Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Downloading torrents
• Part 2 of 3: Playing torrents
• Part 3 of 3: Troubleshooting
• Warnings

Torrents are one of the most popular ways to share files online. You can find just about anything shared via torrents, and it's also a great way to share files between friends and family. Torrent files actually contain no content at all from what you download. Instead, they direct you to other computers sharing that file so you can download it directly from other users.

• Having trouble opening the file you downloaded? click here
• Can't find the file you want? click here
• Do you have problems downloading files quickly? click here

To step

Part 1 of 3: Downloading torrents

1. Use torrent files to download files shared by other users. Torrent files are small files that tell your computer how to connect to other computers sharing the file you want to download. You then download small pieces of the file from any computer you connect to. The torrent program then packs these chunks together and gives you the completed file. Since you are connecting to multiple computers at the same time, torrents are one of the fastest ways to download large files and they don't require a central server like a website or FTP would.
   • The torrent files themselves, which have the extension .torrent do not contain the files you are downloading. They simply act as pointers to the files on other users' computers.
2. Download and install a torrent client. To download torrent files, you need a so-called torrent client. This is the program that handles connections with other torrent users and manages the file download process. There are several torrent clients available, but a few of the most popular options are listed below:
   • qBittorent (Windows, Mac, Linux) - qbittorrent.org
   • Deluge (Windows, Mac, Linux) - deluge-torrent.org
   • Transmission (Mac, Linux) - transmissionbt.com
   • Flud (Android)
3. Set up the torrent client. Before you start downloading torrent files, you may need to check a few settings in the torrent client. The process varies depending on the client used, but in general the options are very similar. You can find the Options or Preferences menu in the menu bar.
   • Check the "Connection" section and make sure the "UPnP" check box is checked. This allows you to connect with the most possible torrent users.
   • Check the "Bandwidth" or "Speed" section and set an upload speed limit. In general, this should be set to about 80% of the actual maximum upload. This prevents the torrent client from hiding the connection while uploading files.
   • Open the "Downloads" section and select a location to save the completed files.
4. Find a torrent file to download. The most common place to find torrent files is on a torrent tracker site. These are essentially torrent lists that show information about the file being shared through that torrent, as well as how many users are sharing it. You can find torrent trackers by searching the internet for the desired file plus "torrent". Torrent trackers often have comments and ratings that can help you find the best version of the file.
   • Check the number of "seeders" (S) versus the number of "leechers" (L). Seeders are users who have completed the file transfer and are now sharing the file with others. Leechers are users who are still downloading the file and not sharing everything yet. If there are many leechers and very few seeders, the file download may take a while. Conversely, if there are many seeders and not that many leechers, the file should be downloaded at the maximum speed of your connection.
   • Check the comment section for the torrent file before downloading it. This is useful for determining whether the file is of good quality (important for video) and whether or not it is infected with viruses (important for programs).
   • Many legal files are shared via torrents, as they allow anyone to share a file without setting up a server. In most areas it is illegal to download files that you do not have permission for.
5. Download the torrent file. Most clients are configured to automatically open .torrent files after they have been downloaded. If not, you can open the file in your torrent client or simply drag and drop it into the client window. If the queue is empty, it will automatically connect to other users. The download will start and you can follow the progress in the main torrent client window.
6. Wait for the download to complete. The speed at which the file is downloaded depends on many different factors, including connection speed, client settings and torrent status. You cannot use the downloaded files until they are completely ready.
7. Seed a completed file. Torrents survive only when users seed the file for others. Most private torrent communities expect you to maintain a minimal upload-to-download ratio. This usually doesn't apply to public torrent trackers, but it's still considered good torrent etiquette to upload at least as much as you download.

