How to Torrent Safely & Anonymously (2023 Update)

What is VPN for Torrenting?

Torrenting online can be risky if you do not take proper precautions. It exposes you to many cyber threats like viruses, malware, and spyware. If we put legal issues aside, downloading and uploading files through torrent sites may also cause some troubles to your online security.

The most effective and easiest way to stay safe and anonymous while torrenting is to use a powerful VPN software which encrypts your traffic and anonymizes your connection. It also prevents anyone from seeing what you do online. And since hackers can’t penetrate your encrypted connection, your data will remain secure and safe.

Using a VPN for torrenting helps you use Virtual Private Networks to stay private and hide your uploading and downloading activity.

How to Torrent Safely with a VPN

Here are the steps to torrent safely with VPN software:

Step 1) Go to NordVPN Website. Press the Start Now button. This will takes you to the subscription page.

Step 2) NordVPN offers three plans: a) 1 month, b) 1 year, and c) 2 years.

Choose your desired plan. Continue to create an account, select and pay via desired payment option.

Step 3) Your NordVPN subscription has started.

You can log in to the NordVPN website and download the installation file for your desired platform. Below we download the app for Windows.

Step 4) Select P2P option

P2P automatically connect the fastest NordVPN torrent servers

Step 5) Open the uTorrent client

Double click on the uTorrent app icon on your desktop to open the app

Step 6) Open any trusted torrenting site

In this example, we have used limetorrents, and we will download the latest Hollywood movie. For that, we need to select the Movies option at the left corner

Step 7) Select the title you want to download

Check the list available on the limetorrents site, and download the movie you want to watch

Step 8) Download your torrent file

On the next window, and select the download torrent option

Step 9) Save the torrent file on your PC

Give a name and your torrent download file

Step 10) Open the torrent file

Open the downloaded torrent file by clicking on the bottom left corner popup

Step 11) Check the movie name and start downloading

You will see that your uTorrent software will open automatically. You can check the name and press the OK button

Step 12) Wait for the download to complete

You can see your download status, downloading speed, and estimated time to complete the download, depending on your Internet speed

What are the Dangers of Torrenting?

Here’s what can go wrong when you download torrents:

Copyright Trolls: Copyright trolls collect IPs from users in the torrent swarm. Then, they forward the IPs to copyright agencies and use them to track down users’ IP addresses, send them threatening emails and ask for huge amounts for torrenting piracy.
Port Scanning: Sometimes, hackers could use your IP to scan your network’s open ports. They might also be able to find security vulnerabilities they can exploit to take over your network and hack your devices.
DDoS Attacks: If someone sees your IP in the torrent swarm, they may use it to locate your network and flood it with unwanted traffic, resulting in lost Internet access for many hours.
Malware: Cybercriminals or hackers can upload malicious torrents on public trackers. If you download and use the files, the malware certainly infects your device in the form of spyware, adware, or ransomware.
Bandwidth Throttling: Your ISP can see you’re using torrent sites, and they can spot torrent traffic. If they throttle your torrenting, you’ll get very slow speeds.

Why is a VPN Necessary for Safe Torrenting?

VPNs are beneficial for all Internet users. However, if you torrent frequently, it is good to use a Virtual Private Network that offers IPv6 leak protection.

VPN software protects P2P file-sharers while torrenting in two basic ways:

The concept of VPN for torrenting comes between you and the Internet. So, anyone on the Internet can only see the IP address of the VPN server instead of your real IP address.
The connection between the device and the server always remains encrypted. It also helps prevent your ISP from seeing that you are using a torrent app to download torrent files.

Avoid ISP throttling:

In any unprotected Internet connection, everything you do online remains visible to your ISP. So, if your torrent large files which are easily noticed by your ISP, your ISP may throttle your connection. As a result, your Internet speed and bandwidth will be reduced significantly.

Now, when you use a VPN, all your online activities remain anonymous, and the traffic is completely hidden from your IPS. Therefore, your ISP has no reason to throttle your connection, even if you are downloading torrent files.

