Do you want to download torrents but worried about your online privacy and security? Then this guide is for you, in this, we will see everything about torrenting you need to know and also how to download torrents safely and anonymously without worried about restrictions and malware.
Torrenting is very popular these days. Because you can download huge files like games, movies, TV shows, Software, and anime series in torrent format to get their files quickly, from all over the world.
Sounds Good right But, here lies the major problem. Since it been very popular Hackers are trying to exploit your private information while you are torrenting. Torrenting is good, but you need to do it Safely in order to protect your data and Don’t be at risk by torrenting on an unprotected internet connection.
So, in this article, we will discuss how to download your files across the world in a safe manner and anonymously. Let’s jump in. But before we start let’s find out what torrenting is?
What is Torrenting?
As we all know that Data is will be stored in the form of bits.
- Torrenting is a process of downloading these bits of Data or Pieces of files from different sources and combining them to form the desired file you are downloading.
Meanwhile, as this is known by the world. Tons of people use Torrenting to share and download huge files or the files they want from the internet for free.
Can Torrents can be Dangerous?
Downloading torrent might be dangerous Even if we keep the legal issues aside when you surf the internet without any safety measures for a file.
Torrenting has got a bad name because torrent files may contain a dangerous virus. Which might harm your device and sometimes might breach the Copyright laws accidentally.
There are some direct effects of Torrenting, while some of them breach the data security and others are indirect effects.
- Virus: Torrent files have been a reliable source of Malware. Since it takes only one file to install a virus to damage your device. This is also considered an easy way for hackers to infect the targeted devices.
- Prone to Hackers: When you connect to a torrent client your IP address will be visible for everyone sharing the file you wanted. This leads to a loophole for hackers to attack your system by tracking your activity.
- Data breach: As there is a security breach for your data in this process. When you don’t assign a folder for your downloads especially.
- Bandwidth limit: If your ISP knows that you are torrenting. As it will show that you are using a lot of bandwidth to Download Music, albums, or movies. They will reduce your speed.
But now might be thinking what is the solution to avoid all these issues? Then no need to worry now we now are going to explore the same in the next section.
Here are few things you should consider while download torrents:
- Always use a good quality VPN
- Download from safe torrent sites only
- Download using trustworthy torrent client
- Look for the torrents with more seeds.
- Check comments before downloading.
- Avoid file types that are prone to viruses.
Well, using a good quality VPN can help us to fix all these problems mentioned above. Here some of the features & concerns that we had with torrenting and how a VPN can fix.
- Encryption: It will prevent your ISP and other third parties to monitor your activities on the internet.
- Hide IP: Routing the torrents using VPN will hide your IP and you are connected to Torrent Network.
- Anonymity: To Torrent, Anonymously VPNs are the simple & safe way to protect your device from Risk.
- Bypass blocks: VPNs let you bypass the censorship and content restrictions. So, that you will be able to access all the content you want over the internet.
- Block Malware and Ads: While Some of the VPNs provide additional features along with the above-mentioned ones like blocking ADs etc.
After seeing all the benefits you get by using a VPN. You might be decided to use a VPN. But, wait no that easy you have to choose a VPN which is good for safe Torrenting again.
What is VPN?
VPN abbreviate (Virtual Private Network) which will help you in encrypting your internet traffic and anonymize your connection by providing an IP Mask. They will offer you privacy while you surf over internet. They will also make your online actions untraceable.
How to Pick the Best VPN for Torrenting?
Don’t use every VPN you found on the internet. Since they claim to be safe for torrenting. Every VPN doesn’t do its job in protecting you. When you are choosing a VPN you should look for the following features to ensure that you will be safe while torrenting.
- Support P2P: Every VPN doesn’t support file sharing. You need to ensure that your provider has a P2P server. You need to choose a VPN supporting P2P.
- You can’t even trust VPNs unless they have Zero Logging Policy. If not they can log your activity probably like everything you do on the internet.Tor
- If you suddenly drop out of the VPN connection. You should not connect to the internet to keep your identity private. So a VPN should have Kill Switch.
- You read that file-sharing increases your bandwidth. Your VPN should offer unlimited bandwidth. Make sure that your provider not using data caps. Most free VPNs limit your Bandwith usage.
- Uninterrupted Speeds. Connecting to a free VPN might slow down your internet speed. Torrenting even slows you down with heavy file transfers when you are being shared by lots of people. Best VPNs don’t have these issues.
- Full App Benefit. The VPNs should be full app since some of them are not. But only offers Browser extensions as these cannot protect you from the torrent client.
So far you have studied everything about why we need VPNs and what they can do to keep us anonymous while downloading torrent files. You have to configure your VPN Before you start Torrenting.
Configure Your VPN for Safe Torrenting
- Choose a VPN, We prefer using NordVPN for Safe Torrenting as it has many benefits than others.
- Download & Install the VPN App, to download and install NordVPN, check out our guides for Android, iOS, Windows and macOS.
- After completing the installation Open the VPN and Complete Sign-in/Login Procedure and adjust the settings
- Make Sure that your Encryption is AES 256. Since the default one is 128-bit Encryption.
- Make Sure that you are using better Protocol as PPTP is older protocl, which is not reliable.
- Turn on Kill Switch If not turned on.
