders list to open its detail screen. Tap Cancel order at the bottom of the screen.
Confirm cancellation
Kite may display a brief confirmation prompt: “Cancel order [Order ID]?” or “Are you sure you want to cancel this order?” Click Yes, Confirm or OK to proceed. This confirmation step is a deliberate friction guard to prevent accidental cancellations.
If no confirmation dialog appears, the cancellation may be processed immediately on click. The behaviour depends on your Kite settings and the version of the platform.
Verify cancellation status
The Order book refreshes and the order’s status changes from Open to Cancelled. The cancelled order remains visible in the Order book for the session for record-keeping purposes but has no further effect on the market.
If the order was partially filled before cancellation, only the unfilled portion was cancelled. The filled portion remains as a trade in the Trade book and will be reflected in your positions or holdings. The margin blocked for the cancelled quantity is released back to your available balance.
Cancelling an AMO before market open
AMO orders can be cancelled before they are forwarded to the exchange (before 9:00 AM IST on the next trading day). The cancellation procedure is the same as for regular orders: find the AMO in the Order book and click Cancel. If you cancel an AMO after 9:00 AM but before it has been forwarded, the cancellation may succeed or the order may already be in the exchange queue. Monitor the order status immediately after cancelling to confirm.
Cancelling all pending orders (bulk cancel)
Kite offers a bulk cancel option to remove all pending orders in the current session simultaneously. This is useful at end-of-day or when market conditions change sharply.
On Kite web, look for a Cancel all button or Cancel all pending orders option at the top of the Order book. Click it and confirm. All orders with Open or Trigger pending status are cancelled. Completed orders are not affected.
Cancelling GTT orders
GTT orders are managed in a separate section of Kite. Navigate to Orders and select the GTT tab. Locate the active GTT order and click Cancel or the delete icon. GTT cancellations are permanent: the trigger and associated limit order are removed and will not fire in future sessions.
Automatic cancellation at day end
DAY orders (the default validity for most limit and SL orders) are cancelled automatically by the exchange at the end of the regular trading session (3:30 PM IST) if they have not been filled. You do not need to manually cancel them. The order status changes to Cancelled and you can see this in the Order book after the session ends.
What can go wrong
- Order filled between click and confirm. If the market reaches your order price in the brief interval between you clicking Cancel and the cancellation reaching the exchange, the order may fill instead. The Trade book will show the fill; you cannot reverse an executed trade through cancellation.
- AMO already forwarded. If you try to cancel an AMO after 9:00 AM and it has already been forwarded to the exchange, the cancellation goes to the exchange as a cancel request. Whether it succeeds depends on whether the AMO has been matched in the pre-open call auction.
- GTT fired before cancellation. If a GTT trigger fires while you are navigating to cancel it, the limit order is released to the exchange. Cancel the resulting open limit order separately through the regular Order book.
Related guides
- How to modify a pending order on Kite
- How to place a GTT order on Kite
- How to read the Kite order book
- How to place an AMO on Kite
- How to place your first equity buy order on Kite
References
- Zerodha Support, Cancelling orders on Kite, support.zerodha.com.
- NSE India, Order cancellation mechanism, trading FAQs, nseindia.com.
- BSE India, Order management, cancellation rules, bseindia.com.
- SEBI, Investor education: order lifecycle, sebi.gov.in.