Access restricted content:

There are many ISP service providers that block your access to popular torrenting sites, as do many employers and educational institutes. However, if you still want to access torrent sites prevented by your ISP, you need to use BitTorrent VPN to avoid such issues.

Keep your IP address safe:

If you are downloading torrents on your PC with BitTorrent, uTorrent, Pirate Bay, or any other torrent site, your identity, location, and IP address will be visible. It can be seen by everyone who’s connected to the torrent file.

This can easily open your computer system to potential hacks, cyber-attacks, malware, and spyware. If you are using a VPN, your torrenting activities will remain anonymous. VPN software like NordVPN hides all your details, masks your IP address, and encrypts your data so that you will remain safe and secure.

Tips for Torrenting Safely

Here are some important tips for Torrenting Safely:

Ensure that you have an Antivirus installed:

A good antivirus program helps you to protect against malicious torrents. The Windows operating system comes with Windows Defender, which is good for catching most viruses. You can enable Windows Defender from your Control Panel. However, you should not have any other antivirus program installed in it.

Look for torrents with lots of seeders:

You should look for torrents with lots of seeders. Lots of seeders generally mean that the torrent contains no viruses. This is because torrent client users have checked and found no viruses and then started sharing it. However, this can’t be considered a guarantee against the virus.

Check the comments before downloading:

You should also check the torrent’s comments section, which helps you determine if it contains any viruses. If there are many comments but nothing about a potential virus, then chances are better that it doesn’t have any virus. On the contrary, if many comments discuss viruses, you must avoid that torrent, even if it is your favorite movie or game.

You should avoid file types that are prone to viruses:

You should not download torrents for programs, as executable files like .exe, .bat are the most common way of transmitting viruses. Cracked programs are also very dangerous files you may download through torrents.

Join a private torrent community:

If you have joined a private torrent community, you’re likely to get torrents without viruses or malware. This is because the torrents are all created and shared by members of that community. Thus, they are certainly more trustworthy.

Use a VPN Software:

The safest way to torrent is using VPN software. Following is a handpicked list of Top VPNs for safe torrenting with their popular features, pros, cons, and website links. This list contains both free and paid software.

BEST VPN for Torrenting

	#1 Best Overall
The service provider	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Number of servers:	3,000+	5,000+
Security & Privacy	Yes	Yes
Unblocks Streaming Sites?	Yes	Yes
Supports P2P?	Yes	Yes
Countries Supported	94	59
24/7 customer support	✔️	✔️
Max devices allowed	5	6
Our Review We rate VPNs based on factors such as Speed, User Experience, Bandwidth, Countries Supported, Pricing, No Log Policy etc.	Excellent – 9.8	Excellent – 9.7
Free trial VPNs offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, but you must subscribe to the 1-month plan first.	30 days	30 days
Link	Try Free Now	Try Free Now

1) ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPN for torrenting that helps you surf the Internet secured from scammers. You will get unlimited access to social media websites, music, videos, games, and more. This VPN does not log IP addresses, DNS queries, browsing history, and traffic destinations.

It offers online protection using leak proofing an encryption facility. It helps users stay secure by hiding IP addresses and encrypting their network data.

Key Specs:

Supported Platforms: iOS, Android, Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows	Total number of servers: 3000+	Countries: 94
	Data Allowance: Unlimited	No-logging policy: Yes
Simultaneous Connections: Unlimited	Free Trial: Yes- 30 days	Maximum supported devices: 5
Split Tunneling: Yes	Kill Switch: Yes	Today Best Deal’s: Check Now!

Pros

It does not save the IP address, browsing history, traffic destination, and DNS queries.
Helps you to protect your data and online activity with 256-bit AES encryption.
You can connect it to any VPN server without any bandwidth limitation.
Helps you to secure all your apps and services on any network.
Allows you to select which network devices to protect.
Provides a wide range of server locations.
Excellent customer reviews.

Cons

This BitTorrent VPN is costly compared to other programs.
Not an ideal VPN for advanced users who already know about the Internet, IP, VPN, etc.

