Test one exact contract and a small date range, inspect the history connection and platform log, and check the provider’s history entitlement or download limit. Live quotes can continue while a history request fails. Start with those checks before deleting local data.
Educational software guidance. Trading involves risk. Read the financial and information disclaimers.
Establish what is missing
Record the contract, bar type, requested dates, timezone and platform version. Separate a blank chart from missing older bars, incorrect session filtering or absent bid/ask-volume data. Compare one other specific contract; do not use a continuous symbol to assume a particular expiry's history exists.
Try one controlled reload
For Quantower, its Rithmic troubleshooting guide documents right-click chart → Reload history (server) and checking the Event Log. Use a small range. Repeated large downloads can consume the allowance without fixing a permissions problem.
In another platform, use that platform's supported reload procedure. Preserve local data and custom settings before any vendor-directed repair; this guide does not prescribe deleting the NinjaTrader database or cache.
Check the provider allowance and data source
Rithmic's FAQ, checked 7 October 2026, describes historical tick coverage from December 2011 and a 40 GB weekly user limit resetting at noon ET on Sunday. This is a service description, not a promise that every platform exposes every instrument and data type back to that date. Ask the provider to confirm actual usage when a limit is suspected.
For Sierra Chart, its Rithmic service guide separates trading, live-data and history credentials and explains the Denali alternative. Use the instructions for the data source actually selected; do not populate Rithmic data fields if that workflow does not use them.
Distinguish the next action
| Observation | Next action |
|---|---|
| One contract/range fails | Verify expiry, requested range and session filter |
| Permission response | Provider checks entitlement and credentials for that service |
| Download allowance confirmed exhausted | Reduce future requests and use the confirmed reset time |
| Same range fails in RTrader too | Send both observations to provider; this alone does not prove a server outage |
| RTrader succeeds, one platform fails | Send platform version, settings and its log to that platform's support |
Interface reference
Common questions
Why do live prices still update?
Live and historical requests are different services. A successful live subscription does not establish that a history request was accepted.
Should I reload every chart repeatedly?
No. Isolate a small reproducible request and check the response before consuming more download allowance.
Must an expired contract have no history?
No. Expiry prevents treating it as the active tradable contract, but historical availability is a separate question.
Does a gap prove corrupted cache?
No. Session filters, permissions, source coverage, request limits and connection failures can also explain a gap.