Easy Tech TutsHow to Set 20 EMA in TradingView Easily 2026
By Impran M NLast checked against official docs
The 20 EMA is a favorite among short-term traders for spotting trend direction and pullback entries. Getting it configured correctly, and reading it right once it's on the chart, matters more than most beginners expect.
This guide covers how to find the exponential moving average in TradingView's indicator search, set its length to 20, and explains what the resulting line is telling you. It's built for scalpers, intraday traders, and anyone using moving averages for the first time.
01Open the Indicators panel and search
Click Indicators in the top toolbar of any TradingView chart, then type a partial word like 'expo' into the search box instead of the full name. TradingView's search matches substrings, so 'expo' is enough to surface every exponential-based indicator. Under the Technicals section, 'Moving Average Exponential' is the one you want; TradingView also ships a plain 'Moving Average' (simple) and variants like Ribbon or Weighted, so read the full name before clicking instead of grabbing the first result.
02Add the indicator and confirm it's exponential
Clicking Moving Average Exponential drops it onto your chart with a default length of 9, and a small label in the top-left of the price pane confirms what's active, something like 'EMA 9 close' followed by the current value. That label is the quickest check that you added the exponential version and not the simple moving average. The two plot as nearly identical lines but weight recent price differently.
03Open settings and change the length to 20
Click the indicator's name where it appears on the chart, or the small gear icon beside it, to open its settings. Length and Source sit under the Inputs tab; line color and weight are under Style.
Change Length from 9 to 20 and confirm. The on-chart label updates immediately, so you can check the change without reopening the settings panel.
04Read the 20 EMA label on your chart
Once set, the label reads something like 'EMA 20 close' followed by the live value, and the plotted line hugs price more tightly than a longer-period average would. TradingView calculates it as today's close times a multiplier, plus yesterday's EMA times one minus that multiplier, where the multiplier is 2 divided by (length + 1). A shorter length gives recent candles more weight, which is why a 20 EMA turns and reacts closer to real time than a 50 or 200 period average.
05Use it for trend and pullbacks, but not alone
With the 20 EMA live, the common read is simple: price holding above the line suggests a short-term uptrend, and pullbacks that touch the EMA without closing decisively below it are the entries many intraday and swing traders watch for. The reverse applies in a downtrend, where the EMA acts as resistance on bounces instead of support on pullbacks.
Two mistakes show up often. One is trading the EMA alone; a single moving average shows where price has been relative to itself, not where it's going, so pair it with price action, volume, or a second indicator.
The other is applying a 20-period setting meant for short-term charts to a much higher timeframe and expecting the same pullback behavior. The same length behaves differently on a 5-minute chart than on a weekly one.
Frequently asked questions
How is the 20 EMA different from the 20 SMA?
The EMA weights recent price data more heavily than older data, so it reacts faster to price changes and hugs price more closely than a simple moving average of the same length.
What timeframes work best with the 20 EMA?
It's most commonly used on shorter timeframes for intraday and scalping strategies, though the same setting can be applied to any timeframe depending on your trading style.
How do I make sure I added the exponential version and not the simple moving average?
Check the label in the top-left of the chart after adding it. It should read 'EMA' followed by the period, not 'MA' or 'SMA', confirming you picked Moving Average Exponential instead of the plain Moving Average.
Is the 20 EMA a standalone trading strategy?
No. Most traders use the 20 EMA alongside other tools, like price action or additional indicators, instead of relying on it in isolation.
Where do I change the EMA's length after adding it?
Click the indicator's name on the chart, or its gear icon, and change Length under the Inputs tab. Style, for color and line weight, is a separate tab.
Sources and last check
Click path and screens come from a walkthrough recorded in mid-2025. The default length, the Length/Source/Offset settings, and the EMA formula were re-checked against TradingView's official Exponential Moving Average support article in September 2026. The default was confirmed as 9, matching what this guide already showed from the recording, so no correction was needed there.
About the author
Impran M N
I've been hooked on technology for as long as I can remember — especially the new tools and AI apps that seem to land every other week. Easy Tech Tuts is where I write up whatever I've just worked out: I do the task in the real product, record the screen, and turn it into the guide I wish I'd found first.
