How to create TradingView alerts: Stay ahead without monitoring charts all day
Reading time: 7 minutes
TradingView alerts are notifications triggered when a pre-defined market condition is met. They reduce the need for a trader to check repeatedly whether an asset has reached a particular price level. On TradingView, you can set alerts for different kinds of trigger events and let it notify you any time of the day.
Why use TradingView alerts?
The main advantage of alerts is that they can reduce the need for constant monitoring.
Markets can move significantly during trading hours, including when you’re away from your screen. Alerts can bridge that gap by calling your attention to a chart when a selected condition occurs.
Alerts are useful for a variety of reasons:
- Monitoring potential support and resistance breaks
- Tracking price targets
- Observing indicator levels
- Spotting potential trend changes
- Following chart patterns
- Watching out for several instruments at once
- Keeping a trading plan focused on predefined conditions
Because TradingView runs alerts on its own servers, you don’t have to keep the chart open in your browser for it to work. Bear in mind that alerts aren’t necessarily a part of your trading strategy; they help you monitor conditions identified in your analysis. The final decision remains with the trader.
How to create a basic TradingView price alert
Creating a simple price alert is one of the easiest ways to get started:
1. Open your chosen market
Start by logging in to TradingView and open the chart for the instrument you wish to monitor, whether it’s a forex pair, index, cryptocurrency, share or any other available market. Ensure that you are on the right instrument prior to setting up an alert. If you’re using a particular broker’s market data, check that the symbol and data source match what you expect to monitor.
2. Identify your alert level
Review the chart and determine the price level that matters to your trading plan. The level could be in the form of a previous high or low, a support or resistance zone, a potential breakout level, etc. It’s important you already have an idea of the level before creating the alert. It helps to prevent constantly moving the alert just because the market has moved in a different direction.
3. Open the ‘Create Alert’ window
TradingView offers several ways to create an alert. From the chart toolbar, you can locate and select the Create Alert button. Use the Alert Manager, right-click on the chart OR use the keyboard shortcut Alt+A on Windows or Option + A if you’re on Mac.
Alternatively, you can create alerts from certain drawing tools or directly from the price scale.
4. Choose the condition
The condition dictates what needs to happen before the alert is triggered. You can choose the following options:
- Crossing - triggers when price reaches or passes the specified level
- Crossing Up - triggers when price moves upwards through the level
- Crossing Down - triggers when price moves downwards through the level
- Greater Than - triggers when price moves above the specified level
- Less Than - triggers when the price moves below the specified level
5. Select the alert frequency
Depending on the alert type and condition, TradingView offers several options for how often an alert can trigger, including Only once, Every time, Once per bar, and Once per bar close.
Consider what you actually need instead of getting swamped with a lot of alerts every minute. For instance, if you only need to know when an important level is first reached, you can opt for just a one-time alert. But, if you’re monitoring a recurring condition, a different frequency will make more sense. Again, choosing the wrong frequency can quickly turn a useful alert into a stream of unnecessary notifications.
6. Set an expiry and notification method
Traders can give the alert its own expiry date, as well as select how you want to receive notifications.
You can get alerts in the following modes:
- In-app notification - Download the latest version of the app from AppStore or Google Play, and simply enable in-app notifications from your phone’s settings.
- Via Pop-up - Once triggered, a pop-up message will appear, even if you’re browsing in another tab. For this to work, you need to have TradingView enabled to show desktop notifications.
- Via Email - Receive an email at the address associated with your TradingView account when the alert is triggered.
- Via Webhook - Webhooks will send a POST request to a certain URL once an alert is triggered.
- Play Sound - You’ll hear a sound when an alert is sent.
Whichever you choose, before creating the alert, assign it a clear and useful name so you can know what it’s about instantly. A name like EUR/USD Resistance Break is easier to understand than a generic Alert 1 name.
7. Set up the Technical Alerts
On top of price alerts, you can also create technical alerts based on indicators, strategies, drawing tools, and chart patterns. You may be interested in setting alerts for the the following scenarios:
- RSI reaches a particular level
- A moving average is crossed
- An indicator moves above or below a threshold
- Price enters a drawn channel
- A chart pattern reaches a specified condition
- A strategy generates a signal
A smarter way to monitor the market
In a nutshell, TradingView alerts are about efficiency: You don’t have to be watching the charts all the time. You can define the market condition - the ones that matter - and let the platform bring it to your attention. Ultimately, a clean alert list is easier to manage and can help make sure that important notifications don’t get lost among less meaningful ones.
Through customised alerts, TradingView combines advanced charting and technical analysis tools with the ability to monitor markets. If you haven’t explored it yet, TradingView can be connected to an FP Markets trading account, which allows them to use the platform’s trading environment alongside their FP Markets.
If you’re ready to explore TradingView and bring your charting and trading workflow together, discover TradingView with FP Markets and take a closer look at the tools available to support your market analysis.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Yes. TradingView alerts run on its servers, so you don’t need to keep the chart open for an alert to trigger when your chosen condition is met.
You can create alerts for price levels, technical indicators, drawing tools, chart patterns and strategy conditions, depending on the tools available for the market you’re analysing.
No. An alert simply notifies you when a predefined condition occurs. It does not automatically mean you should enter or exit a trade unless you have separately set up an automated trading system.