Part 2 of 3: Playing torrents

1. Find the downloaded file. The completed downloads can be found in the folder you created earlier. If you have not changed the destination folder, you will usually find the completed files in the download folder.
   • You can right-click on a completed file in the torrent list and select "Open Containing Folder" to open a window directly to the file.
2. Use an archive extractor to open compressed files (ZIP, RAR, 7z). File compression is common with torrents as it allows the creator to include a large number of files in one file. Compression is also used to shrink files so that large files are transferred more easily. The most common compression formats are ZIP, RAR, 7Z and TAR.
   • Zip files can be opened as native application in any operating system by simply double-clicking the file. After opening the zip file, drag all the contents to another folder on your computer to extract them.
   • To open rar, 7z or tar files, you need an external archive extractor. 7-Zip is one of the most popular free extractors and can open almost any type of compressed file. You can download and install 7-Zip from 7-zip.org. Once you have installed 7-Zip, right-click on the file, locate the "7-Zip" menu and select "Extract files".
   • Some torrents are split into multiple archives, such as r1, r2, r3, etc. Start the extraction process by extracting the first in the series. The file should be automatically combined.
3. Install a new video player to play videos easily. The most common format for torrenting videos is MKV, which cannot be played in Windows Media Player or iTunes. You can play most of the downloaded videos best when using a third party video player such as VLC or MPC-HC. Both video players are free and open-source and can play almost any video format.
   • You can download VLC from videolan.org. It is available for Windows, Mac and Linux and comes pre-installed on some Linux distributions.
   • You can download MPC-HC from mpc-hc.org. It is only available for Windows.
   • After installing the new video player, right-click on a video file and select "Open with". Choose the new video player from the list of available options.
4. Mount or burn ISO files to a blank disc. ISO files are disc image files, which means that they are the exact copy of the original disc. These files can be mounted on your computer as a virtual disc, or burned to a blank disc and then placed in a computer. ISO files are common for copies of DVD movies or software installation discs.
   • In Windows 8 and later, you can right-click an ISO file and select "Mount" to insert the ISO file into a virtual disc. It works as if you placed a physical copy of the disc in a new drive on your computer. OS X also supports mounting ISO files as a native application. In Windows 7 and older, you need to install a virtual disc program to mount the file. Click here for more details.
   • In Windows 7 and later, you can burn the ISO file to a blank DVD by right-clicking the ISO file and selecting "Burn to disc". You can use the disc scanner utility in OS X to burn ISO files to DVD. In Windows Vista and older you need to install a burning program that supports ISO files. Click here for more details.
   • There are also several other disc image formats, including BIN, CDR, NRG, and more. You need a special image burning utility to burn them to a disc regardless of the operating system.
5. Scan exe files for viruses before running them. It is very risky to run exe files downloaded via torrents and is generally not recommended unless you absolutely trust the source. Even then, you should scan the exe file with an antivirus program to be on the safe side. If you want extra security with this, run the exe file on a virtual machine first, so that it doesn't affect the rest of the system.

Part 3 of 3: Troubleshooting

1. Search online for information about specific file extensions. If you've downloaded a file from a torrent and you don't know how to open it, search for the extension with your favorite online search engine. This will help you find out how to open the file and whether it can even work on your computer. For example, exe files don't work on a Mac and DMG files don't work on Windows.
2. If the download is slow, find a torrent with more seeders. If the torrent file is not downloading very fast, try looking for another file with more seeders. Keep in mind that you can never download faster than the maximum speed of your internet connection.
3. Restart the network hardware if you have connection problems. From time to time, torrents can clog the network and suddenly stop working. The quickest way to fix this problem is to unplug the modem and router and plug it back in after about a minute. This will restart your home network and hopefully fix the connection problem.
   • Make sure the UPnP option is checked in the Options or Preferences menu of the router.
   • If Windows asks you to allow firewall access for your torrent client, accept it.
4. Do not install programs and games that you have not legally purchased. When installing these programs, you often need to use a key generator program to bypass the program's copyright protection. These key generators can be very dangerous and install malicious software on your computer. The programs themselves can also be changed in a negative way.

Warnings

• Downloading copyrighted material may be illegal.