This guide walks you through safely rebuilding a NinjaTrader workspace to resolve stability issues such as crashes or restart loops. Rebuilding a workspace is often the most effective way to isolate a corrupted workspace state or a third-party add-on that may be causing instability.
Importantly, these steps do not change your Machine ID and do not require re-licensing any third-party software.
Before You Start
A few things to know before you begin:
Creating a new workspace does not change your Machine ID
Your existing third-party licenses remain valid
This process does not reinstall NinjaTrader or your VPS
Your existing workspace remains untouched unless you choose to remove it later
Step 1 — Close NinjaTrader Completely
Close all NinjaTrader windows.
Confirm NinjaTrader is fully closed and that no NinjaTrader processes are still running in the background (you can verify this in Task Manager on Windows).
This ensures the new workspace starts from a clean state.
Step 2 — Create a Brand-New Workspace
Launch NinjaTrader.
From the Control Center, click New → Workspace → New Workspace.
Give the workspace a temporary name (for example,
Clean_Test).When the workspace opens, do not load any charts, indicators, strategies, or add-ons.
You are now running NinjaTrader in a clean workspace state.
Step 3 — Confirm Platform Stability
Leave NinjaTrader running in this empty workspace for 10–15 minutes.
Do not enable any strategies or add-ons during this period.
Confirm that NinjaTrader remains stable and does not restart or crash.
If NinjaTrader is stable at this stage, the base platform and system are healthy, and the issue is almost certainly tied to a specific component in your previous workspace.
Step 4 — Gradually Rebuild the Workspace
Rebuild the workspace slowly, one component at a time. This is the critical step for identifying what's triggering the instability.
Recommended order:
Charts — Add one chart, then let NinjaTrader run for a few minutes.
Indicators — Add indicators gradually, confirming stability after each addition.
Strategies — Enable strategies one at a time and monitor for restarts.
Add-ons (e.g., trade copiers) — Add these last, one at a time.
After each addition, pause for several minutes and confirm NinjaTrader remains stable before moving on.
If NinjaTrader restarts or crashes after adding a specific component, stop — that component is likely the cause. Make a note of it and continue without it for now.
Step 5 — Save and Use the Rebuilt Workspace
Once everything is loaded and stable, click Workspaces → Save.
Optionally, set this workspace as your default.
Keep the old workspace as a backup, or remove it later once you're confident the new one is stable.
If Issues Continue
If NinjaTrader becomes unstable even with a clean, empty workspace:
Contact support with details on which step caused the issue.
We may recommend a NinjaTrader platform reinstall as a next step.
This still does not require a VPS reinstall.
This still does not change your Machine ID.
A full VPS reinstall is a last resort and is not typically required.
Need Help?
If you're unsure where the issue occurs or need help identifying a specific add-on or strategy, reach out to support with:
The name of the workspace being tested
The exact step where instability occurs
Any relevant NinjaTrader log or trace files