TradingView Complete Tutorial: Step-by-Step Guide to All Features for Beginners & Advanced Traders

Complete TradingView Tutorial (Beginner to Advanced)

Chapter 1: What Is TradingView?

TradingView is a cloud-based charting and market analysis platform used by millions of traders and investors around the world.

Before TradingView became popular, traders had to install heavy software on their computers. If they wanted to switch devices, they often lost their settings, drawings, and layouts.

TradingView solved this problem by moving everything to the cloud.

This means:

  • Your charts are saved online.
  • Your watchlists are saved online.
  • Your indicators are saved online.
  • Your drawings are saved online.

You can log in from:

  • Desktop
  • Laptop
  • Mobile Phone
  • Tablet

and continue exactly where you left off.


Why TradingView Became So Popular

Most traders initially think TradingView is just a charting software.

In reality it is much more.

TradingView combines:

Charting Platform

Allows market analysis.

Screening Platform

Allows finding stocks.

Alert System

Automatically notifies traders.

Social Network

Allows sharing ideas.

Strategy Testing Software

Allows testing trading systems.

Coding Platform

Allows creating custom indicators.

Broker Integration

Allows placing trades.

Think of TradingView as:

Charting Software + Scanner + Trading Journal + Social Network + Coding Platform

all combined together.

Note: Most beginners use only 20% of TradingView’s capabilities.


Chapter 2: Creating a TradingView Account

Step 1

Visit TradingView website.

Create account.

Options include:

  • Email
  • Google
  • Apple

Step 2

Verify email.


Step 3

Login.

You will reach Dashboard.

Many beginners immediately open charts.

However, first understand the interface.

This saves weeks of confusion later.


Chapter 3: Understanding the TradingView Home Screen

When TradingView opens, you will see multiple sections.

Most beginners get overwhelmed because they see too many buttons.

Let’s break everything down.


Top Navigation Bar

Located at the very top.

Contains:

  • Products
  • Markets
  • Screeners
  • Community
  • News
  • Brokers
  • Charts

These are the major sections of TradingView.


Charts Section

This is where traders spend 90% of their time.

Click:

Charts

A chart window opens.

This is your actual trading workspace.


Chapter 4: Understanding Every Part of the Chart Window

When chart opens you’ll see four major areas.

Top Toolbar

Across the top.

Left Toolbar

Drawing tools.

Right Toolbar

Watchlist and alerts.

Bottom Panel

Pine Script and Strategy Tester.

Professional traders become experts in these four areas.


Chapter 5: Symbol Search (Most Important Feature)

Located at the top left.

Many beginners ignore its importance.

But every analysis begins here.


What Is A Symbol?

A symbol represents a financial asset.

Examples:

Stocks

RELIANCE

INFY

TCS

HDFCBANK


Indexes

NIFTY

BANKNIFTY

SENSEX


Forex

EURUSD

GBPUSD

USDJPY


Crypto

BTCUSD

ETHUSD

SOLUSD


Commodities

GOLD

SILVER

CRUDE OIL


How To Search A Symbol

Click symbol box.

Type:

Reliance

TradingView shows:

NSE:RELIANCE

Select it.

Chart loads.


Why Exchange Selection Matters

A stock can trade on multiple exchanges.

Example:

Infosys may appear on:

  • NSE
  • BSE
  • International markets

Selecting wrong exchange can create confusion.

Always verify exchange name.


Chapter 6: Understanding Timeframes

After selecting a symbol you’ll notice:

1m

5m

15m

1H

4H

1D

1W

1M

These are timeframes.


What Is A Timeframe?

A timeframe determines how much time each candlestick represents.

Example:

1 Minute Chart

One candle = 1 minute


5 Minute Chart

One candle = 5 minutes


Daily Chart

One candle = One day


Weekly Chart

One candle = One week


How Different Timeframes Tell Different Stories

Imagine Reliance stock.

Daily chart may show:

Strong uptrend.

But 5-minute chart may show:

Short-term decline.

Both can be correct.

This is why professionals always use multiple timeframes.


Multi-Timeframe Analysis

Professionals rarely trade from a single timeframe.

Example:

Daily Chart

Determines overall trend.


4 Hour Chart

Finds setup.


1 Hour Chart

Finds entry.


15 Minute Chart

Fine-tunes execution.

This approach dramatically improves decision making.


Chapter 7: Chart Types

Most traders only use Candlesticks.

But TradingView offers many chart styles.


