Buzz
Torrent files are one of the most common ways to share files over the internet, and at first glance, they might seem overwhelming to new users. But once you understand how they work, you'll be able to access nearly any file you can imagine. Using a torrent program is completely legal, as long as you have the right to download, view, and distribute (share) the file. Always make sure you're permitted to legally use any file you download. See Step 1 below to learn how to use the BitTorrent program.
Steps
Install BitTorrent
Go to the BitTorrent website. You can download the program for free from the BitTorrent website. The download link is located in the center of the homepage. If you need an installer for a different operating system, click on the “Other Platforms + Betas” link below the “Get BitTorrent” button.
Download and install the program. You will be prompted to choose between the free version and BitTorrent Plus. Most users don't need the Plus version since the free one allows unlimited torrent file downloads and opens.
- Always download the BitTorrent program from the official BitTorrent website. While there are other torrent apps, the program named BitTorrent should only be downloaded from the official developer’s website.
Ensure file associations are set correctly. If you want BitTorrent to be the default app for opening torrents, make sure it’s properly associated with .torrent (.tor) files and Magnet URIs. You can confirm this during installation. If you skip this step, your browser will only download the small torrent file. If BitTorrent is linked with .tor files, it will automatically detect when your browser downloads a .tor file, open it, locate the actual content you want, and seamlessly download it.
- BitTorrent may attempt to offer free music or adware during installation. Make sure to disable these options unless you want them.
Allow BitTorrent through your firewall. The first time you run BitTorrent, you may be asked whether to grant the program access. If you want to download torrents, BitTorrent needs to bypass the firewall. If you don’t see this prompt for automatic permission, follow this guide for manual setup.
Set your preferences. After installing BitTorrent, open the program to configure a few settings before you begin. In the main window, click Option → Preferences. Here are some options you should configure before starting your downloads:
- Click on the Directories option. This page allows you to set where to store newly downloaded files. You can also move downloaded files to another folder after completion.
- Click on the Bandwidth option. You can set upload and download limits, which is useful if you have a bandwidth cap. Setting this to “0” allows your connection to reach its maximum possible transfer speed.
- Click on the Queuing option. This setting lets you configure the number of torrents you can upload and download at the same time. This option helps you focus on downloading one file at a time or multiple files simultaneously. You can also set the seeding parameters, indicating how long you will share the file.
Download Torrent Files
Find a torrent tracking website (torrent tracker). There are many websites that post torrents. Some are more reliable than others. Torrent trackers come in two main types: public trackers and private trackers.
- Public trackers are open to everyone. These are the sites you find when you search for torrent trackers online. Due to their open nature, many torrents are monitored by copyright holders, and downloading copyrighted files, software, etc., may be interfered with by your internet service provider.
- Private trackers require an invite. You can’t access these sites until a member invites you. They usually have requirements like paying for access or maintaining a specific data/upload/download ratio. Private trackers are less likely to receive takedown requests from copyright holders.
Search for the file you need. Most public torrent trackers have new programs, movies, albums, games, as well as older but popular files.
- Use common shorthand to search for the file you need. For example, if you want to find episode three of season five of 'Law and Order' in HD format, search for: 'Law and Order s05e03 720p' or 'Law and Order s05e03 1080p.'
Download torrents with a large number of seeders. The speed at which you download a torrent depends on many factors. A torrent with a large number of seeders is a highly desirable variable, and a low number of leechers (downloaders) is equally important. These two variables interact with each other and influence your download speed. Other factors, such as the speed of your internet connection and the upload speed of the seeder, are beyond your control.
- Most torrent sites allow you to sort search results by the number of seeders. Look for files with a high number of seeders. You’ll not only download faster, but these files are also less likely to be fake or infected with viruses.
- The number of leechers also impacts your download speed. A leecher is a user who is downloading but hasn't yet started uploading. A leecher becomes a seeder once the entire file has been downloaded. If there are significantly more leechers than seeders, your available bandwidth will be lower, slowing your download.
Find a file that balances size and quality. This is especially important when downloading videos. Often, there are several versions of a release with varying file sizes. The size differences are due to how the video and audio are encoded. In general, the larger the file, the better the quality. Look for certified torrent providers. Some sites add tags/icons next to the provider's name. Click on them to understand their definitions.
- On the other hand, downloading a larger file will take much longer, depending on your connection speed.
- Read as many comments as you can to learn what other users think about the quality of the file and whether it’s worth your time to download. Some torrent sites have rating systems allowing users to vote on the file’s quality.
Download a magnet link if available. Magnet links aren’t actual files but rather small pieces of text. This unique text allows the torrent to assemble content and accurately download files. Magnet files operate outside the typical torrent process and reduce the risk of downloading a corrupted torrent file.
Open torrent files with BitTorrent. If you've set up BitTorrent to associate with .torrent files, it will automatically launch when you open one. Your download will begin once you establish a connection with the first peer.
