Find Contracts With the Tradovate Instrument Selector
Every chart, DOM, and order ticket in Tradovate starts with the same question: which contract are you trading? Here's how the Instrument Selector answers it.
Every chart, DOM, and order ticket in Tradovate starts with the same question: which contract are you trading? The Instrument Selector is how you answer it. It's the combined search bar and dropdown that finds any futures contract in Tradovate's database and drops it into whatever module you're working in.
What Is the Tradovate Instrument Selector?
The Instrument Selector is a combined dropdown menu and search bar that sets the instrument shown across every market-data and order-entry module in the Tradovate web app. Search by symbol, by keyword, or by a specific contract month, then send the result to a chart, a SuperDOM, an order ticket, or a plain quote window. One tool feeds the whole workspace, so you're never retyping the same symbol in five places.
Finding Contracts: Step-by-Step
Open the Instrument Selector
Look for the search bar running across the top of the Tradovate web app, near the clock and notification ticker. Click it once and it wakes up before you've typed a thing, showing your Recent Searches and a list of Popular Instruments. If you trade the same handful of contracts every day, your symbol is often one click away right there.
Search by Symbol, Keyword, or Contract Month
Start typing and the list filters live. You've got three ways in: Symbol, type a root like ES, NQ, CL, or GC, or a micro like MES and MNQ. Keyword, type a name like "crude" or "gold" when you can't remember the root. Contract month, type a full code like ESZ5 to jump straight to one expiration.
Pick the Right Contract Month
Futures aren't a single symbol. They're a ladder of monthly contracts, and Tradovate names each one the same way: the root symbol, then a one-letter month code, then the last digit of the year, no spaces. So the December 2025 E-mini S&P is ESZ5. Stick with the front-month contract, the nearest expiration, where the volume and liquidity sit, unless you have a real reason to trade a later month. Loading a thin back-month or a contract that's about to expire is a fast way to get poor fills or a rejected order. When a contract nears its expiry, roll to the next active month.
Load the Contract Into a Module
Once you've found the contract, you decide where it lands: Left-click a result to open it in a Quote Info window. Hover over a result to get a small launch menu, send it straight to a new Quote Info, Alerts, or Trade module. Click and drag the contract onto the workspace to spin up a new SuperDOM, Chart, Market Analyzer, or Time & Sales. Drag-and-drop is the fast path once your layout is set. If quotes come up delayed or a symbol won't load, that's almost always a market-data subscription issue rather than the selector itself.
Swap the Instrument Inside an Open Module
Don't rebuild your chart every time you change contracts. Left-click the instrument name in the tab at the top-left of any module and the same search dropdown appears right there. Pick the new contract and the module reloads around it, your indicators, timeframe, and layout all stay put.
Contract Month Codes
| Month | Code | Month | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | F | July | N |
| February | G | August | Q |
| March | H | September | U |
| April | J | October | V |
| May | K | November | X |
| June | M | December | Z |
Why You'd Need This
- Trade the active contract, picking the correct front-month symbol keeps you in the liquid market and off dead back-months.
- Set up faster, one search feeds every chart, DOM, and order ticket, so your workspace comes together in seconds.
- Avoid rejections, loading a valid, non-expired contract heads off a whole class of order errors.
- Line up automation, the exact symbol you select here is the symbol your bots and alerts need to route orders to, and prop-firm contract rules vary by firm and account size, so check your firm's current rules too.
Automate This with PickMyTrade
Once you know which Tradovate contract you're trading, PickMyTrade keeps your automation pointed at it. It maps your TradingView alerts to the right contract and routes orders into Tradovate on its own, no manual clicks, no fat-fingered symbols, no missed fills.
Keep Automation Pointed at the Right Contract
PickMyTrade maps your TradingView alerts to the right contract and routes orders into Tradovate on its own.
Start Your Free 5-Day TrialFrequently Asked Questions
Click the search bar at the top of the Tradovate web app and type a root symbol, a keyword, or a full contract code. The dropdown filters as you type, and you can left-click, hover to launch, or drag a result into the module you want.
It's the root symbol, then a one-letter month code, then the last digit of the year, with no spaces. For example, ESZ5 is the December 2025 E-mini S&P, since Z is the December code and 5 is the year.
In most cases the front-month contract, the nearest expiration, because that's where the volume and tightest spreads are. Move to a later month only if your strategy calls for it, and roll forward before the current contract expires.
This guide is for educational and informational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or trading advice. Trading futures and other leveraged products carries a substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. PickMyTrade is an independent third-party automation platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tradovate, Inc. "Tradovate" and all related names, logos, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Platform features and steps change over time, so always confirm the current process in the official Tradovate platform and documentation before acting.