Workflow
Crosshair and measure: read a chart exactly
Most people stare at a chart and guess: "that looks like about 68,000." You never have to guess. Move your cursor and TradingView tells you the exact price on the right axis and the exact time on the bottom axis, lined up on both at once. That crosshair is the difference between reading a chart and admiring it.
The crosshair, precisely
By default the pointer is a crosshair (top-left toolbar, or press the pointer icon to switch modes). Hover any candle on BTCUSD and the two dashed lines snap a price label onto the right axis and a timestamp onto the bottom. Want the low of a wick? Hover the wick tip, read the number, done. No mental arithmetic.
Measure in one drag
The measure tool is the one most beginners miss. Hold Shift, then click one point and drag to another. TradingView draws a box showing three things at once: price change, percent change, and the number of bars between the two points. Drag from a swing low to a swing high and you instantly know the move was +$2,400, +3.6%, over 14 bars. On EURUSD it reads pips just as cleanly. One drag, three answers.
Magnet and a clean level
- Magnet mode: toggle it in the drawings toolbar (the magnet icon) and your lines snap to the nearest open, high, low, or close. No more "almost on the wick."
- Horizontal line: press Alt+H to drop a line at a level you care about. It follows across every timeframe, so a level you found on the 4H is still there on the 15m.
These four cover most day-to-day reading. Pair them with candle basics, then tidy the look in chart settings.