NinjaTrader Advanced Chart Templates

Global templates, local templates, duplicate templates, and layout exports—everything NinjaTrader doesn’t explain clearly.

Local Templates vs Global Templates

NinjaTrader chart templates are stored in two different ways:

Local Templates

  • Stored inside the specific workspace
  • Only load correctly in that workspace
  • Break when moving charts between workspaces

Global Templates

  • Stored globally on your system
  • Can be applied to any chart in any workspace
  • Safest for long-term layouts

Check or uncheck “Save as Default” to control global behavior.

How to Duplicate a Template

  1. Open a chart using the base template.
  2. Right-click the chart → Templates → Save As.
  3. Name the duplicate something like clean-template-2.

Use this when modifying indicator stacks like in NinjaTrader Indicators.

How to Apply a Template to a New Instrument

Templates are NOT instrument-specific.

You can load a template for ES on NQ, YM, CL, whatever:

  1. Open the chart.
  2. Right-click → Templates → Load.
  3. Select the template.

Linking Templates to Workspaces

Templates behave differently depending on workspace:

  • If the template was created inside Workspace A, it may not load properly in Workspace B.
  • Global templates avoid this problem entirely.

Use the structure from your NinjaTrader Workspaces guide for consistency.

Fixing “Template Won’t Load” Problems

Common causes:

  • Local template created in a different workspace
  • Indicators missing or not loaded
  • Chart type mismatch (Renko → Candles, etc.)
  • Corrupt workspace

Exporting Chart Templates

  1. Control Center → Tools → Export → Backup File.
  2. Select Templates.
  3. Export the file to your desktop.

Importing Templates

  1. Control Center → Tools → Import → Backup File.
  2. Select the exported file.
  3. Restart NinjaTrader.

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