How to use TradingView Volume Profile

Volume Profile is a charting tool that groups available volume data into price bands. It displays that information as a horizontal histogram beside or over the chart.

Longer bars represent more recorded volume in a price band. Shorter bars represent less. This lets you compare activity across prices within the range you are studying.

The meaning of volume depends on the instrument and feed. It should not automatically be read as the total quantity traded across an entire market.

TradingView builds profiles using lower-timeframe data for the selected symbol. The chosen range and settings determine which data is included and how it is grouped.

Data types also differ:

• Stocks: trade volume.
• Forex, indices and crypto CFDs: tick volume, which counts price updates rather than units traded.
• Crypto: base or quote volume.

For forex and CFDs, check the symbol and feed before interpreting the profile. It does not show all transactions across the underlying global market.

If the feed does not provide the volume data required, the tool may not display a usable profile.

A profile can help you review where recorded activity is concentrated within your selected range.

High volume nodes These are areas with relatively longer histogram bars. They show greater recorded activity than surrounding price bands.

Low volume nodes These are areas with relatively shorter bars. They show less recorded activity in the selected data. A short bar does not, by itself, prove that price moved quickly through the area.

Point of control The point of control, or POC, is the price band with the highest recorded volume in the profile. Its location depends on the range and settings used.

Value area The value area contains a selected proportion of the profile’s volume, commonly set to 70%. Its upper and lower boundaries are the value area high and value area low.

These features provide reference points for analysis. They do not establish future support, resistance or price targets.

The steps depend on the version you choose. Check your TradingView plan and the volume data available for your symbol before starting.

Step 1: Open a chart

Open TradingView Supercharts, choose an instrument and check the data provider. Start with a standard candlestick chart so the price display is easier to interpret.

Step 2: Choose a profile type

Use Fixed Range to study a period with start and end points you select. Use Visible Range to study the portion of the chart currently on screen.

Step 3: Add Fixed Range Volume Profile

For the drawing-tool version, find Fixed Range Volume Profile in the left-hand drawing toolbar.

Click the start of the period you want to study, then click its end. The profile appears for that selected range.

Step 4: Add Visible Range Volume Profile

For Visible Range, open Indicators and look under Built-ins → Volume Profile, or search for the built-in tool by name.

Select it if available on your plan. Zooming or scrolling changes the visible range and can change the profile.

Step 5: Review the settings

Open the tool’s settings and check the row size, displayed volume and value-area percentage.

Start with the default settings, then change one setting at a time to see how it affects the display.

Step 6: Compare the profile with price

Find the longer and shorter bars and locate the point of control. Compare these areas with the price action and levels you have already marked.

Note the range and settings so you can repeat the comparison later.

The point of control identifies the price band with the most recorded volume. The value area groups a selected proportion of volume around the main concentration, with boundaries shown by the value area high and low.

For example, a profile covering a recent consolidation may show longer bars within that range. You can compare this concentration with the levels where price previously paused or changed direction.

This is a historical comparison. A concentration of recorded volume does not guarantee that price will return to it, remain inside it or reverse at its boundaries.

Standard volume bars organise available volume data by time. They help you compare activity from one candle or bar to another.

Volume Profile organises available volume data by price band within a selected range. It helps you compare activity across prices.

In practical terms:

• Use standard volume to compare recorded activity over time.
• Use Volume Profile to compare recorded activity across price levels.

Both views depend on the data supplied for the symbol. Neither explains every reason for a market move.

Fixed Range uses start and end points you choose, making it useful for reviewing a defined period or move. Its range stays selected unless you adjust it or enable a setting that extends it.

Visible Range follows the chart area on screen. It is useful for reviewing the current view, but its readings can change when you zoom or scroll.

Use the version that matches your research question, and keep the range consistent when comparing results.

Assuming volume always means units traded For forex, indices and crypto CFDs, TradingView uses tick volume. Check the data type before describing the profile as traded volume.

Treating the point of control as a target The POC shows the largest historical volume concentration in the selected profile. It does not predict a future price destination.

Changing the range without noticing Different periods can produce different profiles. With Visible Range, zooming or scrolling can change the calculation.

Reading colours as confirmed buying and selling TradingView’s up/down volume classification is based on price direction within bars. It should not be treated as a direct record of buyer-initiated and seller-initiated orders.

Assuming the tool is available on every account Feature access depends on your TradingView plan, and a usable profile requires appropriate volume data for the symbol.

A Volume Profile research workflow could look like this:

1. Choose an instrument and check its data source.
2. Define the period or move you want to study.
3. Mark relevant levels using drawing tools.
4. Apply a profile and note its settings.
5. Compare volume concentrations with historical price behaviour.
6. Review other information, including news and risk factors.

Overlapping reference points can prompt further investigation. They do not confirm an outcome or remove CFD trading risk.

Chart types and timeframes help you examine price. Drawing tools let you mark observations, while Volume Profile provides another view of recorded activity.

You can use a Watchlist to organise instruments, review relevant developments in News Flow and save your chart setup in a layout.

A Heatmap or Screener can provide a broader starting point before you open an individual chart.