Frequently asked questions

Install the .NET Framework version NinjaTrader asks for before the platform itself. Most failed installations are a missing framework rather than a corrupt download, and the installer does not always say so plainly.

If it still stops, check that your computer's date and time are correct. A clock that is wrong by more than a few hours breaks the certificate check during download, which surfaces as a generic failure.

The free simulation feed is time-limited. Once that window has passed the same credentials stop authenticating, and the platform reports it as a bad username or password rather than as an expiry — which is why the details look correct.

Register again with a different e-mail address to get a new set. Nothing on your charts, workspaces or indicators is affected.

That list is built from the platform's configuration, and an earlier installation can leave a stale copy of it behind. An ordinary uninstall does not remove the NinjaTrader 8 folder under Documents, so reinstalling on top carries the same configuration forward.

Back up your workspaces and templates from that folder, remove the platform and the folder, then install again.

That address is already registered. Any other address works, and you do not need to recover the old account to carry on — registration exists to issue the trial, not to hold your work.

No. NinjaTrader 7 is a separate, older platform, not an earlier build of 8. Third-party tools written for 8 — including ours — target an API that does not exist in 7, so they will not load there at all.

It is worth going back and solving whatever stopped the 8 installation. It is almost always the framework or the clock, above.

Check which tool the prompt belongs to before accepting it. That message comes from the vendor of the add-on concerned, not from NinjaTrader and not from us.

It matters because some vendors restart a time-limited trial when their tool is updated, so accepting the update can turn something that works today into something that expires next week. An update you did not go looking for is worth reading twice.

EUR/USD is 6E and the S&P 500 is ES.

They are not the same instrument as the spot pair or the index you may be used to. They are exchange-traded contracts with their own symbol, their own tick size and their own value per tick, which is exactly why they carry the traded volume that spot forex does not.

On our instrument specifications page: tick size, tick value, typical daily range and stop distance for the currency futures and for the index contracts, in one table. It is free and needs no account.

Read it before you size a position rather than after. The difference between one contract and another is not a detail — the same number of ticks is worth several times more on one than on the next.

It depends what you picked when you added the instrument. Choose the futures contract and you are on exchange data, with the real traded volume behind every bar. Choose a broker's cash or CFD version of the same name and the volume you see is that broker's own flow.

This is the single most common reason two people looking at "the same" chart see different numbers. Check the instrument, not the chart title.

Yes, for analysis. The volume and order flow you are reading lives on the futures contract, and you can read it in NinjaTrader whether or not your trading account is reachable from it. Many people analyse on the contract and place the order wherever their account actually is.

What you give up is one-click execution from the chart, and the discipline of watching two screens instead of one. What you do not give up is the analysis, which is the part the volume is needed for.

The left column is aggressive selling at that price and the right column is aggressive buying.

"Aggressive" is doing real work in that sentence. It means the order crossed the spread to be filled — it took liquidity that was resting rather than joining the queue and waiting. Every one of those trades has a passive counterparty: a resting limit order on the other side that was hit. So the two columns are not "buyers and sellers", they are which side was in a hurry.

A footprint compares diagonally, not straight across: the buying at one price against the selling at the price below it. Those two are the two sides that could actually have traded with each other.

When one of the pair is larger than the other by more than the ratio you have set, that pair is marked. It tells you one side was willing to pay up to get filled and the other was not — which is information about intent, not about direction on its own.

Point of control: the price at which the most volume traded over whatever period the profile covers — a session, a day, a range you selected.

It is worth being precise about what that means. It is not where most traders agreed on value. It is where the most business got done, which is usually where somebody large needed the other side to keep showing up, and it did. That is why price tends to react there again later.

An untested POC is one that price has not traded back to since it formed. Those are the ones worth marking on the chart, because whatever built them has not yet been resolved.

In practice the useful pair is the nearest untested POC above the current price and the nearest one below it. A chart carrying every POC from the last three weeks is a chart you have stopped reading. Volume-based support and resistance covers how these are chosen.

Mostly, yes, and that is not a limitation — it is where it earns its keep. Order flow tells you what is happening at a price you have already decided matters.

