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Getting Started
Basic how-to torrent guide to get you started

Hello!

This is a quick start guide. If you have any questions, check out our FAQs or Glossary if you want to learn the meaning of a specific term.

To start downloading torrents, you will need two things:

  1. Torrent link
  2. Torrent client

Torrent link is basically the download link for the torrent file or folder. It carries all the metadata and comes in two types:

  1. Magnet URL
  2. .torrent file

The client can be a dedicated torrent downloader or it can support both torrent and direct downloading. For example qBittorrent & LibreTorrent is dedicated torrent downloader. On the other hand, aria2 & 1DM support both torrent and direct downloading.

For this guide, we will use qBittorrent v5.0.1 and download files from Nyaa. Other clients should work in a similar manner, with minor UI changes.

Basic UI guide

The columns are customizable. You can rearrange them, adjust width or choose which ones to keep (by right clicking on them).

  1. You add Magnet URL here
  2. You open .torrent file here
  3. Delete selected torrent file(s)
  4. You can start downloading a paused torrent or start seeding a completed torrent
  5. You can pause a downloading torrent or stop seeding a completed torrent
  6. Settings of qBittorrent
  7. Status of the particular torrent, which can be:
StatusDescription
DownloadingThe torrent is actively downloading files from peers.
SeedingThe download is complete and the torrent is now sharing data with other peers.
PausedThe torrent is inactive, ready to resume if started again.
QueuedThe torrent is waiting for its turn to download or seed, due to queue settings.
CheckingThe torrent data is being verified to ensure data integrity.
Downloading MetadataThe torrent is fetching metadata (file names, sizes) from peers before starting the download.
StalledThe torrent is trying to download or seed, but can’t progress due to lack of peers or poor connection.
ErrorThere’s an issue with the torrent, often related to file system or tracker problems.
Missing FilesqBittorrent cannot find the files, due to moved/modified/deleted files.
  1. The number of people seeding (uploading) the files. The number inside the () means total people seeding, outside one means the number of people you are downloading from.
  2. The number of people leeching (downloading) from you. The brackets work the same as in the previous column.
  3. The amount of Uploaded divided by Downloaded data. In general, it's good practice to keep it higher. Not necessary for public trackers, but you need to keep it above 1 for private trackers.
  4. Availability indicates the health of the given torrent. Being equal or greater than 1 means that all files are available for download. If it's less than 1, you can't fully download the torrent.
Why does qBittorrent look different?

Default dark mode of qBittorrent is just too ugly. So we are using a custom theme, Iceberg.

  1. Download ICEBERG.qbtheme from here.
  2. Open qBittorrent, press Alt + o & check Use custom UI theme
  3. Select your downloaded ICEBERG.qbtheme from File explorer
  4. Press Apply and restart qBittorrent

README

If your ISP is known for sending legal notices for using torrents, you should get a VPN and bind it in the torrent client. Recommended VPNs are added in FAQs. You will find the vpn binding guide here.

Downloading Files ​

Using Magnet URL ​

  1. Go to the torrent page
  2. Right click on Magnet
  3. Click Copy Link
  4. Go to qBittorrent
  5. Click on Add Torrent Link
  6. The magnet URL should be auto pasted in the filed. If not, paste it there manually. Click Download.
  7. After loading for a few seconds (depending on the seeds) it will show all the files and folders, where to download them, and other settings. After adjusting everything, click OK
Image Preview

You can also open the magnet link just by clicking on it, after selecting your default torrent downloader:

  1. left click on it
  2. Check "Always allow https://nyaa.si/ to open magnet links"
  3. Click Choose Application
  4. Click Choose...
  5. Go to C:\Program Files\qBittorrent
  6. Select qbittorrent.exe
  7. Click Open
  8. Check "Always use this application to open magnet links"
  9. Click Open Link
Image Preview

Using .torrent File ​

  1. Click on Download Torrent. It will download a .torrent file.
  2. Double click on it.
  3. It will show all the files and folders, where to download them, and other settings. After adjusting everything, click OK