Visit ExpressVPN >>

30-Days Free Trial

2) NordVPN

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for torrenting, which does not track, collect, or share your data. It provides good security by encrypting the data sent and received. This BitTorrent VPN helps you prevent ads and malware. NordVPN also allows you to access numerous torrenting websites like uTorrent, BitTorrent, Pirate bay, etc., without any hassle.

Key Specs:

Supported Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS, and iOS.	Total number of servers: 5869+	Countries: 59+ countries
Supported Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS, and iOS.	Data Allowance: Unlimited	No-logging policy: Yes
Server selection: Manual and Automatic	Free Trial: Yes – 30-days	Maximum supported devices: 6
Split Tunneling: Yes	Kill Switch: Yes	Today Best Deal’s: Check Now!

Pros

This VPN service provides good security.
No DNS (Domain Name System) leaks.
Unlimited bandwidth.
No activity or connection logs.
Block ads and malicious sites.
Follows a strict no-logs policy and offers complete torrenting privacy.
This safe VPN for torrenting offers protection with a double VPN.

Cons

Torrenting is supported for a fewer number of servers only.
Configuring NordVPN with the OpenVPN Virtual Private Network system is not user-friendly.

Visit NordVPN >>

30-Days Free Trial

3) IPVanish

IPVanish is a VPN software that provides an end-to-end encryption environment for your network. This fast VPN software offers a faster virtual private network service for a variety of smartphones. This VPN app also protects your web browsing, file sharing, torrenting, and YouTube TV streaming.

IPVanish is one of the best VPNs for safe torrenting that automatically suggests the fastest VPN server. This VPN tool helps you to make your Internet connection secure. It also helps you to switch from one server to another with ease.

Key Specs:

Supported Platforms: Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, and FireOS.	No of Servers: 1300	Server Countries: 50	Split Tunneling: Yes, in Android and FireOS apps
	Data Allowance: Unlimited	Torrenting: Yes	Kill Switch: Yes
Able to unblock: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, etc.	No-logging policy: Yes	Ip addresses: Dynamic	Simultaneous Connection: Unlimited
	Best for: Streaming high-quality video content
Free Trial: 30-Days	Today Best Deal’s: Check Now!

Pros

It has good security features.
Offers varieties of protocols.
User-friendly app for all of your devices.
Available at a good price.
Offers fast server speed to download torrents faster.
Unmetered connections.
You can bypass YouTube locations without detecting a proxy.

Cons

Sometimes it provides unusual data of server location.
It does not provide good customer support.

Visit IPVanish >>

30-Days Free Trial

4) CyberGhost

CyberGhost VPN enables you to easily stream your favorite content online and torrent anonymously. This VPN software helps you to access NoSpy servers. It also allows you to encrypt your private data using the latest 256-bit AES technique. This VPN software hides your IP with just one tap. It provides notification alerts when you connect to an unsecured public network.

This BitTorrent VPN helps you to surf the Internet anonymously without any restriction.

Key Specs:

Supported Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Smart TV, Android TV, etc.	No of Servers: 7000+	Server Countries: 91	Split Tunneling: Yes
	Data Allowance: Unlimited	Torrenting: Yes	Kill Switch: Yes
Able to unblock: Netflix, YouTube TV, iPlayer, Amazon Prime, Hulu	No-logging policy: Yes	Ip addresses: Static	Simultaneous Connection: 7
	Best for: Accessing streaming websites with HD video content.
Free Trial: No – 45-day money-back guarantee	Today Best Deal’s: Check Now!

Pros

Protects your digital identity.
Breaks all geo-restrictions.
Unblocks any torrent websites.
It offers absolute torrenting privacy on all your devices.
Allows you to torrent anonymously.
Protects your connections on public Wi-Fis.
Hides your IP address through good VPN connectivity.

Cons

Certain servers are slow and may affect your network speed.
Username and password management are complicated.