Direction and context normally come from somewhere slower: structure, the session, the level you marked hours ago. Reading the flow first and looking for a reason afterwards is the usual way this goes wrong.

Most of the time it is not, and that is exactly the intent — size is worked in pieces precisely so that it does not print as one obvious block.

But an order still has to be completed, and there are moments where it has to be completed quickly. That is when it shows. Volume analysis is the business of finding those few moments; the rest of the session is deliberately unremarkable, and treating every large print as a footprint of somebody important is how the method gets misused.

Large resting size does tell you somebody is prepared to trade at that price, and it is one input among several. Treat it with some suspicion: resting orders can be pulled the moment price arrives, so a wall that looked solid can simply not be there.

What is far harder to withdraw is volume that has already traded, which is why our own material builds levels from executed volume rather than from the book. NinjaTrader has its own depth window and Time & Sales for watching resting orders live — that is a platform feature, not one of our indicators. The order book, the tape and market speed goes into it.

No. Volume analysis locates a level from what was actually traded there, so adding a second, geometric way of drawing levels gives you a competing set of lines rather than confirmation of the first set.

Nothing stops you combining them if that is how you already work. Our material does not, and it is better to say so than to leave you wondering which of the two the method depends on.

Control Center → Connections → Configure. Select the one you do not want and remove it there.

Connections are configuration rather than data, so removing one changes nothing on your charts and nothing you have downloaded. Duplicates usually appear when a connection is set up a second time instead of being edited.

Yellow means the platform reached the server but the session never completed, so the fault is almost always between you and it rather than in the platform. Work through it in this order:

First, confirm the data service itself is up — if a colleague on the same server connects and you do not, it is your side. Second, if you connect through a VPN, test with it off and then on: a route that changes mid-session holds the connection at yellow, and this is the most common single cause. Third, reset the local network stack with ipconfig /release followed by ipconfig /renew, then reconnect.

That is a local historical-data problem rather than a chart setting, and it is worth checking before you start changing the chart.

Close NinjaTrader, empty the db folder under Documents\NinjaTrader 8, and open it again — the platform will download that history afresh. Back the folder up first if you keep imported data in there, because it will not come back on its own.

Because in almost every case they are not the same market. The futures contract and a broker's spot or CFD version of the same underlying are separate instruments, with separate order books and separate participants.

Part of the gap is structural: a contract with an expiry carries the cost of holding the underlying until then, so it trades at a predictable distance from spot that narrows as expiry approaches. Both screens can be correct at the same time.

That is the platform reporting that something it loaded threw an error, without saying what. The message names the messenger, not the cause, so there is no point searching for it.

Work through it in this order. Empty the db folder under Documents\NinjaTrader 8 and restart. If it persists, remove third-party indicators one at a time — a single broken one stops the entire load, so the platform can look completely dead because of one file.

If you need the real error, it is in the log and trace folders under the same directory. Those record what actually threw; the on-screen output is truncated and regularly points at the wrong thing.

An indicator that is switched on and draws nothing has usually failed to load rather than failed to calculate, and those two have completely different fixes. Check the log for a load error before you touch its settings.

If several tools are missing at once, the installation is incomplete rather than any one of them being broken. Reinstall — and back up your workspaces and templates first, because those are the part you would actually miss.

Import expects the vendor's packaged file exactly as supplied, not a folder of files you have unzipped yourself and copied in. Unpacking it by hand skips the step that registers what was installed.

If an earlier partial import left files behind, the next attempt can fail on those leftovers rather than on anything wrong with the new file. In that case remove the platform completely, including the folder under Documents, install it clean, and import before adding anything else.

The same way you moved forward: uninstall the current version and install the one you want. There is no separate downgrade path and nothing else in the procedure changes.

Back up your workspaces, templates and any third-party license files first, and expect to reinstall third-party tools afterwards — the platform rebuilds its menus on install, so they will not simply reappear.

Add the folder you intend to keep it in to Windows Defender's exclusion list before downloading it again, and keep the file in that folder rather than moving it afterwards.

This one is worth recognising by its symptom: a file removed while it is still being written usually fails later with a "could not find a part of the path" error rather than an antivirus warning, so it reads as a broken download.

