Setting up the chart on OKX: a beginner's step-by-step

You've read a pile of theory, then you actually open the exchange and freeze: where's the candle chart? How do I go from one minute to the daily? Where's the button that adds an indicator? This note is us sitting next to you, tapping through these few things together. We'll use OKX (formerly OKEx) as the example, covering both the web and the mobile app, and at the end we'll show you how to practise on its free demo account — paper money, so a loss doesn't sting.

The four steps at a glance

On the web, getting the chart and indicators up is really just four steps. Take in this overview first, then each step gets unpacked below. Button wording differs across versions, so recognising the location beats recognising the name.

If you're not yet confident about "what a candle is even saying", it's worth a quick trip back to Candlestick charts: the overview first — the hands-on part will go a lot smoother afterwards.

Open a pair's candle chart first

After logging into OKX on the web, the first thing is to go into a specific trading pair. You can pick spot in the "Trade" area up top, then search for or click a pair — the most common being BTC/USDT (Bitcoin priced in the stablecoin USDT).

Once inside, that big block of red and green right in the middle of the page is the candle chart. There's plenty around it: down one side is the order book (the dense stack of bids and offers) and the order panel, and below it tends to be your open orders and positions. For now, just look at the chart in the middle — don't let the surrounding clutter intimidate you. The entry point and layout can sit a bit differently across versions, but the candle chart is basically in the core area of the pair's page; look for the biggest chart and you've found it.

How to switch timeframes

Above the candle chart there's usually a row of timeframe shortcuts, typically something like 1m, 5m, 15m, 1h, 4h, 1D, 1W. Tap one and the whole chart switches to that timeframe — and the span each candle represents changes with it.

Sometimes only a few common ones show by default, and the rest (3m, 2h, the monthly) hide behind a small arrow or "More" next to them. The same advice for beginners holds: start on larger timeframes like "1D" and "4h". Small timeframes flicker fast and carry a lot of noise, and it's easy to mistake meaningless jitter for a signal. We get into how to actually choose a timeframe in The 1-minute chart or the daily?; here, just get comfortable switching.

How to add a moving average and MACD

Candles alone aren't always the most intuitive, so plenty of people overlay an indicator or two to help read the trend. On OKX web, there's usually an "Indicators" entry or similar above the candle chart (an icon in some versions); open it and you get a list — MA (moving average), MACD, RSI, Bollinger Bands, and so on.

Add a moving average first

MA is the best one to start with because it's the most intuitive — it just connects the average price over the last N days into a line, helping you see the direction of the trend. Tick MA in the indicator list and the chart gains one (or a few) smooth curve hugging the candles. Most versions let you set the period; the default is fine for beginners, no need to agonise over the number.

Then add a MACD

With the MA on, if you want to see momentum, tick a MACD next. It generally appears in a separate little window below the candle chart, with two lines and a row of bars. We won't get into reading MACD here — you just need to know where it is and how to pull it up.

Where the drawing tools are

People who read charts often draw a few lines on them to mark key prices. On OKX the drawing tools are usually down the left side or along the top of the candle chart, as a set of small icons (line segments, horizontals, various shapes). The two beginners use most:

• Horizontal line: pull a level across to mark a price you're watching (say "it's dropped to here several times and never broken through"). It lets you see, at a glance, the spots where price keeps getting tangled up.
• Trend line: a slanted line connecting a few highs or lows, to get a feel for the rough direction price is travelling in.

Once you've selected a tool, click (or drag) on the chart to draw it. Drawn it wrong? Select it and delete. Icon placement varies a little by version; if you can't find them, just watch for that row of small icons. One reminder: drawing lines only helps you organise your thinking and mark what you're watching — it doesn't "turn" a line into support or resistance, and certainly can't predict price. That's the same point we make in The limits of technical analysis.

Doing it on the mobile app

Plenty of people read charts mainly on their phone. The logic is the same as the web, just more compact. In the OKX app:

• Open the chart: go to a pair's market page and tap the small chart — that usually expands into a full-screen candle view.
• Switch timeframes: in the full-screen view there's a row of timeframe options above or below; tap to switch. If it won't fit in portrait, turn the phone sideways and it's far more comfortable.
• Add indicators: the landscape candle view normally has an "Indicators" or similar button — open it and tick MA, MACD.
• Draw lines: the landscape view usually has drawing icons too, working much like the web, just with finger taps and drags.

One line: if you want chart-reading to feel comfortable, turn the phone landscape. That little portrait chart is only good for a quick glance at price; for a proper look, go sideways or use the web.

Practise free on the demo account

The best place to practise all of this isn't a live, real-money account — it's the demo account (demo trading) built into OKX. It gives you a pot of paper money, the prices track the real market, but you buy and sell with fake funds, so losing the lot is just a number, not a sting.

The demo entry usually sits in the account-related menu; switch over and the interface is nearly identical to live — same candles, same indicators, same order panel. There are two things beginners should do over and over in the demo: one, get the chart setup from this note down cold; two, run through the orders and TP/SL covered in Limit, market and stop orders. Once these become muscle memory, you won't be fumbling when you switch to real money.