NinjaTrader Indicators Window Basics
The Indicators window in NinjaTrader controls every technical study you apply to a chart. If you want clean, consistent charts and predictable behavior, you need to understand this window cold. Most beginners slap indicators on randomly and wonder why their charts look like a carnival. This is how to do it right.
How to Open the Indicators Window
Two ways:
- Right-click on the chart → Indicators…
- Or click the Indicators icon on the top toolbar
This brings up the full Indicators panel.
The Indicators Window Layout
The window has three sections:
| Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Left panel | List of all installed indicators |
| Middle panel | Your active indicators |
| Right panel | Settings for the selected indicator |
This layout is simple once you know what you’re looking at.
How to Add an Indicator
- Open the Indicators window
- Select any indicator from the left panel
- Click add (or just double-click it)
- The indicator appears in the middle panel
- Customize settings in the right panel
Once added, the indicator always appears immediately on the chart.
How to Remove an Indicator
- Open the Indicators window
- Click the indicator in the middle panel
- Click remove
This cleans your chart instantly.
How to Customize Indicator Settings
Each indicator has its own settings. Common options:
- Period / length
- Plot color
- Line width / style
- Panel assignment
- Displacement
- Alerts
For example, setting an EMA to a different color or thickness happens here.
Assigning Indicators to Panels
Some indicators belong in the price panel while others belong in a separate one.
- PANEL 1 → price chart (EMAs, VWAP, etc.)
- PANEL 2+ → oscillators (RSI, MACD, CCI)
To change panels:
- Select the indicator
- In the right panel, find Panel
- Choose panel number
Clean panel management makes the chart readable instead of stacked chaos.
Indicator Templates
Templates save a customized indicator setup so you can reuse it.
For example, if you run:
- EMA 8
- EMA 21
- EMA 200
with specific colors or widths, save it as a template.
- Open Indicators
- Select your indicator
- Click template → save
Next time you load that indicator, pick your saved template instead of resetting everything manually.
Reordering Indicators
The order in the middle panel determines how indicators stack on the chart.
- Top = drawn first
- Bottom = drawn last
Drag indicators up or down to change their layering.
Indicator Visibility
You can toggle indicator visibility without deleting them:
- Open Indicators
- Select indicator
- Find Visible option
This is useful for testing different chart looks.
Final Thoughts
The Indicators window is one of the most important parts of NinjaTrader. If you understand how to add, customize, organize, and template indicators, your charting becomes cleaner and your workflow becomes faster. Master this window early and everything else builds on top of it.