Getting Started with NinjaTrader

NinjaTrader is free for charting, backtesting, and unlimited simulated (paper) trading — you only fund an account if and when you want to trade live.

• Create a free NinjaTrader account, then download NinjaTrader Desktop (Windows).
• Our NinjaTrader Download guide has the links and what’s included — most traders are up and running with live data in under 10 minutes.

Pick your tool from the product catalog — every license is a lifetime license with free updates.

Want to start free? Our free NinjaTrader tools page shows which tools are free, which come with a 7-day free trial, and what the paid versions add. Free tools need a free account and follow the same steps below.

Then grab your NinjaTrader Machine ID:

• In NinjaTrader, open Control Center → Help → About…
• Your NinjaTrader Machine ID is shown in the window that appears — hexadecimal (numbers and letters A–F), no hyphens.

Why this matters: your license is tied to your NinjaTrader Machine ID — it’s how our software knows it’s allowed to run on your computer. Full details in the NinjaTrader Machine ID guide.

Your account on our website is created when you check out, using the email you enter at checkout, and we email you the account details. Getting a free tool? Your free account works the same way. Keep that email handy: it’s also the one you enter in the tool in Step 7.

• Log in and go to Members Area → NinjaTrader Machine IDs.
• Paste your NinjaTrader Machine ID and click SAVE CHANGES — the licensing database updates near-instantly.
• Use the Notes field to label each computer (“Home Desktop”, “Laptop”) so future-you knows which is which.

One license covers one computer. Trading on two computers? Choose the 2 PC license when you buy. Need more than two, or adding a computer after you’ve bought? Just ask us in chat.

• Go to Members Area → NinjaScript Downloads and download your product’s .zip file (a NinjaScript archive).
• Don’t unzip it — NinjaTrader imports the .zip file directly.

• In NinjaTrader: Control Center → Tools → Import → NinjaScript Add-On…
• Select the downloaded .zip → click Open.
• Restart NinjaTrader. (Yes, really — changes take effect on restart.)

Connect first. Your tools need a data connection. No data feed yet? Use NinjaTrader’s free simulated data: Control Center → Connections → Simulated Data Feed. More on connections in the data feeds guide.

Where your tool lives depends on what it is:

• Accounts Dashboard and the trade copier (Accounts Dashboard Suite, Duplicate Account Actions, Account Risk Manager) — Control Center → New → Affordable Indicators → Accounts Dashboard. It opens as its own window; it is not in a chart’s Indicators list.
• Unlimited Prop Firm Connections — Control Center → Tools → Affordable Indicators → Unlimited Prop Firm Connections.
• Chart indicators and Enhanced Chart Trader — open a chart (Control Center → New → Chart), right-click it → Indicators → find the tool in the list and add it.
• True Wick bar types: open a chart, open its Data Series window and set Type to aiTrueWick Renko, aiTrueWick Range or aiTrueWick Reversal.
• Anything else — its product page links its own setup guide with the exact location.

Don’t see Affordable Indicators in the New or Tools menu after importing? Restart NinjaTrader once.

Enter your email the first time it runs. The first time one of our tools runs on a computer, it asks for the email address on your Affordable Indicators account. Enter the email you use to log in to our website. You can also change it later under License → Email Address in the tool’s own settings (on the Accounts Dashboard, the gear button).