How to Activate and License Indicators/Strategies in NinjaTrader 8

To activate/license any indicators/strategies you have purchased from us, you will need to follow the following license steps:

We will then activate your license and email you back to confirm that your license has been activated. Please allow us a reasonable amount of time to complete your license activation.

How to Install Indicators in NinjaTrader 8

To install any indicators you have purchased from us, you will need to follow the following steps:

At this point, the indicator is installed. If you have more indicators, repeat the steps above for each indicator.

If you have not yet done so, please follow the licensing steps below. You must follow the licensing steps to be able to use the indicator on your chart.

How to Add an Indicator to Your NinjaTrader 8 Chart

NinjaTrader comes with a number of free indicators. Whether you are using a free indicator or one you have purchased from us, the steps to add an indicator to a chart are the same:

How to Apply/Install a NinjaTrader 8/8.1 Data Feed

Data feeds allow you to receive real-time market data. NinjaTrader does not include real-time market data. Therefore, you must request a data feed and apply/install it as follows. The instructions assume you are using a free NinjaTrader Continuum or CQG demo data feed. Note that a free data feed simply consists of a temporary (often 12-14-day) username and password.

Data feed application/installation instructions:

How to Open a Chart in NinjaTrader 8

Effective day trading typically requires the use of a trading chart. Providing you have a data feed installed and are able to connect to it, you can open a chart and see real-time price movement.

The following instructions describe how to open an E-mini S&P 500 chart:

How to Save Chart Settings Via a NinjaTrader 8 Chart Template

Once you have spent a fair amount of time configuring a chart, it makes sense to save your settings. This way, if you chart closes or becomes misconfigured, you can easily recall the settings instead of giving yourself a headache trying to remember how everything was configured. As such, a template is simply a record of saved chart settings, including indicators loaded along with other preferences.

Proceed with the following instructions using a chart worthy of having its configuration saved:

How to Load Chart Settings Via a NinjaTrader 8 Chart Template

Providing you have previously saved a chart template, you can load and apply the chart template settings via the following instructions. Typically, loading a template is performed when a trader opens a new market/instrument and wants to quickly apply previously saved chart settings.

How to load a chart template:

How to Save Your NinjaTrader 8 Workspace

In NinjaTrader 8, a workspace can be considered a collection of charts and other windows that are open on your computer screen. For efficiency and organization, some traders will have a workspace for futures trading that contains certain charts and other trading tools/windows related to futures. They may have a separate workspace for forex trading that contains separate charts and tools/windows.

The follow steps describe how to save your current workspace:

How to Roll Over Futures Contracts

Some futures contracts like the E-mini S&P 500 (ES in NinjaTrader) expire on a quarterly basis (four times per year). ES expiration occurs in the months of March, June, September, and December. This is why you see the ES labeled as ES 03-23, ES 06-23, ES 09-23, ES 12-23, ES 03-24, etc. Why is this important? If you are trading an old or expired contract, you may eventually notice erratic volatility and price activity. You may also have trouble placing trades. Therefore, you should stay on top of rollovers and know the rollover dates in advance. Click here to see the rollover dates from CME Group.

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Typically, the NinjaTrader platform provides a reminder message around rollover time. However, it is up to you to manually perform the rollover. To roll over your futures contracts, follow the steps in the video or those written below.

Some traders prefer to roll over their contracts once the majority of the volume in the market/instrument “transfers” to the new contract period. To monitor volume, you can use the CME Group website, look up the market/instrument you want, and compare recent volume amounts. For example, here is the CME page containing the E-mini S&P 500 volume.

By the way, some futures markets/instruments like the CL (Crude Oil) roll over monthly.

The following steps will update all futures contracts at once:

How to Keep Your Computer Time Accurate

NinjaTrader uses the Windows operating system time for a number of important things. If your computer time is inaccurate, chart candles or indicators (i.e. the bar timer indicator) may plot incorrectly or with delay. Therefore, it is wise to synchronize your Windows time to official time servers.

It is normal for your computer clock time to drift over time, so we recommend performing the following steps as regular maintenance every two weeks or so:

How to Replay Market Activity Using Market Replay (Playback Connection)

NinjaTrader 8’s Market Replay feature allows you to practice trading after-hours. In this simulated practice environment, historical data is received by your charts as though the data is live/real-time. To set this up, you must first download market data for the day(s) you want to replay. Then you connect to the Playback Connection. From there, you can advance in time to the moment when you want playback to begin, at 1x or a greater speed. The ability to pause and rewind playback is especially helpful during the learning process. Before proceeding, make sure you are not engaged in any trades and disconnected from any data providers.

How to use Market Replay:

How to Organize Charts & Trading Windows Like a Pro

To keep your trading windows and computer screen(s) organized, consider using a third-party window manager application. Such a utility is especially useful if you have one monitor/screen to trade from. We have tried a few different window managers, but some of them are not able to “see” NinjaTrader chart windows. According to our tests, those listed below work with NinjaTrader 8. We are not affiliated with the following applications, their websites, or authors; use at your own risk.

Watch the video to learn how to use some the following applications.

Divvy – free demo; approximately $14 for the full version. Click the target window you want to move/resize and then open Divvy from the Windows system tray (bottom-right corner of screen). Use your mouse to select the area of the screen (divided among grid cells in Divvy) by dragging through the Divvy grid. The target window will then relocate and resize as you selected. Repeat for remaining windows.

WinSplit Revolution – free. By default, nine basic placement options are shown. Operation is somewhat similar to Divvy, though to truly make the most out of this app, you will need to configure a template to situate multiple chart windows at ideal locations and sizes. Configure a template by right-clicking the tray icon in the bottom right of the screen and select Layout settings. Because template settings are numerical, you may need to experiment a bit to get everything just right.

GridMove – free and open source. You will need to use an existing template or configure your own. Triggering GridMove can be tricky, so read the documentation and/or configure shortcuts/hotkeys.

How to Optimize Your Windows Trading Computer

The Windows operating system consumes a considerable amount of resources, especially on older computers. Even on new computers, for privacy reasons, if nothing else, you may want to streamline Windows. By doing so, you can free up resources for trading software to use. Mainly, these resources include your CPU (also called your processor) and memory (also called RAM).

Upon running one of the applications below, you will see a list of Windows settings for you to toggle. Some settings are marked as more critical than others. Note that you are disabling Windows components, so take time to read descriptions to discern what may be impactful. For example, you may want to avoid changing settings that are critical for basic system operations.

All of the software in this section comes from unaffiliated third parties, so use it at your own risk. That said, we have used the software ourselves with no issues. Use one application only; do not use both.

O&O ShutUp10 – free. No installation is required – run it, carefully make your changes, save your template for future use, close the program, and restart your computer. Watch the video to learn more.

W10Privacy – free. Similar to O&O ShutUp10, though more suitable for advanced users due to the amount of options. The download page is in German/Deutsch

How to Link Charts & Other Trading Windows

Using NinjaTrader 8’s linking feature, you can quickly synchronize instrument (aka market), interval (i.e. chart type), or both settings across various NinjaTrader charts and tools (i.e. SuperDOM), where applicable. For example, if you have set up linking for multiple charts, you can change the instrument (aka market) on one chart, and all of the other linked charts will switch to the newly selected instrument. This saves time and allows you to be a more adaptable and reactive trader. Aside from instrument (market) linking, you can also use interval (i.e. chart type) linking. For example, you may have a workspace containing five different charts of varying instruments and you want to always keep the chart type (interval) the same. If you set up interval linking correctly among these charts, by switching from a 5-Minute to a 2-Range interval on one of them, all of the others will switch to a 2-Range as well.

Watch the video to learn more.
Interval chart linking example:

How to Trade the MES & Other Micro E-minis

Firstly, why would you want to trade Micro E-minis? The main attraction is that they’re more affordable than the regular E-minis at 1/10th the price. The Micros have the same price movement as their larger siblings, so expect the Atlas Line, Trade Scalper, ATO 2, Roadmap, etc. to work just fine. Remember, though, the Micros will produce smaller profits and losses, which can be both desirable and undesirable based on your situation and goals. Often times, we recommend advancing to the Micros before the regular E-minis because they can serve as an extra set of “training wheels” beyond the real-time practice/paper simulator. Typically, you can open a Micro trading account with as little as $400, though a larger account size is recommended as a buffer against losses. We recommend having a discussion with an authorized brokerage representative to determine the best option for you.

Popular Micros:
How to open an MES chart:

Trading Psychology Tips

Day trading is very much a mental activity. A healthy state of mind is essential. May the following tips, listed in no particular order, assist you in developing and maintaining such a healthy state.

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