Tradovate Chart Trading Basics for Beginners
Tradovate lets you place orders directly from the chart without touching the DOM or the order entry panel. It’s fast, simple, and clean—if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t, you’ll drag the wrong line and accidentally move a stop, fill early, or delete an order you needed. Here’s how to chart trade without screwing up.
Turning Chart Trading On
Right-click anywhere on the chart → Enable Chart Trading. This shows:
- Your entry price
- Your active orders
- Your ATM brackets (if using ATMs)
- Stop-loss and take-profit lines
If you don’t see order lines, check your visual settings in chart settings.
Placing Orders From the Chart
Once chart trading is enabled, you can place orders with a click:
- Buy Limit → click below current price
- Sell Limit → click above current price
- Buy Stop → click above price
- Sell Stop → click below price
Tradovate automatically picks the correct type based on where you click.
Dragging Stops and Targets
After an order fills, your bracket (from your ATM) appears on the chart:
- Drag the stop-loss line to adjust risk
- Drag the take-profit line to adjust target
- Drag the entry line if you’re using a limit or stop order that hasn’t filled yet
Dragging is the easiest way to manage trades quickly, especially during fast markets.
Flattening From the Chart
Right-click the chart → Flatten. This immediately:
- Closes your position
- Cancels all working orders
- Removes the bracket
Flatten is your emergency exit. Don’t bury it behind the DOM—know exactly where it is.
Using ATMs With Chart Trading
If you're using an ATM strategy:
- Your stop and target get placed instantly when your order fills
- You can still drag them on the chart manually
- OCO logic still works the same (target fill cancels stop)
ATMs keep you from trading naked by accident. If you’re new, never place a chart order without an ATM attached. Review ATM strategy basics if you need help setting those up.
Managing Multiple Orders on the Chart
If you scale in or place multiple limit orders, each one shows as a separate line. Tradovate labels them clearly so you don’t confuse stops with entries.
General rules:
- Green lines = buy orders or TP for shorts
- Red lines = sell orders or TP for longs
- Dotted lines = working orders
- Solid lines = active position brackets
If you have too many lines, your chart is cluttered. Clean it up or disable unneeded orders.
Canceling Orders From the Chart
Hover over any order line → click the X to cancel it. For bracket orders, canceling the entry cancels the whole set.
You don’t need the DOM for basic order management if you’re chart-trading properly.
Final Thoughts
Chart trading in Tradovate is fast and intuitive once you learn the basic click logic. It’s not as precise as the DOM, but it’s perfect for traders who want clean visual execution without ladder noise. Once you combine chart trading with ATMs and clean chart settings, you can trade smoothly with fewer mistakes.