Check the display scaling on the monitor the window opened on. NinjaTrader lays these windows out in physical pixels, so a display set above 100% overlaps the parameter rows — labels and values stop lining up and a number can appear against the wrong setting.

Set that display to 100%, reopen the window, and compare before changing anything. This is worth ruling out first because the settings themselves are usually untouched.

A tablet will run the platform and is fine for watching a position you already have. It is not enough for reading order flow, where a footprint or profile chart and the tape need to be legible at the same time — that detail does not survive being shrunk, and shrinking it is exactly what a small screen forces.

One large monitor is a workable minimum and two is comfortable. Screen area matters more than processor or memory here: the platform is not especially demanding, but the layout is.

ICF Market is a registered software development company and an official NinjaTrader® partner and vendor. We specialize in creating advanced volume trading indicators and order-flow tools for the NinjaTrader 8 platform.

Our products include a suite of volume-based indicators—such as footprint charts, volume profile, order book, and other order-flow analytics tools—that help traders analyze Level II market data in real time.

We also write custom indicators in NinjaScript to order — an indicator that does not exist yet, built to your description. We do not build trading strategies or automated systems.

In short, ICF Market provides professional-grade NinjaTrader add-ons and expert programming services to give Forex and Futures traders a cutting-edge trading advantage.

Ordering is simple and secure.

1. Browse our Products page and choose the indicator or package you need.
2. Click Buy and complete the checkout form.
3. Pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay on Stripe’s own secure page.

Your account is created automatically at checkout — no separate registration step and no shopping cart. Once payment is confirmed, your order is confirmed by email.

Pay by credit or debit card, or with Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device offers them. Payment is taken on Stripe’s own secure page: the details go to Stripe directly, never reach our servers, and we never see your card number.

All prices are in US dollars. Your bank may convert at its own rate if your card is held in another currency.

You are asked who is buying before payment, because a license is issued to a person. After the payment clears, your order is confirmed by email.

We take pride in offering responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable customer support.

Our support team is available through multiple convenient channels:

• Support ticket submission via our website
• Direct email communication

We strive to respond to all inquiries within 24 hours on business days—and often much sooner.

Our support covers a wide range of needs, including:

• Installation guidance
• Technical troubleshooting
• General usage questions about our indicators

In most cases, we can help resolve issues directly through email. For more complex technical problems, we may offer remote assistance via a secure screen-sharing session using tools like AnyDesk.

Our goal is simple: to ensure you can use our products smoothly and successfully. We treat every support request with care and attention, and we’re not satisfied until your issue is fully resolved.

In short, ICF Market's customer service is professional, responsive, and dedicated to helping you at every step.

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information.

Any data we collect from you—such as your name, email address, and billing information—is used solely for the purpose of:

• Fulfilling your orders
• Providing customer support
• Managing your account and licensing

All usage complies with our official Privacy Policy.

We do not sell or share your personal data with any unrelated third parties. For example, when you make a payment, your information is processed securely through trusted payment providers, and we retain only the necessary records for transaction and licensing purposes.

To protect your data, we implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to safeguard against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse.

You can find the complete details in our Privacy Policy page, which clearly explains:

• What data we collect
• How we use it
• How it is stored and protected
• Your rights regarding your information

In summary: ICF Market takes customer privacy seriously. Your information is kept confidential, secure, and is used only to serve you as our customer.

Yes – ICF Market is an officially approved NinjaTrader® vendor and a legally registered company in the United Kingdom (Company No. 15566563).

We have met all the necessary requirements to be recognized as an authorized third-party provider within the NinjaTrader ecosystem, which reflects our trustworthiness and professional standing.

Payment is handled by Stripe on their own secure page. Card details — and any wallet you use, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay — go to Stripe directly and are never stored on our servers.

In short, when you buy from ICF Market, you can do so with complete confidence—knowing you’re working with a verified vendor whose services and payment systems meet the highest standards of safety and reliability.

Yes – Our indicators and add-ons are built exclusively for NinjaTrader 8, the latest version of the NinjaTrader® platform.

They are not compatible with other trading platforms or with older versions like NinjaTrader 7. You can use our tools with any edition of NinjaTrader 8, including the Free, Lease, or Lifetime license versions.

