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Licensing

NinjaTrader Machine ID: How to Find & Register It

Your Machine ID is how NinjaTrader identifies your computer — and how your Affordable Indicators license knows where it’s allowed to run. Here’s everything about it in one place.

What is a Machine ID?

NinjaTrader automatically generates a Machine ID for every computer it runs on — a hexadecimal string (numbers and letters A–F, no hyphens) derived from your computer’s core hardware and software. Third-party licenses, including ours, are tied to it: register your Machine ID once and your tools unlock on that computer.

⚠️ Machine ID ≠ License ID. NinjaTrader shows both. For licensing our tools you always want the Machine ID — entering the License ID is the most common mix-up we see.

How to find your Machine ID

1

Open the About window

In NinjaTrader: Control Center → Help → About…

2

Copy the Machine ID

Your Machine ID is displayed in the window that appears. Copy it exactly — numbers and letters, no hyphens.

How to register it (Affordable Indicators customers)

3

Add it to your account

  • Log in and open Members Area → NinjaTrader Machine IDs.
  • Paste your new or updated Machine ID and click SAVE CHANGES — the licensing database updates near-instantly.
  • Use the Notes field to tell your computers apart: “Home Desktop”, “Laptop”, “Office in Atlanta”…
✅ Done: restart NinjaTrader (or reload NinjaScript) and your tools pick up the license.

Why does my Machine ID keep changing?

NinjaTrader doesn’t control your Machine ID directly — it generates it from a combination of your computer’s fundamental hardware and software, including:

  • RAM (memory)
  • Motherboard
  • BIOS or UEFI firmware
  • Windows operating system updates
  • System firmware or driver updates

Because the ID is tied to these core elements, any change to them can generate a new Machine ID — even a minor Windows patch or firmware update. When that happens, your license appears to stop working; the fix is simply to re-register the new ID, which takes about a minute.

Can I stop it from changing so often?

One way to reduce how often your Machine ID changes is to turn off automatic updates on your PC, which keeps your system configuration more consistent. Keep in mind that disabling automatic updates can also impact your system’s security and performance over time — weigh the trade-off carefully.

Trading on more than one computer?

One license covers one machine at a time. If you trade from multiple computers, additional Machine ID licenses are available for your products — message us in chat and we’ll set you up. Your account’s Machine ID page shows the per-product seat details.

Troubleshooting license errors

“Your Machine ID is not licensed for…”

First, confirm the ID registered on your account matches what NinjaTrader shows today in Control Center → Help → About… (it may have changed — see above). Then make sure the email address tied to your Affordable Indicators account is entered in the tool’s settings: right-click the chart → Indicators → scroll to the bottom of the properties → under License, enter your email → OK.

Tools loaded but charts look wrong after re-licensing

Right-click the chart window and choose Reload NinjaScript — that refreshes every script on the chart without a full restart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find my NinjaTrader Machine ID?

In NinjaTrader, open Control Center → Help → About… — the Machine ID is displayed in the window that appears.

What’s the difference between the Machine ID and the License ID?

Both appear in the About window, but licensing for Affordable Indicators tools uses the Machine ID — the hexadecimal identifier for your computer. Do not enter your License ID.

Why does my Machine ID keep changing?

NinjaTrader generates it from your PC’s core hardware and software (RAM, motherboard, BIOS/UEFI, Windows updates, firmware). Changes to any of those can produce a new ID — just re-register the new one on your account.

Can I use my license on two computers?

One license covers one machine at a time, and additional Machine ID licenses are available per product — contact us via live chat and we’ll set you up.

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NinjaTrader® is a registered trademark of NinjaTrader Group, LLC. Affordable Indicators, Inc. builds add-ons for the NinjaTrader platform as part of the NinjaTrader Ecosystem and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NinjaTrader Group, LLC.