The basic steps to place your first trade

To trade on Robinhood, you search for a stock or exchange-traded fund (ETF), enter how many shares you want to buy or sell, review the price, and confirm the order. The trade executes during market hours — typically 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays when the stock market is open. Your cash or shares settle in your account within one to two business days, though you can trade again before settlement completes.

The process takes about two minutes once you have funded your account. You do not need to call anyone or fill out forms for each trade — the app or website handles everything. Robinhood charges no commission, meaning you pay no fee per trade, though the price you receive may be slightly different from the price you see on screen because of how the order is routed.

Key Takeaways

  • Search for a stock or ETF by ticker symbol or company name, choose how many shares to buy or sell, and confirm the order in the app or on the website.
  • Market hours trades execute when ready during 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays; orders placed outside these hours execute at the next market open.
  • Your cash or shares settle within one to two business days, but you can place new trades before settlement is complete.
  • Robinhood charges no commission per trade, but the price you receive may differ slightly from the quoted price due to order routing.
  • You can set limit orders to buy or sell only at a specific price, or use market orders to buy or sell at the current market price.

How to find and select a stock or ETF

Open the Robinhood app or website and tap or click the search icon at the bottom or top of the screen. Type the company name or the stock's ticker symbol — a one- to four-letter code like AAPL for Apple or MSFT for Microsoft. Results appear as you type, showing the company name, ticker, and current price.

Tap or click the stock or ETF name to open its detail page. This page shows the current price, a price chart, news, and information about the company. You do not need to read all of this before trading — you can place an order when ready if you know what you want to buy or sell.

Placing a buy order

On the stock detail page, tap or click the "Buy" button. A window opens asking how many shares you want to purchase. Enter the number — for example, 5 or 10 — and the app shows the total cost at the current price. If you have enough cash in your account, the "Review Order" button becomes active.

Tap or click "Review Order" to see the final details: the stock name, number of shares, and total cost. The price shown may have changed slightly since you entered the quantity, because stock prices move constantly during market hours. If the price is acceptable, tap or click "Confirm" or "Place Order" to complete the trade. Your order is now in the system.

If you want to buy only at a specific price — for example, you want Apple stock but only if it drops to $150 — use a limit order instead. Tap or click the order type selector (usually showing "Market" by default) and choose "Limit." Enter the price you are willing to pay, then enter the number of shares. The order waits in the system until the stock reaches that price or lower, then executes automatically.

Placing a sell order

If you already own shares, tap or click the "Sell" button on the stock detail page. The app shows how many shares you own and asks how many you want to sell. Enter the number — you cannot sell more than you own — and tap or click "Review Order."

Review the details just as you would for a buy order, then tap or click "Confirm" to sell. Your shares are sold at the current market price (or at your limit price if you set one), and the cash appears in your account within one to two business days. You can use that cash to buy other stocks or withdraw it to your linked bank account.

Understanding market hours and order timing

The stock market is open Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time. Orders you place during these hours execute almost when ready at the current market price. If you place an order outside market hours — for example, at 8 p.m. or on a weekend — the order waits and executes at the next market open, usually the following morning at 9:30 a.m.

Robinhood also offers extended hours trading for some stocks, allowing you to trade before the market opens (4 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.) and after it closes (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.). Prices during extended hours can be more volatile and spreads wider, meaning the difference between the buy and sell price is larger. Extended hours trading is available in the app but not on all stocks.

How settlement and buying power work

When you sell a stock, the cash does not appear in your account when ready. Instead, it settles — meaning it becomes available to spend — within one to two business days. During this waiting period, you can still place new buy orders using that cash, because Robinhood gives you buying power based on both settled and unsettled funds.

If you buy a stock with unsettled cash and then sell it before the original sale settles, you may trigger a good-faith violation if you do this repeatedly. Robinhood allows a few good-faith violations per year, but after that, your account may be restricted to trading only with settled cash. To avoid this, wait for your sales to settle before using that cash for new purchases, or keep enough settled cash in your account to cover your trades.

What happens after you place an order

Once you confirm an order, Robinhood sends it to a market maker or exchange to be executed. During market hours, this happens in seconds. You see a confirmation screen showing the order number, the stock name, number of shares, and the price you paid or received. This confirmation appears in your "Order History" in the app.

Check your account balance and holdings to see the trade reflected. If you bought shares, they appear in your "Stocks" or "Holdings" section. If you sold shares, the cash appears in your account balance. You can view the details of any trade by tapping or clicking on it in your order history, which shows the exact price, the time, and any fees (though Robinhood charges no commission).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a market order and a limit order?

A market order buys or sells at the current market price when ready. A limit order waits until the stock reaches a price you set, then executes automatically. Use a market order when you want to trade right away; use a limit order when you want to buy only at a lower price or sell only at a higher price.

Can I trade stocks before the market opens?

Yes, Robinhood offers extended hours trading from 4 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time for many stocks. Prices during these times can be more volatile and harder to predict, so limit orders are often safer than market orders during extended hours.

How long does it take for my trade to show up in my account?

During market hours, trades execute in seconds and appear in your order history when ready. The shares or cash settle within one to two business days, but you can see the trade and use the cash or shares for new trades before settlement completes.

What does it mean if my order is "pending"?

A pending order is waiting to execute. This usually happens if you placed the order outside market hours — it will execute at the next market open. If you placed a limit order, it is pending until the stock reaches your target price.

Can I cancel an order after I place it?

Yes, you can cancel most orders before they execute. Open your order history, find the pending order, and tap or click "Cancel." If the order has already executed, you cannot cancel it, but you can place a new order to sell the shares you just bought.