It’s not you. It’s not even the charts. It’s the truth no one tells beginners: Thinkorswim wasn’t designed to be pretty—it was designed to be powerful.
If you’ve ever opened Thinkorswim for the first time and thought,
“Wait… this is what pro traders use?”
You’re not alone.
The UI feels like a Windows 98 relic. The colors are weird. The chart looks like someone’s first attempt at Photoshop. Meanwhile, YouTube is filled with crisp, minimalistic layouts that make you feel like you’re doing it wrong.
I’ve been there.
I’ve stared at the ugly green candles, random grid lines, and thought:
Why doesn’t mine look like hers?
After trying to replicate half a dozen YouTubers' setups—and breaking my layout multiple times—I finally figured it out:
Nobody tells you that Thinkorswim is a blank canvas. And the default setup is trash.
✦ What You’re Really Seeing on YouTube
Here’s what those clean, intuitive, envy-inducing YouTube charts have that you don’t:
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Custom color schemes (often imported or coded manually)
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Hidden/unnecessary panels turned off
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Condensed indicators layered intelligently
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Custom script overlays (not default indicators)
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Grid and axis modifications
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Hotkey-based chart navigation
They’re not using anything you don’t have access to.
They just spent the time to build it—or bought someone else’s build.
✦ Why Thinkorswim Looks So Bad Out of the Box
Because it wasn’t designed for:
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Aesthetics
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Influencers
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Passive viewers
It was designed for traders. Not to entertain. To execute.
TD Ameritrade assumes you're coming with a strategy, not for a vibe.
So what you get out of the box is raw power with no polish.
The same way a pro kitchen doesn’t come with recipe cards—it comes with a sharp knife and no instructions.
✦ Here’s Exactly What to Fix (Step-by-Step) to Make Your Charts Look Like YouTube Pros’
Ready to level up your Thinkorswim visuals without spending a dime?
Here’s what actually matters:
✅ 1. Turn Off the Grid Lines
Go to Settings → General → Appearance → Grid, and turn it off.
Instant clarity. No more visual noise.
✅ 2. Change Candle Colors (Seriously, This One Thing Changes Everything)
Go to Settings → Appearance
Use colors like:
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Green for up, red for down (not lime and fuchsia)
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Transparent or subtle borders
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Solid fill instead of hollow
Your brain will thank you during high-volatility moves.
✅ 3. Hide Volume and Lower Studies (or Reposition Them)
Unless you need volume always on-screen, remove it or move it to hover-only view. Same with RSI, MACD, etc.
Less screen clutter = better trade focus.
✅ 4. Set Default Zoom Levels + Bar Spacing
Zoom way out or in based on how you trade (scalper vs. swing).
Save this layout under Style → Save Style → Set as Default.
This stops Thinkorswim from resetting every time you open a new chart.
✅ 5. Import a Clean Theme (or Build Your Own)
You can import custom chart styles from other traders (Google “ToS .tsw layouts”) or build your own color palette.
Some favorites:
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Night Owl Theme (dark background, muted candle colors, clear indicators)
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Minimalist Blue (light gray candles on a slate background with clean fonts)
✅ 6. Use Fewer Indicators (But Use Them Smarter)
Most YouTubers are not stacking indicators—they're stacking confluence.
Use:
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EMA 9 and 21 (overlapping colors)
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VWAP
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Anchored Volume Profile (on-demand)
That’s it.
Less is more. Clarity wins trades.
✅ 7. Save Layouts as Workspaces
After customizing, save everything under Setup → Save Workspace As...
Now, when ToS glitches out (it will), you have a clean backup ready to load.
✦ The Emotional Trap: Thinking Tools Make You a Trader
Let’s be honest:
We want our charts to look like YouTube because we think it’ll make us trade like them.
But the truth is… most of those people aren’t profitable either.
They’re making money from:
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Selling templates
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Referral links
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Monetized tutorials
Looking good ≠ Trading well.
I spent six months optimizing the look of my charts when I should’ve been optimizing my edge.
✦ My Advice After All This? Build Something You’ll Actually Use
I stopped trying to make my charts look like someone else’s.
Now they’re:
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Simple
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Familiar
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Functional
And I’ve never felt more confident trading.
TL;DR
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Too many lines? | Turn off grid and volume by default |
| Ugly candles? | Customize colors to match your style |
| Disorganized charts? | Use consistent zoom levels + save layouts |
| Jealous of others’ setups? | Stop copying—start building your own process |
Want My Clean Thinkorswim Template?
After spending weeks tweaking every setting and trying every template, I built a chart layout designed for:
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Momentum day traders
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Options scalpers
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Earnings swing setups
Drop a comment or DM and I’ll send it over—free, no fluff, no email capture.
Final Thought:
Don’t confuse polished with profitable.
Don’t waste another week fixing your chart layout hoping it’ll fix your confidence.
Fix your focus.
Simplify your screen.
And start trading your edge—not your aesthetic.
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