Introduction
In this lesson, you will set up your TradingView account from scratch. Think of this as preparing your workspace before you start learning. A proper setup now will save you time and confusion later.
By the end of this lesson, you'll have:
- A free TradingView account
- Your timezone set to Manila (so your charts match Philippine time)
- A practice watchlist with the most common trading pairs
- Paper Trading enabled, so you can practice risk-free
Step 1: Creating Your Free TradingView Account
What You Need:
- An email address
- Internet connection
- 2–3 minutes
How to Sign Up:
Go to TradingView
Open your web browser and go to www.tradingview.com
Click "Get started"
Click the "Get started" or "Sign up" button at the top right corner
Choose Sign Up Method
You can sign up using:
- Your email address
- Your Google account
- Your Facebook account
Create Account
Choose a username and password, then click "Create account"
Verify Email
Check your email for a verification link and click it to confirm your account
You now have a free TradingView account. You're automatically on the Basic plan, which is perfect for beginners.
Understanding the TradingView Basic Plan
The Basic plan is completely free and includes powerful features. However, it does have some limitations.
- ✓ Real-time data for forex & crypto
- ✓ Professional charting tools
- ✓ Add indicators & drawing tools
- ✓ Paper Trading simulator
- ✓ Community features
- • 1 chart per browser tab
- • 2 indicators per chart
- • 3 price alerts
The 2-indicator limit means you need to be smart about which tools you use. Don't worry—we'll teach you a simple strategy called "template rotation" later in this chapter.
Bottom line: The Basic plan is more than enough to learn and practice. Many successful traders started with this exact setup.
Step 2: Setting Your Timezone to Philippines (Manila, UTC+8)
Why Timezone Matters:
Charts are based on time. A daily candle represents one full day of price movement. But which day? That depends on your timezone setting.
For Philippine traders, setting your timezone to Asia/Manila (UTC+8) keeps everything aligned with your local market hours.
How to Change Your Timezone:
Find the Clock Icon
Look at the bottom right corner of the screen. You'll see a small clock icon with a timezone label
Click the Clock
Click the clock icon to open the timezone menu
Search for Manila
Search for "Manila" or scroll to find "Asia/Manila (UTC+8)"
Select Manila
Click on Asia/Manila. Your timezone is now set!
You only need to do this once. TradingView will remember your timezone setting.
Step 3: Building Your Practice Watchlist
What is a Watchlist?
A watchlist is a saved list of trading pairs or assets that you want to track. Instead of searching for "EURUSD" or "BTCUSD" every time, you can add them to your watchlist for quick access.
Recommended Watchlist for Beginners:
As a beginner, focus on the most popular and liquid pairs:
Forex Pairs (3):
- EURUSD (Euro / US Dollar) — the most traded forex pair in the world
- USDJPY (US Dollar / Japanese Yen) — very popular in Asia
- GBPUSD (British Pound / US Dollar) — known as "Cable," high volatility
Crypto Pairs (2):
- BTCUSD (Bitcoin / US Dollar) — the biggest cryptocurrency
- ETHUSD (Ethereum / US Dollar) — the second-largest crypto
These five pairs are enough to start. As you gain experience, you can add more.
How to Create a Watchlist:
Find the Watchlist Panel
Look for the "Watchlist" panel on the left side of the screen
Create New List
Click the "+" button to create a new watchlist
Name it something simple, like "My Practice Pairs"
Add Pairs
Click inside the search box and type the pair name (e.g., "EURUSD")
Select the correct pair from the dropdown (make sure it says "FX:EURUSD" or similar)
Repeat for all five pairs
You can rearrange the order by dragging and dropping. Put the pairs you check most often at the top.
Step 4: Switching to Candlestick Charts
By default, TradingView might show you a line chart or bar chart. For trading, we use candlestick charts because they show much more information.
How to Switch to Candlesticks:
Open a Chart
Click on any pair from your watchlist to open the chart
Find Chart Type Icons
Look at the top toolbar. You'll see icons for different chart types
Click "Candles"
Click the "Candles" icon (it looks like a small candlestick)
Your chart is now displaying candlesticks!
Step 5: Connecting to Paper Trading
What is Paper Trading?
Paper Trading is a trading simulator built into TradingView. It lets you practice buying and selling without using real money. Everything works exactly like real trading—except you're using fake money.
This is where you should spend weeks (or even months) practicing before you ever think about risking real funds.
How to Enable Paper Trading:
Open Trading Panel
Look at the bottom panel. Click "Trading Panel" button
Select Paper Trading
Click the dropdown menu (it might say "Connect a broker")
Select "Paper Trading"
Account Created
TradingView will simulate a trading account for you
Default Balance: $100,000 in fake money
Step 6: Understanding Paper Trading Settings
Your Default Account Setup:
$100,000 in fake money. You can reset it anytime if you lose it all.
Forex: 50:1
Crypto: 10:1
(We'll cover this in later chapters)
Market, Limit, Stop Loss, Take Profit—all available for practice
This is not real money. You can lose it all and reset it anytime. The goal is to practice without fear. Make mistakes here, learn from them, and build good habits.
Practice Task
- Open TradingView and navigate to your watchlist
- Click on EURUSD and switch the chart to Candles
- Open the Trading Panel and connect to Paper Trading
- Verify your paper balance is $100,000
- Try changing the timeframe: switch between 1-hour, 4-hour, and daily charts
- Why is it important to set your timezone to Manila?
- What's the difference between Paper Trading and real trading?
- Why does TradingView limit the Basic plan to 2 indicators per chart?