How to Seed a Torrent

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

Learning how to seed a torrent is an important part of torrent sharing. This wikiHow guide will teach you to seed torrents, helping you become an important member of the torrenting community.

Steps

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid1323035-v4-728px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This is a piece of software that handles the torrent sharing process for you. There are many clients available for free download on the Internet; search for and read reviews for some of them to determine which one is right for you. Some of the most popular bittorrent clients are Tixati, uTorrent, Vuze, Ares, and Transmission.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d9\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-2-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-2-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d9\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-2-Version-3.jpg\/aid1323035-v4-728px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-2-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This can be done easily using a bittorrent search engine. There are several of these on the Internet, and they are specially designed to find users with the torrent file you are looking for. Popular torrent search engines include The Pirate Bay and Isohunt. You may also have some luck searching for a torrent on a regular search engine.
    Advertisement
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/be\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/be\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/aid1323035-v4-728px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    A file with the ".torrent" extension is simply a text file that acts as a pointer to the real file in which you are interested. Once the file is where you want it to be on your hard disk, don't move it again (otherwise, the torrent client will have trouble finding it).
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8b\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8b\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/aid1323035-v4-728px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This is usually achieved by double-clicking on the file. The bittorrent client will automatically search the Internet for users who have that exact torrent. It will then connect you to those users and begin downloading and piecing together the file.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/56\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-5-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-5-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/56\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-5-Version-3.jpg\/aid1323035-v4-728px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-5-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Your bittorrent client will label users as either "leechers / peers" or "seeders." Leechers are users who only have part of the file, and seeders are users who have the whole file. The more users you are connected to, the faster your download will be. [1]
    • Once you have finished downloading the file, leave the bittorrent client running. This is how you seed torrents, and this step is crucial to the health of the file sharing community. By leaving the software open, you are allowing other users to download pieces of the file from you ("seeding").
    • It is important that you upload at least the file's size worth of data; for example, if you download a 300 MB file, you need to seed until other users have downloaded 300 MB worth of that file from you.
    • The ratio of downloading to uploading that you do is carefully tracked by the Bit Torrent software, and that ratio determines how fast you are allowed to download. If you only download files and then immediately close your software, your download speeds will suffer because you are not doing your part for the file sharing community.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/9d\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-6-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-6-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9d\/Seed-a-Torrent-Step-6-Version-3.jpg\/aid1323035-v4-728px-Seed-a-Torrent-Step-6-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This step is optional. You can continue to seed the file as long as you want (and this will establish a very good ratio), but once your upload to download ratio for that file is about 3 to 1, you can safely delete the .torrent file to reduce clutter.
    7. Advertisement


Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How do you know your upload to download ratio?
    Community Answer
    In info, under transfer, somewhere it should say share ratio. For example: share ratio: 4.9.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 13
  • Question
    Do I have to seed my file?
    Community Answer
    Seeding is completely optional, but it is recommended for other people to download that same file also. No seeds = no download speed.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 10 Helpful 43
  • Question
    How do I leach a torrent if the ratio is low?
    Community Answer
    It's fine, a low ratio could also mean a low connection or that no one is downloading the file anymore.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 4
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • It's a good idea to check the descriptions of torrent files on search engine results for notes about corrupt or dummy files. Users of Bit Torrent communities are generally helpful when it comes to avoiding these types of files.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      • Be aware that by downloading files (such as movies or songs) which you don't already own, you are probably violating copyright law. There is a very real risk of litigation for users doing this.
        Thanks
        Helpful 32 Not Helpful 9
      Advertisement

      Things You'll Need

      • Bit Torrent client

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Seed Files
      How to
      Install a Torrent Game
      How to
      Download Games on Torrent
      How to
      Safely Download Torrents
      How to
      Download from Pirate Bay
      The Ultimate Guide to Increasing uTorrent Download Speed
      Simple Ways to Download Torrents & The Most Popular Torrent Sites
      How to
      Download and Open Torrent Files: The Ultimate Guide
      How to
      Open a Torrent File on a Desktop or Mobile Device
      How to
      Use Torrents
      Simple Ways to Download Files with uTorrent
      Installing the BitTorrent Client: Easy Install Guide for PC & Mac
      How to
      Create a Torrent
      How to
      Use BitTorrent
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.techopedia.com/definition/21987/seed-bittorrent
      2. http://torrentfreak.com/how-and-why-bittorrent-works-a-visualization-100217/

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 534,723 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement