Installing Thinkorswim Trading Platform on Ubuntu 24.04 and 22.04

Can Thinkorswim run on Ubuntu 24.04/22.04?

In this step-by-step guide Install and run Thinkorswim on Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 This article aims to provide practical methods, Linux commands, security settings, and network and system optimization tips to run Thinkorswim with stability and minimal latency on an Ubuntu desktop or server.

Summary of Methods (Overview)

There are three main ways to run Thinkorswim on Ubuntu:

• Method A — Wine / Bottles (Lightweight, suitable for quick testing on the desktop).
• Method B — Windows VM (KVM/QEMU) (Recommended for stability and security).
• Method C — VPS or Trading Server (For lowest ping and professional use).

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

• Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 up to date: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade.
• Minimum 8GB RAM and 4 cores; 16GB+ recommended for VM or professional environments.
• SSD/NVMe disk to reduce I/O latency.
• Stable internet connection and access to broker service addresses for ping testing.
• Root or user access with sudo.

Method A — Install Thinkorswim with Wine or Bottles (fast, but may be unstable)

This method is suitable for quick testing and use on Linux desktops, but may not always be stable. If you need high uptime, consider a VM or VPS method.

1) Add 32-bit architecture and install Wine/Winetricks

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install wine64 wine32 winetricks -y

Note: In some distributions, the version of Wine in the official repositories may be outdated; in this case, using Bottles (Flatpak) is simpler and more compatible.

2) Install Bottles (preferred)

sudo apt install flatpak -y
flatpak install flathub com.usebottles.bottles

Bottles provides a graphical environment for building wine-prefixes and is compatible with winetricks and the necessary dlls.

3) Preparing the Prefix and Installing Dependencies

WINEPREFIX=~/thinkorswim winecfg
winetricks corefonts vcrun2015 msxml6 gdiplus

In Bottles you can create a new bottle with the type Windows 10 Create or use the commands above.

4) Download and run the Thinkorswim installer

The installation file is usually named thinkorswimInstaller.exe From TD Ameritrade official website It will be downloaded. To run:

WINEPREFIX=~/thinkorswim wine ~/Downloads/thinkorswimInstaller.exe

5) Useful tips and troubleshooting

If the program does not run after installation, use the wine log:

WINEPREFIX=~/thinkorswim wine ~/path/to/thinkorswim.exe &> wine-log.txt 2&& tail -n 200 wine-log.txt

In some cases, it is necessary to install the bundled version of Java with the clean and separate Java program, but often the bundled version is sufficient.

Method B — Install Thinkorswim on Windows VM with KVM/QEMU (High stability — recommended)

For professional traders or when you need uptime and stability, installing Windows in a VM with KVM/QEMU is the best choice.

1) Install virtualization packages

sudo apt update
sudo apt install qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system libvirt-clients virt-manager virt-install ovmf bridge-utils -y
sudo systemctl enable --now libvirtd

2) Creating a Windows VM with virt-manager

Run virt-manager and create a new VM with Windows ISO (Windows 10/11). Select the disk as Virtio and after installing in Windows, install the VirtIO driver.

3) Recommended VM settings for Thinkorswim

• RAM: At least 8–16GB
• CPU: 4+ cores (pinning cores is recommended to reduce latency)
• Storage: SSD/NVMe with virtio driver
• Network: virtio with bridge or macvtap for lower latency
• Display: SPICE or GPU passthrough if needed (requires IOMMU and hardware support)

4) Install Thinkorswim on Windows VM

After starting Windows, open the browser inside Windows and thinkorswimInstaller.exe Download and install it. Check the program's performance settings (such as memory usage and chart rendering).

Method C — Using a trading VPS (cloud solution with optimal locations)

For the lowest ping and highest stability, it is recommended to use a VPS or cloud server located close to the broker/exchange servers. The provider in the example above 85 locations It has a global presence, including New York, London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney.

Location selection tips

• For brokers based in New York: Eastern US or Canada datacenters.
• For European brokers: London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam.
• For Asia: Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong.
• For crypto and exchanges, test the endpoint address with ping/traceroute/mtr.

Latency and Path Testing Tools (Examples)

The following commands are useful for measuring path quality and latency:

ping -c 10 example-broker.com
traceroute example-broker.com

sudo apt install mtr-tiny
mtr --report example-broker.com

sudo apt install iperf3
iperf3 -c iperf.server.example

The best VPS configuration for trading

• CPU with powerful or dedicated cores to reduce computational latency.
• RAM 8–16GB+
• NVMe with high IOPS
• Network with dedicated ports and high SLA (1Gbps or more)
• Support for snapshots and backups
• Anti-DDoS and network layer protection

Optimized settings in Ubuntu/Host for better performance

A few simple tweaks in Ubuntu can increase system responsiveness and stability.

Swappiness setting

sudo sysctl vm.swappiness=10
echo "vm.swappiness=10" | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/99-swappiness.conf

Setting CPU governor to performance

sudo apt install cpufrequtils
sudo cpufreq-set -g performance

Setting the I/O scheduler

For NVMe, usually the scheduler selection is like noob Or none It can be useful. You can also use hugepages in heavy Java environments (advanced).

Security and backup

Some basic security and backup measures that must be considered:

• Basic firewall and port restriction.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (2FA) for your broker account.
• Regular VM snapshots and off-site backups.
• Use a server with Anti-DDoS if you are concerned about attacks.

Example firewall and access commands

sudo apt install ufw
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 3389/tcp
sudo ufw enable

Fix common problems

• The program does not run/crashes: Check the logs (wine log or Event Viewer on Windows).
• Graphic problems: In Wine, use wine-staging or Bottles; in VM, use SPICE or GPU passthrough.
• Disconnecting and connecting data: Check the network path with mtr and ping; you may need to change the server location.
• Slow UI: Give it more RAM or dedicated CPU and check I/O latency.

Practical example: Quick setup with Bottles (command summary)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install flatpak -y
flatpak install flathub com.usebottles.bottles
flatpak run com.usebottles.bottles

After running Bottles, build a bottle, install the corefonts and vcrun2015 dependencies, and thinkorswimInstaller.exe Run.

Conclusion

There are two main ways to run Thinkorswim on Ubuntu: Fast execution with Wine/Bottles Suitable for testing and personal use, and Windows VM or VPS for trading For stability and professional performance. For serious traders, it is recommended to use a VPS with a location close to the broker to achieve the lowest ping and the highest stability.

Available network services and options

Professional services include dedicated trading VPS, anti-DDoS server, BGP network, and GPU/Compute options that can enhance your trading experience. To choose the right location, first test the broker endpoint with network tools.

Frequently Asked Questions