Visit CyberGhost >>

45-day money-back guarantee

FAQ:

Torrents have a bad reputation because of piracy. Although, torrent itself is not illegal and has many legitimate uses, including downloading open-source software and torrenting files in the public domain.

Following are the best VPNs for torrenting safely:

If you don’t use a VPN, your ISP can easily see all your torrent files. Because of this, you should use VPN software for downloading torrent files.

Yes, it can get you in legal trouble. If your torrent pirated content, like movies or software, you might face legal trouble. You may get in legal trouble by your ISP or the owner of the content.

A P2P (peer-to-peer) VPN is any Virtual Private Network that can hide your activity related to torrenting. P2P VPNs have features like no log keeping, kill switches, encryption, and more. This VPN software also offer a fast speed for downloading torrent files.

Yes, you can torrent without a VPN. However, torrenting copyrighted files without a VPN is not safe. You may face some serious matters with your ISP or law enforcement authority. Therefore, whenever you use torrent software or any copyrighted material, you must use VPN software.

DNS leak is a security flaw which exposes your IP address to other people, such as the government or cybercriminals. Use of VPN, along with strong encryption measures and protocols, ensures that no DNS leaks happen. It also keeps torrents and P2P file-sharers anonymous online.

Yes, a Smart DNS service is very helpful for VPN users. It can be used for bypassing online restrictions. You can take advantage of VPNs mentioned in this tutorial that offers free DNS service upon subscription.

A copyright troll is a person or firm which acts against those people that are downloading illegal torrents. They can identify targets using their IP addresses, so even if you intend to download legal files, it’s always safer to remain anonymous by using a VPN.

Copyright owners often hire copyright trolls to go after people that are illegally distributing their content. When they identify the lawbreakers through the IP address, they’ll send a settlement letter and use scare tactics to pay the fine.

Many popular torrenting sites, like BitTorrent and uTorrent, allow you to bind your device to a specific IP address. This practice is known as IP binding. Doing so will stop any torrent traffic from reaching your device unless you’re connected to your chosen IP address. You can use this method to bind your device to your favorite VPN server. It makes your data safe even if you forget to connect your device.

Yes, you can anonymize your torrent traffic from your ISP, torrent trackers, and members of the torrent swarm if you use a VPN.

Your VPN software encrypts your traffic, meaning nobody can monitor it. So, when your ISP tries to spy on it, they’ll only see gibberish like H3^4#HFN. So, they can not crack that encryption if you use a secure VPN, so your traffic is essentially anonymous.

The VPN also hides your IP. Torrent trackers and members of the swarm will not be able to see your torrent downloading activities. They’ll be able to see your VPN’s IP address. That further anonymizes your traffic, as nobody can use your IP to locate your network or find your location.

To torrent anonymously using a VPN, you need to use a service that doesn’t keep logs. It also needs powerful AES-256 bit encryption, a kill switch, and complete leak protection. For that, you should opt for the above-given VPN software that meets all those requirements and some additional features to help you torrent anonymously.

The music industry has suffered a lot because of piracy. They aggressively targeted torrenters who engaged in music piracy. These days, litigation is mostly done by copyright trolls who target illegal torrents on behalf of recording studios.

They’ll send out settlement letters demanding huge money to torrenters whom they identify. They usually go through ISPs to contact torrenters. However, using a VPN can greatly reduce the risk of being identified by a copyright troll.

BEST VPN for Torrenting

	#1 Best Overall
The service provider	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Number of servers:	3,000+	5,000+
Security & Privacy	Yes	Yes
Unblocks Streaming Sites?	Yes	Yes
Supports P2P?	Yes	Yes
Countries Supported	94	59
24/7 customer support	✔️	✔️
Max devices allowed	5	6
Our Review We rate VPNs based on factors such as Speed, User Experience, Bandwidth, Countries Supported, Pricing, No Log Policy etc.	Excellent – 9.8	Excellent – 9.7
Free trial VPNs offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, but you must subscribe to the 1-month plan first.	30 days	30 days
Link	Try Free Now	Try Free Now