What is the difference between a Cash account and a Margin account?

Cash accounts purchase assets based on the settled cash value in your account. Margin accounts can purchase assets based on the unsettled cash value in your account. Unlike a margin account, a cash account cannot borrow money from Interactive Brokers to purchase assets.

You can upgrade from a cash to margin account as described in: How do I upgrade from a Cash type account to a Margin type account?

Find more information on margin trading on the IBKR website.

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How can I change my account type between margin and cash, and what are the implications?
How does margin work in an Interactive Brokers account?
How can I trade using unsettled funds?
How can I verify if I have any margin loans in my account?