Torrent downloads not safe

Downloading torrents can be dangerous – you could expose yourself to viruses, malware, and hackers. Luckily, it isn’t that complicated to keep yourself safe. A good VPN can help to protect you against all these threats.

A VPN hides your IP address and encrypts your internet traffic so your activity remains anonymous. I tested multiple VPNs and compiled a list of reliable services to protect you while torrenting. My top recommendation, NordVPN, offers a global network of P2P servers optimized for fast file-sharing (plus you can try it out for free for 30 days).

In addition, I’ve listed 4 simple steps and easy beginner tips that you can use to download torrents safely.

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4 Steps to Download Torrents (Easy Enough for Beginners)

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Tips to Download Torrents Safely

1. Use a VPN

When you participate in P2P file-sharing, your IP address is public, which means both your ISP and cybercriminals can trace your activities back to you. If your ISP notices you’re using torrenting sites, it has the right to restrict your bandwidth or cap your internet speeds. As for hackers, they’re known to use unconcealed IP addresses to gain access to your device. By using a VPN, you mask your real IP address with a temporary one in a different location. As a result, you’ll remain completely anonymous while torrenting.

A VPN will also help you access torrenting sites that are blocked in your country. Simply connect to a server in a location where torrenting is condoned, like Switzerland or the Netherlands, and browse through even the most current torrents.

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2. Only Use Legal Torrents

Many popular torrenting sites host both legal and illegal content. As it’s difficult to check which torrents are copyrighted, you should use reputable websites that hold only legal content. That way, you’ll avoid any legal consequences from accidentally downloading illegal files.

Here are some popular torrent sites you can use to download legal torrents:

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3. Configure a Trustworthy Torrent Client

To participate in P2P sharing online, you need to download a torrent client. A torrent client is an app (or browser extension) that accesses, downloads, and manages torrent files on your device. It connects to a torrent server and requests a chosen file from every person who’s sharing it.

For the best torrenting experience, you should choose a torrent client that’s free, fast, and simple. Here’s a list of trustworthy providers you can consider:

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4. Use the Right Seed

A seed (or seeder) is a user with a torrent file fully downloaded and open in their client. They are now sharing this file with other users. If a torrent file has many seeds, it means users download parts of the file from more than one person, speeding up the process. Once you have the complete file in your client, it’s up to you whether you want to become a seed.

Downloading a file, but not seeding it, automatically makes you a leecher as you’re benefiting from someone else. You don’t have to seed every torrent you own, but because P2P file-sharing operates on a community basis, torrenting sites can ban you if you leech a lot more files than you seed.

As it’s nearly impossible to recognize a malware-infected torrent file before downloading it, it’s crucial to look for the number of seeders and leechers each file has. The bigger the number of users (both seeders and leechers) with the file in their torrent client, the more likely it is to be safe.

Popular torrenting platforms use a “flair system” as a security feature to highlight verified users and recognize genuine seeds. For example, PirateBay moderators regularly review seeders to see what kind of files they’re sharing. If a person consistently uploads malware-free materials, they’re labeled with a Trusted (pink skull) or VIP (green skull) tag.

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5. Read the Comments

All torrent platforms let their users leave comments under files they’ve downloaded. The comments are used to either praise safe files or warn others against downloading an infected program. You can find the comments by scrolling down on the file you want to seed.

To see if a torrent is safe to download, simply check if your chosen file has many positive comments.

However, while torrents with many seeds are likely to have many comments, some less popular files may not. This doesn’t mean that the download is dangerous, so always check for other signs of malware mentioned in my guide.

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6. Download Files to a Sandboxed Environment

Sandbox environment is an application that creates a separate, virtual space on your device, which you can use to check torrenting files for malicious software. This allows you to recognize and delete harmful programs without harming your device. It’s especially important if you torrent files ending with .exe (executable files), like operating systems, as they have the authority to make changes on your device. To avoid the risk of creating a backdoor to your device for hackers, always install and open files in a sandbox environment.

There are many free Sandbox programs available online. I found Sandboxie easy to install and use with its simple interface.

Alternatively, you may want to install a full virtual machine on your device (like VirtualBox or Azure VM) instead of a sandbox application. Running a virtual machine creates a whole new operating system on your laptop – it will run separately to your actual OS and won’t allow any viruses or malware to leak through. You can use it to download torrents and test them for malicious files before moving them outside of the emulated environment.

