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One of the most useful (and underrated) features in ThinkOrSwim is the ability to load custom scripts that other people have written. Imported studies, shared workspaces, and code pasted from the web let you extend the platform far past what the default install gives you. This tutorial covers all three methods: importing a study from a shared link, sharing your own studies and workspaces, and pasting raw ThinkScript code from a website. By the end you will know exactly which method to use and how to get the code into ThinkOrSwim in under a minute.
The Three Ways to Load Custom Code into ThinkOrSwim
Before we get into the steps, it helps to know which method fits which situation.
Method 1: Import a shared link. Someone sends you an http://tos.mx/...-style link. You paste it into ThinkOrSwim and the study installs itself. Easiest and most common.
Method 2: Share a workspace. A workspace bundles your entire layout: charts, scans, watchlists, sidebar panels, all of it. Useful when you are moving between computers or when someone wants your exact setup, not just one indicator.
Method 3: Paste raw code from the web. You found a ThinkScript snippet on a forum or site like usethinkscript.com and want to drop it into your platform manually. Three more clicks than Method 1.
We will walk through all three.
Method 1: Import a Study from a Shared Link
This is the workflow you will use most often. Whether the link comes from a friend, a Discord, or a free-download page, the steps are the same.
Step 1: Copy the Shared Link
Get the link onto your clipboard. It will look something like http://tos.mx/abc123. Email, text, Messenger, Discord, anywhere is fine, as long as you can copy it.
Step 2: Open Setup > Open Shared Item
Inside ThinkOrSwim, click the Setup menu in the upper-right corner. In the dropdown, select Open shared item.
Step 3: Paste the Link and Preview
A small dialog opens with a black entry box and an example URL beneath it. Click into the box and paste your link. Hit Preview on the right. ThinkOrSwim shows you what is about to be imported, including the name the original author gave the study.
Step 4: Rename (Optional) and Import
If the auto-generated name is something generic like “ThinkScript Study for May 12,” rename it to something you will recognize later. Then click Import. ThinkOrSwim confirms the import with a small notification.
Step 5: Add the Study to Your Chart
Click the studies icon at the top of the chart panel. In the search box on the left, start typing the name of the study you just imported. It will appear in the results. Select it, click Add selected, then OK. The study is now active on your chart.
Method 2: Share Your Own Study or Workspace
Sometimes you are on the other side: you have a custom study or a finely-tuned workspace and you want to send it to someone else (or to yourself, on another computer).
Sharing a Single Study
Click the studies icon, find your custom study in the list on the left, and right-click it. In the dropdown, select Share. A dialog appears with a default name (usually the date). Rename it if you want, then click Share.
A small popup at the top of the screen shows the generated link. It disappears quickly, but do not panic. The link is already on your clipboard. Paste it into an email, message, or wherever you need it.
Sharing a Whole Workspace
Workspaces capture your entire platform layout: the sidebar panels, watchlists, news feed, custom chart studies, every tweak you have made to the default install. To share one, open the Setup menu in the upper-right and click Share workspace.
Same flow as a study share: a dialog appears with a default name, you can rename it, then click Share. The link lands on your clipboard automatically.
Loading a Workspace on a New Computer
If you ever switch computers or need access to your setup on the road, this is gold. Personally, I email a workspace link to myself. To load it, paste the link into Setup > Open shared item, hit Preview, then Import. To activate it, click Setup again and the new workspace will be listed at the bottom of the menu. Click it, confirm, and your platform is identical to wherever you saved it from.
Method 3: Paste Raw ThinkScript Code from a Website
Plenty of useful scripts live on community sites and forums as plain code, not shared links. Here is how to get one of those into ThinkOrSwim.
Step 1: Find and Copy the Code
Search Google for what you want. For example, if you trade futures and want a study that tells you the notional value of each contract, search “thinkscript futures notional value.” Sites like usethinkscript.com usually have a clean code block you can copy. Highlight the entire block and copy it.
Step 2: Create a New Study in ThinkOrSwim
Click the studies icon in the upper-right of your chart panel, then click Create in the lower-left of the dialog. The code editor opens with a single placeholder line: plot Data = close;.
Step 3: Paste the Code
Delete the placeholder line. Click into the empty editor, right-click, and paste. Your code now sits in the editor.
Step 4: Name and Save
At the top of the dialog, give the study a name you will remember. Something like Futures_Notional_Value beats the default. Click OK in the lower-right.
Step 5: Add It to a Chart
Same as Method 1: click the studies icon again, search for the name you just gave it, select it, click Add selected, then OK. Pull up a relevant chart (a futures contract like ES, in our example) and verify the study is calculating correctly.
Why This Matters
Once you are comfortable importing scripts, your platform stops being limited by what TD Ameritrade ships out of the box. You can:
- Add specialized studies built by traders who solved a problem you have.
- Move your full setup between machines without rebuilding it from scratch.
- Test community scripts in seconds before deciding whether to keep them.
- Share your own work with a single link instead of copy-pasting blocks of code.
If you have downloaded any of our free indicators, this same import flow is exactly how you install them. Each one ships as a shared link or a .ts file, and the same five clicks work for all of them.
How to Import a ThinkScript Study into ThinkOrSwim.ts
# Futures_Notional_Value
# Sample script referenced in the tutorial.
# Paste this into a new study (Studies > Create) to see
# tick size, tick value, and one-lot share count for any
# futures contract on your chart.
// ... 15 more lines ...Open ThinkOrSwim, click the Setup menu in the upper-right, and select Open shared item. Paste the shared link (it will look like http://tos.mx/...), click Preview, then Import. The study is now in your library and can be added to any chart from the studies dialog.
Open the studies dialog from the chart panel, click Create in the lower-left, delete the placeholder line in the editor, then paste your code. Give the study a memorable name and click OK. The new study will be searchable from the studies list.
Yes. Click Setup in the upper-right and select Share workspace. ThinkOrSwim generates a link that captures every panel, chart, watchlist, and custom study in your current layout. Anyone who imports it gets your exact setup. Many traders email the link to themselves so they can restore their full platform on a new computer.
Importing only adds the study to your library. To display it, click the studies icon on the chart, search for the study by name in the left-side search box, select it, click Add selected, then OK. If the name is something generic like ThinkScript Study for May 12, renaming it during import makes it easier to find.
Community sites like usethinkscript.com publish hundreds of free scripts as plain code. Search Google for what you want (for example, thinkscript futures notional value), copy the code block, and paste it into a new study in ThinkOrSwim. Our own indicator library at tosindicators.com/indicators ships every download as either a shared link or a .ts file, both of which work with the import flow above.
Useful next steps after you have the import workflow down:
- Browse the full library of free ThinkOrSwim indicators (every one of them installs with the steps above).
- How to Build a Heiken Ashi Trend Dots Indicator in ThinkOrSwim for a follow-up tutorial that walks through writing a study from scratch.
- The Squeeze Course if you want a structured walkthrough of trading the TTM Squeeze using imported studies.
