Reviewed guide | 2026-10-17
GTC, IOC and FOK explained: choosing how long your limit order should live
Time-in-force settings decide whether a limit order waits, fills what it can at once, or fills completely or not at all. What each option does on the order forms of Binance, OKX, Bybit and Bitget, and when a Singapore trader might choose each.
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Most people place limit orders with whatever setting the form defaults to and never think about it again. That default is usually good-till-cancelled, which means the order waits in the book until it fills or you cancel it. There are two other common choices, immediate-or-cancel and fill-or-kill, and each solves a particular problem. They are tucked into a small dropdown on the limit order form, but understanding them helps explain some puzzling outcomes, like an order that disappeared without filling.
Where the setting is
On the limit order form of Binance, OKX, Bybit or Bitget, look for a dropdown or a small label near the price field, often showing GTC. On some apps it appears only in advanced settings or after you tap an options icon. The menu lists the time-in-force choices supported for that market, sometimes alongside post-only. Spot and futures forms may offer slightly different sets, so check each product you trade.
GTC: wait until filled or cancelled
Good-till-cancelled is the patient choice. The order sits in the book at your price and fills whenever the market reaches it, which might be minutes or weeks later. It suits planned entries and exits at specific levels. The risk is forgetting it: an old buy order can fill long after you changed your mind. Review open orders regularly and cancel the ones that no longer match your plan, especially before going on holiday.
IOC and FOK: no waiting
Immediate-or-cancel fills whatever quantity is available at your price or better right now, then cancels the rest. If you wanted ten units and only four were available, you get four. Fill-or-kill is stricter: either the whole quantity fills immediately or nothing does. Both are useful when you want a precise price but refuse to leave a resting order, for example when trading a thin pair or reacting to news. Because they take liquidity, fills are normally charged at the taker rate shown on the fee page.
Reading the outcome
If an IOC or FOK order does not fill, it shows as cancelled or expired in your order history, not as an error. Open the order details to see how much, if anything, was filled and at what price. If you meant to leave an order waiting and it vanished, check whether the time-in-force was changed from GTC. Keeping a short note of which setting you used for each important order makes these outcomes easy to understand later.
Risk boundary: Singapore Crypto Guide
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Scenario checkpoint
- Open the time-in-force menu on the limit order form for each product you trade.
- Use GTC for planned levels and review open GTC orders regularly so stale ones are cancelled.
- Choose IOC to take what is available now, or FOK when you need the full quantity or nothing.
- Check order history for cancelled or expired status when an IOC or FOK order does not fill.
Digital assets are volatile and derivatives can amplify losses. This website has no login, wallet connection, deposit form or customer-support chat.