# Getting started > Your first minutes in ChartRider – the five-step tour, signing in with Google or as a guest, the dock with its function keys, and where to go next. Updated: 2026-10-25T01:50:47.000Z · https://chartrider.com/docs/getting-started/ ChartRider opens on a live chart. You can look at markets and add indicators straight away; paper trading, competitions and strategies need a free account, which you create by signing in with Google. ## The tour The first time you open a chart, after you have made your privacy choice, a welcome card appears: **Welcome to ChartRider**. **Take the tour** (5 steps · about a minute) walks you through the app; **Skip** closes it. | Step | Title | What it shows | |---|---|---| | 01 Paper trading | Trade live markets with play money | **Trade** (`F4`): 10,000 USDT of play money on real prices – long or short, with leverage, take profit and stop loss. Every trade counts for your stats and the leaderboards. | | 02 Competitions | Compete against other traders | **Compete**: weekly competitions and leagues with a fresh play-money account, a ranking, badges and XP. | | 03 Your chart | Every market, every tool | **Symbols** (`F2`) to pick a market, **Indicators** (`F3`) to add indicators, right-click for drawings, and **Go to** (`Alt` + `G`) to jump to any moment. | | 04 Backtest | Test an idea on the chart | `F5` runs the active strategy on this chart: every entry and exit appears as a trade, with key metrics such as win rate, drawdown and capital factor. | | 05 Your strategy | Build your own strategy | **Strategies** (`F6`): triggers, filters, exits, stop and target without code – or written in WickScript – tested with **Run strategy** on every market of your watchlist. | Each step highlights its button in the dock. Move with **Next →** and **← Back** or the arrow keys, `Enter` and `Space`. On the last step the button reads **Let's go**. **Skip tour** or `Esc` ends the tour at any time. If a button is not on screen – on a phone, or because you are not signed in yet – the step is shown in the middle of the screen with a short hint, and a **Sign in with Google** button if you are signed out. The tour starts by itself only once per browser. To watch it again, open **Help** (`F1`) and click **Take the tour**. ## Sign in Click any sign-in button (for example **Sign in** in the order panel) to open the sign-in dialog, **Step into the cockpit**, and continue with your Google account. Signing in creates a free account with: - **Paper trading** – 10,000 USDT of play money on live markets and order books. - **Competitions** – free sprints, seasons and leaderboards. - **Session Volume Profile** – tick-based volume profiles for every session. - **Your setup, everywhere** – drawings and settings saved to your account. - **Strategies** and **Backtest** in the dock. Play money can't be bought or paid out – there is nothing to deposit. Your Google name and email are never shown publicly; leaderboards and competitions use a trader name you choose yourself (see [Competitions](https://chartrider.com/docs/trading/competitions/)). You stay signed in on this browser for 14 days. **Sign out** in the top bar (desktop) signs you out and reloads the page. ### Continue as guest Below the Google button, **or continue as guest** lets you pick a display name and click **Continue**. Guests can explore charts and indicators; paper trading, competitions, tick-based profiles and strategies need a Google sign-in. Without signing in at all, your settings and drawings stay in this browser only. More about accounts, invites and privacy: [Account, plans and invites](https://chartrider.com/docs/account/). ## The dock On a desktop the dock is the column of buttons at the right edge of the chart. Hover a button to see its name and key. | Button | Key | Opens | |---|---|---| | **Help** | `F1` | Help and shortcuts, the tour, legal links and the invite dialog | | **Community** | – | ChartRider support and community on Telegram | | **Symbols** | `F2` | The symbol table with your watchlist – see [Symbols and watchlist](https://chartrider.com/docs/charts/symbols-and-watchlist/) | | **Indicators** | `F3` | The indicator library – see [Indicators](https://chartrider.com/docs/indicators/) | | **Trade** | `F4` | Paper trading next to the chart – see [Paper trading](https://chartrider.com/docs/trading/) | | **Compete** | – | Competitions, leaderboards and trader profiles | | **Strategies** | `F6` | Your strategies, their watchlist, steps, date windows and **Run strategy** – see [Strategies](https://chartrider.com/docs/strategies/) | | **Backtest** | `F5` | Runs the active strategy on the current chart and shows its trades and key metrics | | **Play** | `Alt` + `R` | Replay of the chart, if your account includes it – see [Replay](https://chartrider.com/docs/charts/replay/) | | **Settings** | `F10` | Candle colors, chart options and the time zone | | **Fullscreen** | `F11` | Fullscreen on and off | Pressing the key of an open panel closes it again. **Strategies** and **Backtest** appear once you are signed in with Google. On a phone the bar at the bottom has **Symbols**, **Indicators**, **Trade**, **Share**, **Help** and **Fullscreen**. Strategies, backtests and settings are desktop features. A few more keys are worth knowing from the start: `Alt` + `1` … `0` switch the timeframe (1m to 12h), `Alt` + `G` opens [Go to](https://chartrider.com/docs/charts/go-to/), and `Esc` closes dialogs and menus. All of them are listed under [Keyboard shortcuts](https://chartrider.com/docs/reference/keyboard-shortcuts/). ## Where to go next - Learn the chart: [Charts](https://chartrider.com/docs/charts/), the [chart menu](https://chartrider.com/docs/charts/chart-menu/) on right-click and the [drawing tools](https://chartrider.com/docs/charts/drawing-tools/). - Place your first paper trade: [Paper trading](https://chartrider.com/docs/trading/) and [Orders](https://chartrider.com/docs/trading/orders/). - Join a sprint: [Competitions](https://chartrider.com/docs/trading/competitions/). - Test an idea without code: [Strategies](https://chartrider.com/docs/strategies/) and the [Trade Setup](https://chartrider.com/docs/strategies/trade-setup/). - Write your own indicators and strategies: [WickScript](https://chartrider.com/docs/wickscript/). Paper trading uses play money only. Nothing in ChartRider or in these docs is investment advice.