Candlestick Chart

Most popular.

Shows:

  • Open
  • High
  • Low
  • Close

This is the standard chart type.


Line Chart

Shows only closing prices.

Good for investors.

Not ideal for active traders.


Bar Chart

Older version of candlesticks.

Used less today.


Area Chart

Looks visually appealing.

Often used by investors.


Heikin Ashi

One of the most misunderstood chart types.

It smooths price action.

Makes trends easier to identify.

Many swing traders use it.


Renko Chart

Removes time completely.

Focuses only on price movement.

Useful for trend followers.


Point and Figure

Very old charting method.

Filters market noise.

Used by some institutional analysts.


Chapter 8: Understanding Candlestick Charts

Every candle tells a story.

Each candle contains:

Open

Starting price.

High

Highest price reached.

Low

Lowest price reached.

Close

Final price.


Green Candle

Buyers dominated.

Close above open.


Red Candle

Sellers dominated.

Close below open.


Long Body Candle

Strong momentum.


Small Body Candle

Weak momentum.


Long Wick Candle

Price rejection.

Extremely important in price action trading.


Chapter 9: Chart Settings (Every Option Explained)

Right-click chart.

Select Settings.

Many traders never explore these settings.

Huge mistake.


Symbol Tab

Controls candle appearance.

You can change:

  • Candle color
  • Wick color
  • Border color

Status Line

Controls information shown at top.

Displays:

  • Open
  • High
  • Low
  • Close
  • Percentage change

Scales

Controls price scale behavior.

Very useful when comparing assets.


Appearance

Changes:

  • Background
  • Grid
  • Session breaks
  • Watermark

Many professional traders use dark themes to reduce eye strain.


Trading Tab

Controls order display.

Useful if connected to broker.


Chapter 10: Left Toolbar Complete Explanation

This toolbar contains drawing tools.

Professional traders spend more time here than with indicators.

Why?

Because price action matters more than indicators.


Trend Line Tool

Most used tool.

Location:

Left Toolbar → Trend Line

Used for:

  • Uptrends
  • Downtrends
  • Trend breaks

Horizontal Line Tool

Used for:

  • Support
  • Resistance

Probably the most valuable tool on TradingView.


Horizontal Ray

Extends forever.

Useful for future support resistance levels.


Rectangle Tool

Used to mark:

  • Demand zones
  • Supply zones
  • Consolidation areas

Extremely popular among SMC traders.


Brush Tool

Allows freehand drawing.

Useful during teaching and presentations.


Arrow Tool

Used for marking entries and exits.


Text Tool

Allows chart notes.

Useful for maintaining a trading journal.


Chapter 11: Indicators Section Complete Guide

Click Indicators.

Thousands of indicators appear.

Beginners often become obsessed with indicators.

Professional traders focus on a few.


Moving Average

Most used indicator globally.

Purpose:

Identify trend.


20 EMA

Short-term trend.


50 EMA

Medium-term trend.


200 EMA

Long-term trend.

Institutions closely monitor it.


RSI

Measures momentum.

Range:

0–100

Above 70:

Potential overbought.

Below 30:

Potential oversold.


MACD

Shows trend and momentum together.

Popular among swing traders.


Bollinger Bands

Measures volatility.

Useful for breakout traders.


VWAP

Institutional favorite.

Extremely important for intraday traders.


Supertrend

Beginner-friendly trend indicator.

Very popular in India.


This is only about the first 25–30% of a true complete guide. The remaining sections would cover:

  • Volume Analysis
  • Volume Profile (POC, VAH, VAL)
  • Watchlists
  • Alerts
  • Replay Mode
  • Stock Screener
  • Forex Screener
  • Crypto Screener
  • Economic Calendar
  • Compare Feature
  • Layout Management
  • Templates
  • Pine Script Basics
  • Strategy Tester
  • Broker Connections
  • Risk Management Tools
  • Smart Money Concepts Tools
  • Advanced Chart Settings
  • Keyboard Shortcuts
  • Mobile TradingView Tutorial
  • Professional Trading Workflows
  • Common Mistakes and Best Practices

Conclusion

Most beginners try to learn TradingView by clicking random buttons. A better approach is to master the platform layer by layer: first charts, then drawing tools, then indicators, then alerts, then screeners, and finally advanced features like Volume Profile, Pine Script, and Strategy Tester. TradingView is powerful softwares in technical analysis because it can grow with you—from your first chart to professional-level stock market analysis.