How to backtest these indicators using the TradingView Strategy Tester to see their historical win rate for 2026?

Backtesting allows you to see how your VIP Indicators would have performed in the past before you risk real capital. In 2026, TradingView has made this process more intuitive with AI-assisted tools and deep historical data.

1. Manual Backtesting: The Bar Replay Tool

If you want to feel the "emotional" side of trading without the risk, use the Bar Replay tool. This is the best way to test how you personally react to signals in real-time.

Activate Replay: Click the "Replay" icon in the top toolbar.
Jump to Past: Select a starting point on your chart (e.g., six months ago). The chart will "rewind," hiding everything that happened after that date.
Play the Market: Click the "Play" button or use the "Step Forward" button to move the market one candle at a time.
Log Your Trades: When your VIP Indicator gives a signal, manually record your Entry, Stop Loss, and Take Profit in a spreadsheet.

2. Automated Backtesting: The Strategy Tester

For a faster, data-driven approach, you can turn your indicator signals into an automated strategy.

Open Strategy Tester: Click the "Strategy Tester" tab at the bottom of the TradingView interface.
Add a Strategy: Note that only "Strategies" (not just "Indicators") can run automated tests. Look for the strategy version of your VIP tools (e.g., "VIP Buy/Sell Strategy").
Adjust Properties: Click the Settings (gear icon) within the Strategy Tester to set your:
- Initial Capital: (e.g., $10,000).
- Order Size: (e.g., 1% of equity per trade).
- Commission & Slippage: Crucial for 2026! Set this to your broker's actual rates (e.g., $7 per lot on Exness Raw Spread) to get realistic results.

3. Interpreting the Results

Once the test runs, TradingView provides a detailed Performance Summary. Focus on these three metrics:

Metric	Goal for 2026	Why it Matters
Net Profit	Positive	Your total gain after all commissions and losses.
Percent Profitable	> 55%	Your win rate. For scalping, higher is better; for swing trading, lower is okay if the winners are large.
Profit Factor	> 1.5	The ratio of gross profit to gross loss. A factor above 2.0 is considered excellent.
Max Drawdown	< 10%	The largest "peak-to-trough" decline. This tells you how much pain you would have to endure.

4. Avoiding the "Repainting" Trap

A common issue with "VIP" or "Predictive" indicators is Repainting—where an indicator changes its past signals based on future data to look perfect.

The Test: During Bar Replay, watch if a signal appears on a candle and then disappears two candles later. If it does, the indicator is unreliable for live trading.