- It may take some time to connect with peers, especially if you have a poor internet connection or are downloading a low-quality torrent.
- You can monitor your downloads in BitTorrent’s main window. Each file will have a progress bar next to it.
Download a good video player. Torrents can be used to transfer any file type, and many of the most common video formats are not supported by Windows Media Player or QuickTime. You’ll need a video player that supports a variety of codecs and formats.
- VLC Player is a free, open-source media player that can play almost any type of media file you download. It’s highly recommended if you download a variety of video files.
- ISO files are disk image files and must be burned or mounted on a virtual drive to run. These can be direct copies of disks or package folders.
- If you want to play media files on another device, you may need to convert them to a format compatible with that device.
Be cautious of viruses. Since torrents are rarely legal, there’s little control over the types of files created. This means hackers can embed viruses in torrent files, hoping to spread them to other users. Viruses are often paired with popular searches to maximize the number of victims.
- Always scan any files you download for viruses.
- Check comments and ratings to see if anyone has reported getting a virus from the torrent file.
Share a Torrent File
Share after completing the download. Once you’ve finished downloading a torrent file, you become a seeder. This means you are uploading data for other users connected to the tracker.
- Sharing is what keeps the torrent community alive. Without seeders, no one can download the files.
Maintain a good ratio. If you're using a private community, you’ll be expected to keep a positive ratio with the community. This means you need to upload at least as much as you download.
Run your torrent client in the background. Most internet service plans have slower upload speeds than download speeds. This means that uploading to maintain your ratio can take a considerable amount of time compared to your downloads. Let your torrent client run in the background while you do other tasks, and you’ll see your upload volume increase significantly.
- Running a torrent program in the background shouldn't affect web browsing or word processing much. Resource-intensive tasks like streaming video and gaming will benefit first if you close the torrent program.
Set a ratio limit. BitTorrent allows you to share a torrent until you reach a preset ratio. In the Queuing section of the Preferences menu, you can set the ratio you prefer. If you’re using a private tracker, you should set at least 200%. This means that a 300MB torrent will be shared until you upload 600MB.
Open Files Downloaded by BitTorrent
Many files you download are compressed or in a format that isn't ready to be played or opened. In short, they require another program to handle them. Non-media files and applications are often compressed into .zip, .rar, .001, .002... and many movies are compressed into .mkz, .qt... formats, meaning you might need to install a separate codec if your media player can't play these files. Fortunately, most codec packs come bundled and can be easily installed – for example, K-Lite (www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm). The WinRAR program can handle .zip, .rar, .001, .002... files.
Create a new folder and move the downloaded files into it. You can minimize the damage caused by malicious software downloaded into your installed software by creating this folder on a different partition or hard drive that doesn't contain important data. Run any necessary programs to open the file for viewing or extraction of the contents. Carefully check the extracted files for suspicious ones (for example, movies or MP3 music files shouldn't have .exe or .com files, as they could contain viruses).
Scan the folder with antivirus software. Don't skip this step! Evaluate the results to determine whether you should proceed or not.
Play or open the file. After you’ve extracted the contents of a file to display individual program files, videos… in a recognizable format (.avi, .mp3, .mkz, .exe, .com…), you can open them with a media player or run/install the application.
Tips
- Viruses are unlikely to move from one disk to another on their own. If you copy it from one drive to another, you may infect both drives. That's why you should have a drive or partition of at least 10GB or more with nothing else inside for testing. By moving and working with downloaded files on this drive, the virus can only affect the contents of the drive it resides on. In this case, with nothing else on the drive, it can be easily deleted/formatted without causing any damage or loss to your operating system or personal files. Once you’re confident there’s no threat, you can copy, move, or run files to your main drive or partition and delete files from the “test” drive.
- Install a protective program to prevent nosy people from snooping on your downloads. PeerBlock or PeerGuardian are recommended. These programs act as firewalls with enhanced protection when using peer-to-peer (p2p) sharing programs.
- A torrent with no seeders but high numbers of leechers means you can still complete the download, but without any seeders, the file content won't be available.
- Another program alternative to BitTorrent; UTorrent is also available, but it may come with many viruses if you’re not careful about where (or what) you download, just like all other peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing applications.
Warning
- In most cases, you will run into trouble if you share a copyrighted work. Owning the work itself isn’t the issue. If you decide to share a copyrighted work via torrent, you might face fines, imprisonment, or both if caught. The BitTorrent program forces you to upload the torrent while downloading it. You can clearly observe this when you set your upload rate to 0; at that point, the download will stop. For this reason, it’s clear that whenever you download (whether it’s copyrighted or not), you’re also sharing it.
- You can download/upload torrents anonymously and avoid detection by using a VPN service. Make sure you check reviews and consider whether the VPN allows BitTorrent traffic, maintains logs, and offers high speeds, as speed is a crucial factor that is often overlooked. Incognitoline has conducted extensive tests on this particular area.
