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A step-by-step guide to downloading movies with BitTorrent
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To download movies with BitTorrent, you'll need a BitTorrent client like qBittorrent. Once installed, download the .torrent file for a movie, open it in the client, and start the download. When the download is complete, double-click the file to watch it.

Quick Steps

  1. Install a BitTorrent client like uTorrent or qBittorrent.
  2. Search the web for the name of a movie and "filetype:torrent".
  3. Download the file ending with .torrent .
  4. Open the .torrent file in your BitTorrent client.
  5. Select the movie and click Start .

For popular FAQs on downloading movies with BitTorrent, jump to more common questions .

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Downloading and Installing a BitTorrent Client

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  1. BitTorrent is the oldest torrenting client, and it's still being updated. It works on both Windows and Mac OS X. [1]
    • Other popular and recently updated torrent clients are uTorrent, qBittorrent, Deluge, and Vuze.
  2. Once you've downloaded the torrent client you want to use, open the installation file and follow the installation instructions to install it on your computer.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Finding and Downloading a Movie Using a BitTorrent Client

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  1. To use a torrent client, you'll need a .torrent file. You can use a search engine to search for specific filetypes. On Google, type filetype:torrent and then the name of the movie you want to download.
    • The filetype:torrent search works on other search engines like Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo.
  2. Torrent sites often have a lot of pop-up ads and ads that may be inappropriate for children. Torrent sites are also often being shut down due to copyright violations and not all of the links will work.
    • The search result link may take you to a website where you can download the torrent file or it may download the file directly.
    • Torrent websites often list the number of seeders for each torrent file. Seeders are the people currently uploading parts of the torrent file.
  3. Depending on your torrent client, you can often click and drag the torrent file into the torrent client window to open the file. You can also use the File menu to Open the torrent file. Double-clicking the torrent file will also often open the torrent file in your torrent client.
  4. Most torrent clients won't start the downloading the file until you manually start it. Click the torrent file to select it, and then click the start transfer button. It usually looks like a play arrow button.
    • When the file starts downloading, you'll see how many people you're downloading the file from, and how many people you're uploading it to. The more people uploading, or seeding, the file, the faster it will download.
    • When the file is done downloading, you can continue to seed the file by leaving your torrent client open.
    • Movie files can come in many different file formats. Depending on the file format, you may need to download a new video player.
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Common Questions

Is BitTorrent illegal in the US?

It is not illegal to download torrents in the United States. However, if you download a movie that is protected by copyright laws, you could be fined, as well as terminated by your ISP.

Is BitTorrent free?

BitTorrent software is usually free for all platforms. While some developers may charge for versions of their BitTorrent clients, open-source options like qBittorrent are 100% free.

Can I trust BitTorrent?

While BitTorrent is not inherently risky, some of the torrents you'll find may be. Downloading copyrighted content is illegal, and some people use BitTorrent to spread viruses and malware. To stay safe with BitTorrent, use up-to-date antivirus protection and only download legal content.

Do I need a VPN for BitTorrent?

A VPN is not required to download movies with BitTorrent. However, if you want to download copyrighted content, a VPN can help you do so without getting caught. Keep in mind that using a VPN is not foolproof—if the VPN fails, your activity will be visible to your ISP and anyone else monitoring your activity.

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Warnings

  • If a movie only has a few seeders, you may need to wait a long time for it to download.
  • Downloading a movie isn't illegal, but sharing it is. By uploading, or seeding, a movie, you may make yourself vulnerable to a lawsuit from the copyright holder of the movie you're downloading. [2]
  • If you're caught downloading movies using BitTorrent, you might receive a warning letter from your ISP. In that case, it would be best to stop. Continuing will put you at risk of having your internet service disconnected and you might also face charges for copyright infringement. [3]
  • Only download movies that are in the public domain or have a creative commons or similar license. Do not download movies that say all rights reserved.
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Things You'll Need

  • a BitTorrent client
  • a computer
  • an Internet connection

About This Article

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