Bookmap Settings Menu Walkthrough: Every Option That Matters
The Bookmap settings menu decides whether your chart is readable or a cluttered mess. Most traders leave these options untouched and then wonder why their heatmap looks noisy or why bubbles drown everything out. This walkthrough covers the settings that actually matter and ignores the junk.
1. Heatmap Settings
These control how liquidity appears and disappears. If your heatmap looks muddy or washed out, this is where you fix it.
Key options:
- Contrast – adjusts how strongly high-liquidity levels stand out
- Opacity – transparency of the heatmap overlay
- Color map – changes the gradient (leave this alone unless you know what you're doing)
- Dynamic adjustments – auto-adjusts liquidity scaling during high-volume sessions
A properly tuned heatmap makes big liquidity obvious and background noise faint. If you need a refresher on liquidity behavior, see Bookmap Liquidity Behavior.
2. Volume Bubble & Dot Settings
This determines how executed trades appear. If bubbles are too big, too small, or too opaque, this is where you fix it.
Key options:
- Minimum bubble size – filters out tiny volume noise
- Maximum bubble size – prevents huge bubbles from covering candles
- Opacity – controls whether bubbles dominate or blend in
- Dot mode toggle – switch between dots and bubbles entirely
We broke down the differences earlier in Volume Dots vs Bubbles.
3. Time Scale & History Settings
This affects how much market history you see and how compressed your chart becomes.
- Time window – how far back Bookmap displays
- Scroll behavior – auto-centering vs manual control
- Compression – determines how tightly data is squeezed on the horizontal axis
Too much history = clutter. Too little = no context.
4. Appearance Settings
These are cosmetic but affect readability.
- Background color
- Gridline visibility
- Price axis format
- Text size for labels
If you stare at Bookmap all day, the wrong theme will burn your eyes out.
5. Sounds & Alerts Configuration
Bookmap can play sound cues when activity spikes or liquidity shifts. This menu controls those alerts.
- Liquidity appears sound
- Liquidity disappears sound
- Delta hits threshold sound
- Volume-speed bursts sound
These are the same alerts covered in Built-In Alerts.
6. Performance & Data Settings
Bookmap uses a lot of CPU and GPU power because it updates continuously. These settings prevent performance problems.
Important controls:
- Frame rate limit – prevents GPU overload
- Max history length – too long = lag
- Data throttling – rarely needed, but helps slow machines
- Full depth vs top-of-book – determines data intensity
If your machine struggles, dial back the history length first.
7. Add-On Configuration
This page lets you tweak installed Bookmap add-ons. Even simple ones like icebergs and absorption have settings.
- absorption thresholds
- iceberg detection sensitivity
- strength meter settings
A full overview of add-ons is coming next.
8. Reset, Save, and Workspace Persistence
At the bottom of most settings pages:
- Reset to defaults
- Save as preset
- Apply to all instruments
Once you find settings that work, save them so you don't rebuild your chart every morning.
Final Thoughts
Bookmap’s settings menu controls every part of how you see order flow. Tuning heatmap contrast, bubble size, trade history, and alert behavior makes the difference between a clean, readable layout and a cluttered mess. Dial this in one time, save the preset, and you’ll never have to fight your chart again.