How to Create a Torrent (with Pictures)

This article was co-authored by Luigi Oppido and by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article’s instructions and verified that they work.
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This wikiHow teaches you how to create a torrent file. Torrent files are essentially links to specific uploaded files, such as a video you want to send to a friend.

Steps

Install qBitTorrent

1. 1Open the qBitTorrent website. Go to https://www.qbittorrent.org/download.php in your computer’s web browser.
   • While most torrent applications will allow you to create a torrent, qBitTorrent is the only ad-free torrent client which is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.[1] X Research source
2. 2Select a download link. Depending on your operating system, click one of the following options:
   • Windows — Click 64-bit installer to the right of the “Mirror link” heading in the Windows section.
   • Mac — Click DMG to the right of the “Mirror link” heading in the Mac section.

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3. 3Double-click the downloaded setup file. This will open the file.
4. 4Install qBitTorrent.[2] X Expert SourceLuigi OppidoComputer & Tech Specialist Expert Interview. 31 July 2019. Depending on your computer’s operating system, do the following:
   • Windows — Click Yes when prompted, then follow the on-screen installation prompts.
   • Mac — Drag the qBitTorrent app icon onto the “Applications” folder shortcut, then follow any on-screen instructions. You may need to verify the download before qBitTorrent will install.

Copy Trackers

1. 1Open the torrent tracker list. Go to http://www.torrenttrackerlist.com/torrent-tracker-list/ in your computer’s web browser.
2. 2Scroll down to the tracker list. It’s under the “Torrent Tracker List” heading near the top of the page.
3. 3Select ONE URL in the list. Click and drag your mouse cursor across a URL in the list to select. You can release the mouse button once you reach the end line.
4. 4Copy the URL. Press Ctrl+C (Windows) or ⌘ Command+C (Mac) to do so. At this point, you’re ready to begin creating your torrent.

Create the Torrent

1. 1Open qBitTorrent. Click or double-click the qBitTorrent app icon, which resembles a “qb” on a blue background.
   • You may need to click I Agree before qBitTorrent will open.
2. 2Click Tools. It’s at the top of the qBitTorrent window (Windows) or the screen (Mac). A drop-down menu will appear.
3. 3Click Torrent Creator. You’ll see this in the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the Torrent Creator window.
4. 4Click Select file. It’s near the top of the page. A pop-up window will appear.
   • If you want to create a torrent using an entire folder, click Select folder here instead.
5. 5Select the file you want to use. Go to the folder location of the file (or folder) you want to use, click once the file or folder, and click Open or Choose.
6. 6Check the “Start seeding immediately” box. This will ensure that you are uploading the torrent’s files, meaning that someone else will be able to download them.
   • Failing to seed your torrent’s files will result in a dead torrent.
7. 7Enter your copied tracker URLs. Click the “Tracker URLs” text box in the “Fields” section of the menu, then press Ctrl+V (Windows) or ⌘ Command+V (Mac) to paste in the URLs you copied earlier.
   • Many of the trackers in this list won’t work, which is why you’re copying and pasting all of them into the URL text box instead of just selecting one.
8. 8Click Create Torrent. It’s at the bottom of the window. A pop-up window will appear.
9. 9Select a save location. Click the folder in which you want to save your created torrent file.
10. 10Click Save. It’s at the bottom of the window. Doing so will save your file and begin seeding the torrent, meaning that the torrent is now available for download.
11. 11Send the torrent to a friend. For someone to download your torrent’s files, they’ll just need to double-click the torrent to open it in their default torrent application and then confirm the torrent’s files’ download location.
    • As long as you’re seeding the torrent, your friend should be able to download the torrent with no trouble.

Expert Q&A
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• QuestionHow can I avoid getting a virus when torrenting?Luigi OppidoLuigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.
  Computer & Tech SpecialistComputer & Tech SpecialistExpert Answer
• QuestionAfter creating a torrent, can I delete the files used to create it?kresten SckerlCommunity AnswerOnly if you have someone else seeding your file, otherwise it will be useless.
• QuestionHow can I make a torrent folder?Community AnswerBy clicking Create New Torrent and then instead of Add File, click Add Folder.

Tips

• When using torrents, make sure to first download a trustworthy antivirus program to protect your computer from any harmful downloads.[3] X Expert SourceLuigi OppidoComputer & Tech Specialist Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.
• The more seeds a file has, the quicker it will download.
• If you want to install qBitTorrent on Linux, just type in sudo apt-get install qbittorrent and enter your password when prompted.

Warnings

• Avoid using torrents to upload copyrighted or illegal content. Doing so can get your IP address blacklisted by your torrenting service, or—in extreme cases—your address may be reported to authorities.[4] X Expert SourceLuigi OppidoComputer & Tech Specialist Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.

References

1. ↑ https://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-free-torrent-client
2. ↑ Luigi Oppido. Computer & Tech Specialist. Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.
3. ↑ Luigi Oppido. Computer & Tech Specialist. Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.
4. ↑ Luigi Oppido. Computer & Tech Specialist. Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.