How to Use TradingView for Day Trading: A Beginner's Guide

Posted October 27, 2026 by Indy Karveli · 2 min read

Short answer: TradingView is a charting platform that runs in your browser. For day trading you need five things from it: a clean chart of one market, a few lines for your levels, an alert or two, a way to review past days, and a paper trading account to practice. The free plan covers most of that. Here's how to set it up, the way I use it.

1. Open a free account

Go to TradingView (affiliate link) and sign up with email or Google. Pick the free Basic plan; you can upgrade later if you need to. Signing up through my link gets you a $15 coupon toward a paid plan if you ever want one.

2. Open a chart

Click Products then Supercharts. Type a symbol in the search box at the top left: MNQ1! for micro Nasdaq futures, ES1! for S&P 500 futures, or a stock ticker like AAPL. Pick one market and stick with it while you learn.

3. Set the timeframe and candles

Timeframe: click the interval button next to the symbol and pick 5m. Fast enough for day trading, slow enough to think.
Candle type: the button next to it switches between candles, bars, line and Heikin Ashi. Start with plain candles.
Time zone: right-click the time axis at the bottom and choose yours.

4. Keep it clean

The free plan allows two indicators per chart. That's a feature, not a limit: most beginners bury the chart in indicators that all say the same thing. Learn to read plain price first.

5. Draw your levels

Use the horizontal line tool in the left toolbar to mark yesterday's high and low, and the overnight high and low. These are where price tends to react. Right-click a line to change its color or lock it.

6. Set an alert

Right-click a line and choose Add alert. TradingView will notify you when price crosses it, so you don't have to stare at the screen waiting.

7. Save your layout

Click the layout name at the top right and save. Next session, everything is where you left it.

8. Paper trade

Click Trade at the top right of the chart, choose Paper Trading, and connect. You now have a simulated account to practice in. Reset it to a realistic balance first. Full walkthrough: connect paper trading and place your first order.

What to know about the free plan

CME futures data (NQ, MNQ, ES) is delayed about 10 minutes on the free plan. Real-time futures data needs a paid plan plus TradingView's data add-on.
Bar Replay works on daily charts and up on the free plan; intraday replay needs a paid plan.
The free plan shows ads.

More detail in TradingView free vs paid. Want the whole beginner path in order? Take my free course, The Paper Route.

Every TradingView guide on this site

Education only, not investment advice. Most people who day trade lose money. TradingView links on this page are affiliate links: if you sign up or upgrade, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Plan details change; check TradingView's pricing page for what's current.

Filed under: Tools

Indy Karveli — husband, dad of seven, day trader. Nasdaq futures, plain price, no indicators. Learned on paper first. More »

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