For the best performance, we strongly recommend using a reliable real-time data feed that includes both tick and Level II market data. Since our indicators are volume-based and rely on detailed order flow information, a quality data provider is essential. For example, futures data from NinjaTrader Continuum or Kinetick delivers the Level II depth required for tools like the footprint chart.

In summary: To fully utilize our indicators and achieve accurate results, you'll need:

• NinjaTrader 8 installed on a Windows PC
• A real-time data feed with tick and Level II data

Your download is ready within a minute of payment — there is no waiting period and no activation code to type.

As soon as your payment is confirmed, our system automatically builds your personal copy of the software and sends a secure download link to your account and email. The package is licensed to you specifically; there is no separate key to enter.

Installing:

1. Close NinjaTrader completely.
2. Extract the downloaded zip.
3. Copy all files into Documents\NinjaTrader 8\bin\Custom\
4. Start NinjaTrader.

Please close NinjaTrader before copying — otherwise the files are locked and the installation will not complete.

In summary: your link is generated within a minute of payment confirmation, is valid for 7 days, and can be used up to 5 times. If it expires, request a new one from your account.

Each license includes a set number of activations — one computer per activation.

Your license is tied to the machines you activate it on, which protects your purchase. Most licenses include a single activation; some packages include more.

Changing computers? You don't need to buy again. Contact our support team and we'll release the old machine so you can activate the new one. If you need to run the software on two machines at the same time, contact us about an additional activation. If you need a second license or want to run the tools on more than one machine, ask us — depending on the situation we can often offer a better price than buying twice.

Yes – When you purchase an ICF Market product, you receive a lifetime license with free updates.

There are no recurring fees or subscription charges for continued use. Your one-time payment gives you permanent access to the product, along with free updates, enhancements, and bug fixes for the specific item you purchased.

For example, if we introduce new features to the indicator or make updates for compatibility with a newer version of NinjaTrader, you’ll be able to download the updated version at no additional cost.

This policy ensures that your investment stays valuable and up-to-date over time.

Note: If we release a completely new product or a major version overhaul, it may be offered separately. However, all routine updates and improvements to your purchased tools are always free.

Currently, we do not offer free trials of our paid indicators.

All sales are final, so we strongly encourage you to carefully review each product’s descriptions, screenshots, documentation, and any available videos before making a purchase.

If you have any questions about how a specific tool works, feel free to contact us — we’re happy to offer detailed explanations, walkthroughs, or even a live demo session to help you understand the software’s features. This is our alternative to traditional trial access.

Our policy aligns with many providers of professional trading software: since our tools are digital and easily copyable, we do not offer trial versions openly, and we do not provide refunds once a license has been issued.

That said, we stand by the quality and performance of our products. Our support team is always available to answer your pre-sale questions and help you make an informed decision before purchasing.

Yes – In addition to our off-the-shelf indicators, ICF Market offers custom NinjaScript development for the NinjaTrader® platform.

Our team includes experienced C# developers who are also seasoned traders, uniquely positioned to turn your trading ideas into fully functional tools. Whether you need a custom indicator or a specialized NinjaTrader add-on, we can build it to your exact specifications.

If there is something you want to see on the chart that no indicator shows you, describe it and we will tell you honestly whether it is a job we should take. We’ll define the scope and give you a development quote.

Our past custom projects have included:

• Tailored order-flow analysis tools
• Advanced volume-based and Level II indicators

As an official NinjaTrader vendor, we are committed to delivering high-quality, efficient, and reliable code that meets your trading needs.

In short: If the NinjaTrader tool you need doesn’t already exist, ICF Market can likely develop it for you—professionally, securely, and with your strategy in mind.

Yes, and most of it is free to read without an account.

1. Twenty-four written lessons — twelve on volume and order flow, twelve on fundamental and timing analysis. No sign-up and no payment. A structured course built on top of them is still being written.
2. Documentation with every indicator — installation, the settings, and how to read what it draws on the chart.
3. Two long articles — how cluster charts differ from footprint charts, and what volume spread analysis actually measures.
4. Support — after a purchase you can open a ticket from your account and read the reply there. Before buying, the contact form reaches us.