TradingView has become the go-to charting platform for traders across stocks, forex, and crypto.
Its clean interface, customizable charts, and powerful community tools make it ideal for both beginners and professionals.
But here’s the catch: not every trader uses TradingView the same way.
A swing trader holding positions for days or weeks will approach the platform differently from a day trader making multiple trades in a single session.
So, how exactly should you set up TradingView for each style?
This guide breaks it down into three main areas: timeframes, indicators, and layout preferences.
By the end, you’ll know exactly how to tailor your workspace whether you’re in it for the long game or the quick flips.
This post covers the following:
Jude Umeano, one of Nigeria’s most respected and successful traders just launched Afibie, a mentorship platform built to help you earn your first $10,000 and beyond from the markets.
Whether you’re new or stuck at break-even, this is your next step.👉 Visit Afibie now
Timeframes are the foundation of trading.
On TradingView, you can select anything from 1-minute candles to monthly charts, but the “right” choice depends entirely on whether you’re swing or day trading
By the way, if you haven’t seen our full guide on using TradingView as a beginner, you can check it out here.
Swing trading focuses on medium-term moves, catching trends that play out over days to weeks.
Start by checking the Weekly chart for trend direction, confirm on Daily, then fine-tune your entry/exit on the 4H.
Day trading is all about intraday volatility, finding setups that can be opened and closed the same day.
Use the 1H chart to set your trading bias, zoom into 15m for setup confirmation, then enter on 5m/1m with tight stops.
To see how timeframes play out across these trading styles, take an asset like Apple (AAPL) and compare the Daily chart with the 5m.
On the Daily, you’ll notice a clean uptrend, but on the 5m the same chart looks choppy and full of sharp swings.
That’s why timeframe choice is everything.
TradingView offers hundreds of built-in indicators plus thousands of custom ones from the community. But not every tool works equally well for swing vs day trading.
Swing traders rely on trend and momentum confirmation:
These indicators are slower-moving and better for filtering market fluctuations, helping swing traders avoid false signals.
Day traders need fast, reactive tools for quick decisions:
These indicators work best when you’re trading fast markets on smaller timeframes where speed and precision matter.
Put simply, swing indicators work best for slow, steady, big-picture moves, whereas day-trade indicators are designed for fast, sharp intraday action.
TradingView lets you create custom layouts from single clean charts to multi-panel grids. Your setup should match your trading style.
This works because swing trading requires patience, and clean charts make it easier to make clear decisions.
It works because day trading moves fast, and using multi-chart views with quick alerts keeps you from missing opportunities.
TradingView isn’t just for charting. It’s also a powerful tool for managing risk and keeping your trading discipline in check.
Whether you’re swing trading or day trading, how you handle stop-losses, position sizing, and chart habits can make or break your success.
Swing traders hold positions for days or even weeks, so risk management has to account for bigger price swings.
Your major aim should be to protect your capital first, because profits will naturally follow if you manage risk properly.
Day traders face the opposite challenge as trades play out in hours or minutes, so risk control needs to be fast and precise.
In trading, losses are inevitable, but the key is to keep them small and controlled while focusing on steadily compounding your gains.
There is also one universal rule of risk management: never risk more than 1–2% of your account balance on a single trade.
Following this rule ensures that even after a streak of losses, you’ll still have enough capital to recover.
Moreover, to make this easier, we’ve launched our FX Crypto Calculator, designed to help you quickly calculate position sizes and risk tolerance for every trade.
Even with the right setup on TradingView, many traders fall into avoidable traps. Here are the biggest ones to watch out for:
Ultimately, your TradingView setup must match your strategy.
Swing traders should focus on higher timeframes and clear risk/reward planning, while day traders succeed with lower timeframes, real-time alerts, and the ability to act quickly.
We want to hear from you! Are you Team Swing or Team Day Trader and what are your go-to indicators?
Share your thoughts in the comments, and if this breakdown helped, feel free to share it with others who’ll benefit too.
The post How to Use TradingView for Swing vs Day Trading appeared first on NIGERIA BITCOIN COMMUNITY.
Also read: Bitcoin Rally Under Fire as Analysts See Trouble Ahead