- Enable DNS and IP Leak Protection
- Split Tunneling, is a very helpful feature since this will encrypt the torrent data and leave the local sites unencrypted.
- Choose a Server that is torrent-friendly from a list of P2P-enabled servers. Choose a server where torrenting is legal and the sites which you want to visit are not blocked.
- Click on the Connect Option. Then your device will establish a secure connection. So that you can torrent anonymously.
Once all this setup is completed then we need to have a torrent client which will help in downloading the torrent files.
How To Install Torrent Client and Download Torrent?
- Here we will use uTorrent as Torrent Client and guide you on how to install that and use that for downloading files. Go to the uTorrent Official Website and click on the Download uTorrent Web.
- After clicking download, If you are to choose any plan then choose else go for the free version and click on Keep if your system detects it as a Harmful file.
- Install the file after downloading then run the file. You are now ready to download the torrent files.
- Go to any torrents available site, like YTS Official Website. Using the Search bar navigate to the movie you want.
- For Example, if you want to download Monster Hunter (2022), Search that and see the results.
- Now click on the download button under the thumbnail.
- A popup window appears asking you to choose the quality of the movie to download.
- Once you click on the magnet button under the quality you want. A menu appears on the uTorrent web app. Grant the permission it will redirect to the uTorrent web page.
- Once you choose the files you want to download. Now click on the Add button below.
- Now it will start downloading the files, wait till the download gets finished, and enjoy.
Best Torrent Sites to download files Safely
You can use this same procedure for other websites as well mentioned above. We ranked these websites based on the availability, content, download speed.
- The Pirate Bay: Overall Best & Safe Torrent Site
- NYAA.si: Best Torrent site for Anime
- 1337x: Best Torrent Site to download Software and Apps
- RARBG: Best for High-Quality Movies
- YTS: Best for Latest Movies
- LimeTorrents: Best Torrent site for Games
- Torlock: Best for eBooks and Anime
Use some extensions available on chrome to avoid popups and other content that pops up when you visit the website.
Some Torrent Terms to Choose Good Torrents
- Seeds: A seed is considered as a peer who has the file you want to download and they can share the file. So the higher the seeds the faster the torrent gets downloaded.
- Comments: Read the comments before downloading so that you will come to know whether the file is working or containing the virus.
- Virus: Attackers will target all executable files and BAT files so keep an eye on them. Also, check whether they have virus or not by checking comments.
Seedbox for Torrents
High-speed internet usually signifies that you can download the files at a faster speed to close your torrent client quickly. Seedbox also helps you hiding your IP to offer privacy and security while downloading the torrents. You can think of this as a remote server that helps P2P users to download files.
Seedbox uses BitTorrent protocol to help users to download and upload files from popular torrent sources. One of the main advantages of using Seedbox is that it will provide a huge bandwidth to work with large files quickly.
This helps you in torrenting anonymously with simple steps.
- It will hide your IP so that your ISP will only know that you are connected to Seedbox. But not actually for downloading torrents.
- It will use HTTPS encryption while you download the files. So that it will prevent your ISP and all others from snooping on your traffic.
Use of Antivirus/Antimalware Protection
Though using Antivirus or Antimalware are not the correct solution to download torrents. But still, you can use them to consider the following situations.
Still, if you download a torrent anonymously using everything and there is no track that you downloaded the file. But, what if the file contains viruses or malware?. They don’t take much time to infect your systems and handover the valuable information or destroy everything. So that they can,
- Sell your personal information
- Uses your information for scams
- They might even threaten you about forwarding the info, that you are torrenting to your ISP or copyright agencies.
As VPNs keep you anonymous but not prevent you from malware and virus. So You need to have antivirus as well.
Conclusion
To keep their device safe and data secure many people are adopting VPNs for Torrenting. VPN’s offers many benefits along with the best encryption in keeping you anonymous while you are surfing the internet. While we accept torrenting is the best way for exchanging files. Even if you are attacked by hackers VPNs show them pieces of code rather than showing the data.
FAQs
Is it legal to torrent for downloading files?
Torrenting is a sharing procedure that is completely legal in most countries. But using this for downloading files containing materials & software, will be considered illegal. There are risks at most by accidental click on the wrong link leads you to pay a fine, when you are marked by your ISP. So, we recommend using a VPN always.
How your ISP track your Torrenting Activities?
They can identify the type of file that you are downloading and the port that you are connected to. They can monitor the bandwidth usage since torrents will use high bandwidth so that they will know that you are torrenting. But with the VPNs, they can never know your online activities.
Can I use Tor Browser for Torrenting?
Tor browser might keep you anonymous but it is not designed to handle P2P file sharing. The Tor Project creator asks the public to avoid using BitTorrent with Tor. They mention that they cannot handle huge traffic and isn’t safe. So it is not good to use.
Using Free VPN for Torrenting?
The answer is yes, but we don’t recommend using a free VPN because there might be tons of free VPNs available. All of them will not let you download torrents.
Will Torrenting get you arrested?
You will not go to court by downloading torrents often. But if you are caught torrenting illegally then your ISP can take action against you. But less severe measures like sending out warning letters or might slow down your internet connection usually.
There might chances where you will have to pay the ISP and the Owner of the copyrighted material.
