Skip to content
IndicatorFree
Sign up
MT5MT4soonTradingViewsooncTradersoonNinjaTradersoonPythonsoon
London Open Breakout Expert Advisor on a real chartLondon Open BreakoutPF 1.35FREEOrder Block Locator indicator on a real chartOrder Block LocatorNo repaintFREEBreakout Zone Finder indicator on a real chartBreakout Zone FinderNo repaintFREEDowntrend indicator on a real chartDowntrendNo repaintFREEInside Bar Breakout indicator on a real chartInside Bar BreakoutNo repaintFREELiquidity Sweep indicator on a real chartLiquidity SweepNo repaintFREEGolden Cross indicator on a real chartGolden CrossNo repaintFREEKey Level Map indicator on a real chartKey Level MapIndicatorFREEFalse Breakout Trap indicator on a real chartFalse Breakout TrapNo repaintFREEApex Pinch indicator on a real chartApex PinchNo repaintFREE
MetaTrader & platform basics

Chart template

Also called Template, Chart layout, Chart preset, Saved chart setup

A chart template is a saved chart setup (chart type, colours, indicators and their settings) that you can apply to any other chart in one step, so every market you open looks and measures the same way.

A template does not save your risk. Load the wrong one and an indicator with the same name shows a different reading, and you may size a trade from it without noticing.

What a chart template saves, and what it leaves out

The comparison below sorts what a chart template keeps, what depends on your platform, and what it never touches.

What a chart template saves, what varies by platform, and what it never saves
Usually saved
  • –Chart type: candles, bars or line
  • –Colours and grid
  • –Indicators on the chart
  • –Each indicator's settings
Varies by platform
  • –Drawn lines and zones
  • –Timeframe
  • –Symbol
  • –Attached trading robot
Never saved
  • –Your manual order size
  • –Open trades
  • –Pending orders
  • –Account risk rules

If your platform saves a robot in the template, the robot's own lot and risk inputs travel with it.

Run a 30-second test of the middle column on your own platform. Draw a line, switch timeframe, save the template, then apply it to a chart of a different symbol. Note which of the line, the timeframe and the symbol changed, and whether an attached robot came along.

How the wrong template changes your risk: a worked example

The figures here are an illustrative example, not market data. ATR (Average True Range) is the average distance price moves per candle. Many traders set the stop one ATR away from entry. You have a $5,000 account, risk 1% per trade and use that stop rule. On your usual template the ATR reads 25 pips on the 1-hour chart. On a USD-quoted pair one standard lot is worth $10 per pip, so your usual size is 0.20 lots.

Today you load an older template. Its ATR uses a different period and reads 40 pips on the same chart. The drawing below shows both ATR panels under the same candles.

The same candles with ATR (14) from the usual template and ATR (50) from the old template, ending on different readings
Same candles, same indicator name, different period: the two readings do not match.

A longer period reacts more slowly. When candles shrink, as they do here, ATR (50) still holds the bigger moves from earlier, so it stays higher. Neither template is broken: they measure different spans of the same candles.

You place the stop 40 pips away but keep your habitual 0.20 lots.

Risk when the stop comes from a different template but the lot size stays the same
Planned risk$5,000 × 1%= $50
Usual template: ATR 25 pips$50 ÷ (25 × $10)= 0.20
Old template: ATR 40 pips40 × $10 × 0.20= $80
Correct lots (40-pip stop)$50 ÷ (40 × $10)= 0.125
Same 0.20 lots, wrong template$80 instead of $50

The loss if stopped is $80, which is 1.6% of the account instead of 1%. The correct size for a 40-pip stop is 0.125 lots, rounded down to 0.12.

The rule to copy: if any number in your sizing comes from an indicator, recalculate the lots every time you change template.

Saving and loading a template on your trading platform

  1. Set up one chart exactly as your strategy needs: chart type, colours, indicators, settings.
  2. Open the chart's template or right-click menu and choose to save. Give it a name.
  3. Open a new chart for another market.
  4. Choose load or apply from the same menu and pick your saved name.
  5. Read the indicator labels on the chart to confirm the settings arrived.

Applying a template usually replaces what is already on the chart, including indicators you added by hand. Save your current setup under its own name first if you want it back.

If you trade one strategy, set its template as the default so a new chart never opens with stale indicators.

Checks before you trade from a template

  • Name by job, not by date. "Trend 4-hour" tells you what it is for. "New2" does not.
  • Put the settings in the name when two templates share an indicator, for example "ATR14" and "ATR50".
  • Check the scale. A template saved on a pair with different decimal places can squash fixed-level lines out of view.
  • Check for a robot. If your platform saves automated strategies inside templates, loading one can attach a robot to a live chart. Confirm automated trading is in the state you want.
  • Keep a copy. Template files can be lost in a reinstall or a move to a new device. Export or back them up if your platform allows it.

Re-check your readings every time you change timeframe. A template keeps the period, not the time span it covers. The drawing below shows the same 50-period average on two charts: it covers 50 minutes on the 1-minute chart and 50 days on the daily chart, so the same template measures a different thing.

The same 50-period average from one template covers 50 minutes on the 1-minute chart and 50 days on the daily chart
Illustrative shapes. The line looks the same on both charts, but on the daily chart it averages 50 days of prices and on the 1-minute chart only 50 minutes.

FAQ

Does a chart template work across different brokers or accounts?

Usually yes on the same platform, because the template belongs to the platform and not to the account. Two things can break it. A custom indicator must be installed wherever you load the template, and a broker may name the same market differently, so a template that stores the symbol may not find it.

Can I use my chart template on a mobile app?

It depends on the platform. Mobile apps often offer fewer template features than desktop versions, and templates saved on one device do not always sync to another. Open the same market on both, compare the indicator labels, and rebuild the setup by hand on the phone if they differ.

How many chart templates do I need?

One per distinct job is enough. A common split is one clean template for marking levels on higher timeframes and one with your entry indicators for the timeframe you trade. If you cannot say what a template is for, delete it.

Related terms