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7. Join a Community

Torrenting communities, like PassThePopcorn and IPTorrents, are groups of peers who only share files between members. Within those communities, users regularly moderate and improve each file while removing those that don’t meet the community’s standards. This enables each person in the community to torrent files free from viruses, scams, and malware.

However, these groups come with certain rules you have to follow to keep your place. In addition to downloading great quality files, you also need to upload (seed) torrents to keep the 1:1 ratio.

Unfortunately, torrenting communities work on an invitation-only basis. As each private group has a limited amount of spaces available, it can be difficult to find a free spot. The best way to get invited is to actively participate in torrent boards, like r/torrents on Reddit. However, remember that this process will take time as you’ll have to develop your online reputation and make friends before anyone considers adding you to their community.

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Quick Guide: 6 Best VPNs for Downloading Torrents Safely

How to Set up a VPN in Under 5 Minutes

VPNs may sound complicated, but they’re really not. It only takes 3 simple steps for you to set up a VPN and start torrenting safely.

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6 Best VPNs for Downloading Torrents Safely

1. NordVPN – Large Global Network of P2P Servers

Key features:

NordVPN offers over 4,800 global P2P servers optimized for fast and secure file downloads. With so many options to choose from, you never have to worry about congested servers causing slower speeds.

During my tests, double-clicking on “P2P” in the server list automatically connected me to a fast UK server – my download speeds reached 31Mbps. I was able to torrent a 37GB file in just over 3 hours without noticeable speed drops.

You can do a lot more than torrent with this service. To test its streaming performance, I streamed Netflix and bypassed the proxy error – I experienced no lag or buffering.

With NordVPN’s military-grade encryption, your internet traffic becomes impossible to intercept. I ran multiple tests to check NordVPN’s kill switch, DNS leak protection, and the status of my IP address. The features worked smoothly, keeping my details protected and invisible to others in the P2P network as well as my ISP.

As an added bonus, I didn’t have to worry about infecting my laptop with viruses from malicious torrents. Their latest CyberSec feature provides an extra layer of protection against malware, suspicious websites, and various online hacker attacks. When turned on, it also blocked all types of ads that would have normally appeared as soon as I opened any torrenting site.

Try NordVPN’s security features with its 30-day money-back guarantee to download torrents safely. You’ll get your money back if you request a refund within the 30 days. I tested this myself and received my money back within 5 business days.

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2. ExpressVPN – Fast Server Speeds for Uninterrupted Downloading

Key features:

ExpressVPN is one of the fastest VPNs, making it a great choice for torrenting. It supports torrenting on all of its 3,000+ servers, so you can use its ultra-fast connections regardless of which location you connect to. I tested over 20 different locations and no matter what server I connected to, my download speeds remained at around 30Mbps – only 0.5Mbps slower than my base speed. With such high speeds, I could not only torrent, but also stream content at the same time.

I could even torrent a movie in less than 10 minutes while downloading a music album at the same time (which only took 1 minute)! ExpressVPN was equally fast when I was torrenting a 38GB file – it downloaded in just 3 hours.

ExpressVPN has very strict privacy policies aimed at providing fully anonymous access to the internet. Its TrustedServer technology deletes all of your data from the system every time you turn it off. Alongside the provider’s top-of-the-range encryption, your torrenting activities are always completely untraceable.

Unlike any other VPN on this list, ExpressVPN can bypass the Great Firewall of China! So if you are travelling there and want to torrent freely, this is the right choice for you.

Although these features come with a higher price tag than other VPNs, they are worth it for unlimited and uninterrupted torrenting. You can try ExpressVPN for yourself before committing to a contract with its 30-day money-back guarantee. I requested a refund after 24 days and received my money back within a week, so you know it’s risk-free.

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3. CyberGhost – Global Servers Optimized for Easy P2P File Sharing

Key features:

With a vast network of servers optimized just for torrenting, CyberGhost is a great choice for safe and easy P2P file sharing. Optimized servers ensure the fastest download speeds and seamless file sharing. During my tests, I could successfully download a 40GB file in just under 3 hours – an average of an hour less than when I was connected to other VPNs.

CyberGhost’s servers come with all information necessary to choose the best connection – it shows both how much of the server is used (load) and its distance from your location. Usually, the closer the server, the better the loading speed, but that wasn’t always the case for me. Since servers closer to me had higher load (more people utilizing it), connecting to them slowed down my speeds.