Help center

Install

The client runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. The installer includes the runtime, so you don't need to install .NET separately.

1. Download the installer from the install page and run it. The first time, read and accept the disclaimer.
2. Open Tick Data Downloader from the Start menu or the desktop. There is no server address to fill in.
3. When a new version comes out, the client tells you, and once you confirm it downloads and installs it by itself.

The client's interface uses the WebView2 component that comes with Windows. Windows 11 already has it; if a stripped-down Windows 10 lacks it, the client says so and opens Microsoft's download page. Install it and open the client again.

Activate

The first time you open it, a four-step guide walks you through: Agreement, Activate, Folders and First download. An activation code looks like MON-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX: paste it in and click Activate.

• An activation code is for one computer only. To move to another computer, tell us on the Messages page; the new computer gets a new code.
• Upper or lower case both work, and so do the different dashes that copying can produce.
• Trial codes start with TRIAL- and can be used once per computer. They cover the last 31 days: ticks for one symbol plus minute bars for one symbol (it can be the same one). Forex has only ticks, A-shares only minute bars, and Binance has both.
• Request a trial code on the Messages page: choose the type “Buying, licensing and use” and we'll send it in our reply. You can also ask for one under Help & feedback in the client.

Downloading data

The Data page lists the symbols the server has. The On server column is the date range you can download, and On this PC is what this computer already has. Select a symbol to see its details, local coverage and a price preview on the right.

Downloaded data and exported files go into two separate folders. You can see and change where both are in Settings, but don't put them in the same place.

Downloads slow or keep failing: in the client, switch to the other route under Settings → Download route and try again. In Automatic mode the client switches to the other route by itself when one cannot connect.

Import into MT4

One-click import into MT4 writes history for offline charts (.hst) and real ticks for the Strategy Tester, for modelling quality of up to 99.9%.

1. Open Import to trading app and choose MetaTrader 4. If no terminal is found, start MT4 once first; for a portable install, use Add portable… and pick its folder.
2. Choose the trade server and symbol. Name in the terminal is filled in the way your broker writes it, such as EURUSD.r or EURUSDm, and the files use that name.
3. Choose the chart timeframes to build and the date range. The M1 the tester needs is always included. Dates not yet on this PC are downloaded first.
4. Time zone: most brokers use GMT+2/+3 (New York close). When the client can tell the server time from the terminal's history, it picks it for you; change it only if it doesn't match your charts.
5. Quit MT4 before importing (File → Exit), then click Start import. While MT4 runs it holds the history files; if the client sees it is still open it will tell you. Quit it, tick I closed it and carry on.

How to check: in MT4 choose File → Open Offline and open the symbol; in the Strategy Tester pick it with the Every tick model and the same dates as the import, and the report should show 99.90% modelling quality.

Not happy with an import? Click Undo under Recent imports at the bottom of the page: the files it wrote are deleted and any files it overwrote are restored. Close MT4 before undoing, too.

Import into MT5

One-click import into MT5 creates a custom symbol with M1 bars and real ticks, ready for “Every tick based on real ticks” backtests. Your broker's own symbols are left untouched.

1. Choose MetaTrader 5, the terminal and the symbol.
2. Copy settings from decides which of your broker's symbols the contract size and margin settings are copied from. If unsure, leave the default.
3. Tick Include ticks if you need to backtest. The files are larger and the import is slower.
4. Click Start import. The client starts MT5 with the bundled import script; the script runs once and the terminal stays open. If MT5 is already running, the client lists the steps to run the script by hand on the page.

How to check: open Market Watch, right-click → Symbols, and find it in the TickData group under Custom; its chart shows the imported bars; in the Strategy Tester choose it with “Every tick based on real ticks”.

Other programs

• AmiBroker: if AmiBroker is installed, the data is written into the current database through its own import and saved. If it isn't found, the file goes to the export folder; import it in AmiBroker with File → Import ASCII.
• Excel: a CSV with a header is created and opened in Excel straight away.
• Python / pandas: a CSV is created along with ready-to-run pandas code and a Jupyter notebook. The notebook's charts need matplotlib (pip install matplotlib).
• NinjaTrader 8: the files go into NinjaTrader 8's import folder, with a subfolder each for ticks, M1 and D1, named after the NinjaTrader symbol, such as EURUSD.Bid.txt or EURUSD.Last.txt. NinjaTrader can only import ticks, M1 and D1. In NinjaTrader choose Tools → Import → Historical Data, pick the format “NinjaTrader (beginning of bar timestamps)”, the data type from the file name (Bid, Ask or Last) and the time zone you exported with, then click Import and choose the files.
• cTrader, TradingView: CSV export only. Ordinary accounts on these two can't load local history into broker charts, so the files are for cTrader Automate, tools that read CSV, or analysis elsewhere.

Buying and renewing

Prices are on the pricing page: single symbol $1.20 for life, all markets (monthly) $15 / month. You buy on the client's License page:

1. Under Pay by QR code, scan a code with WeChat or Alipay and pay the plan's price in Chinese yuan: CN¥8 for a single symbol, CN¥98 a month for all markets.
2. Under I have paid, choose the plan, fill in the amount and how you paid, and click Send. The payer's nickname or a payment note helps us find the payment faster.
3. Once we confirm the payment, your activation code appears under Your payments on the same page; click Activate.

Renewing: a monthly plan renews without a new code. When you send I have paid, turn on Renew this computer's monthly license; once we confirm, your license is extended and the License page shows the new expiry date.

If you haven't installed the client yet and have questions first, write to us on the site's Messages page.

Customers outside mainland China: if the client's License page shows Pay with crypto, you can also pay in a stablecoin on one of the networks it lists, in the coins it lists for each (TRON takes USDT only, Base USDC only; Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum and Solana take both), and the code is issued automatically once the payment arrives.

Messages and feedback

Describe the problem on the client's Help & feedback page. Ticking Attach the recent log helps us find the cause faster; your user name and computer name are removed from the log first. Our replies show under Your messages, and you can reply underneath.

Without the client, use the site's Messages page; replies show on that page too. Whether the server is up and any maintenance notices are on Service status.