How to torrent safely in 2025

Torrenting can be risky. From unwittingly downloading malware to accidentally downloading copyrighted material, you risk infecting your computer with viruses, having your connection throttled by your ISP, or even facing fines.

The key to safe torrenting is anonymity and security, and luckily, I have a solution – using a reliable VPN. A good tool will keep your data safe and hide your online activity, as well as offer other great features that will help you torrent.

In this guide, I answer the question “Is torrenting safe in 2025?” and provide detailed guides on how to download torrents safely. Additionally, I provide all the information you need to know about how to protect your data and stay anonymous while torrenting.

How to torrent safely with a VPN

1. Choose a VPN that's reliable and ideal for torrenting. I recommend NordVPN, now 76% OFF
2. Download and install a VPN
3. Connect to a server
4. Optimize your VPN's security settings
5. Visit a reputable torrent site and start downloading

What should you look for in the safest torrenting VPN?

With so many top-rated VPNs on the market, it can be challenging to choose the one suited for your needs. Therefore, I prepared a quick guide about what you should look for in a torrenting VPN.

Torrenting:	P2P-friendly, torrenting-optimized servers
Security and privacy:	Kill switch, AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption, independently audited no-logs policy, RAM-only servers
Speed:	WireGuard tunneling protocol
Servers:	Obfuscated servers, large server fleet

• P2P support. Peer-to-peer connections are the fastest and best way to share files or torrents. So, you’ll need to pick a VPN provider that has either P2P-optimized servers or allows torrenting on all of its servers.
• Security. Torrenting can be dangerous to your sensitive data; therefore, you must look for a VPN provider with a comprehensive security package. That includes next-gen encryption, a kill switch to prevent accidental data leaks, secure tunneling protocols, and anti-malware tools like NordVPN Threat Protection. Additionally, it’s best to pick VPNs with an independently audited no-logs policy to ensure that your activity is not being monitored and logged.
• Speed. Picking a speedy VPN will help you download files quicker. So, pick the provider with the market-standard WireGuard tunneling protocol and fast connection speeds.
• Price. An expensive price tag doesn’t mean that you’re getting the best VPN service. Therefore, pick the VPN that meets your requirements and offers the best price-to-value ratio. Premium subscriptions come with a free trial or money-back guarantee which allows you to test the providers before committing to a long-term subscription.

How to torrent safely – a detailed guide

I’ve shown you how to connect to a VPN service and start torrenting safely in a few simple steps. Read on to find out more about the various factors that can ensure your torrenting is safe and hidden. Here is a more detailed look at some of the factors to consider when you’re downloading torrents online.

1. Use a good VPN

For safe torrenting, you should pick a VPN that's primed for torrenting and is reliable, fast, and secure.

By torrenting with a VPN, you’ll be able to connect to fast servers all over the world. This way, you can completely hide your IP address and even make it seem like you’re in a completely different country.

You’ll also find servers that are optimized specifically for torrenting, so they’ll be fast and secure to ensure your torrents download as quickly as possible. So, only after doing some research and picking the most suitable tool, can you get your VPN set up and installed.

Unfortunately, torrenting can be risky for a number of reasons, namely your ISP discovering your torrenting activities and taking action or other users using your IP for doxxing attacks.

Thankfully, good VPNs also have strong security features to keep you safe. For instance, NordVPN includes a tool called Threat Protection that scans your downloaded .exe files for malware, blocks phishing attempts, cyberattacks like DDoS, and even irritating pop-up ads.

Remember, since VPNs hide your real IP address, you’ll also be able to access any torrent site you like, even sites that have been banned in your country.

2. Choose the right torrent site

There are plenty of sites that offer torrents as downloads on the internet. From specialized torrent listing sites to forums and blogs, you can find torrent links all over the web.

However, whenever you download anything onto your computer, you should be certain that the source is genuine; otherwise, you risk downloading a fake file, something other than what you wanted, or even dangerous malware.

For these reasons, it’s important you download torrents from reputable websites. Top torrent sites will often have clear systems in place that will show you that a torrent has been verified as genuine. This means it will be exactly what it says it is and free from any sneaky surprises.

The Pirate Bay is one of the most well-known torrent sites in the world, and it has a huge selection of torrents available to download. The Pirate Bay also has handy symbols next to each torrent so you can see if it's been verified as genuine.

Torrent sites that require membership via sign-ups, such as TorrentLeech, are also a great choice. They will usually verify every torrent on the site, so you can be sure that whatever you’re downloading is safe.

Annoyingly, a lot of the best torrent sites with the most verified torrents are blocked by ISPs around the world. But an easy solution to get around this is simply to use a VPN. Then you can hide your IP address and visit whichever site you want from wherever you are.

3. Choose the right torrent client

To download a torrent, you will also need a specific application known as a torrent client. You can’t just download torrents straight to your computer because torrent files are actually sent in many tiny parts from many different locations. The torrent client manages all these parts and puts them together for you so you get the complete file once the download is finished.

There are lots of torrent clients to choose from, and they all have different features, ease of use, and functions. Ideally, you want a torrent client that won’t take up much space on your device, is easy to use, and has good features, including security, which would help you torrent safely.

I recommend the following torrent clients:

• Vuze. Vuze is a slick torrent client with the best-looking interface out of all the P2P clients. It’s easy to use, intuitive, and has features including a chat, forums, remote control, and magnet link support. If you opt for the paid version, you’ll even get protection from viruses and no ads.

• qBittorrent. qBittorrent is an excellent all-rounder. It’s easy to use and completely free, with no ads on the app. It also has some great features including a torrent search engine built into the app and secure, encrypted transfers. Besides, qBittorrent is open-source, so this adds an extra layer of security.
• BitTorrent. BitTorrent is ideal for people who are new to torrenting. It’s very simple to use.
• uTorrent. One of the most well-known and popular torrent clients, uTorrent is fast, lightweight, and easy to use with a clean and simple layout. However, you will have to deal with seeing ads within the client.

4. Choose the right torrent files

As I touched upon earlier, you always need to be wary when you’re downloading any sort of file from the internet. This is especially the case with torrents, as there are many cybercriminals and malicious hackers out there who are trying to take advantage of people by tricking them into downloading bad torrents.

Here are some things to look out for to safely download torrent files:

• Only download verified torrents. It's a good practice to download verified torrents from a big, well-known torrent site you know you can trust.
• Look out for torrents and downloads that seem suspicious. For instance, if you find a torrent for a program or video you know has not been released yet, this is likely to be a fake.
• Consider the number of seeders and leechers. The higher the number, the more chances there are that the file is legit.
• Check the torrent file type or extension. If you don’t recognize the type of the file, you shouldn’t download it.
• Check the contents of the torrent file. If you are looking for a video file, and the extension says .exe, then the file is probably not the one you want.
• Read the comments under the torrent file. Some torrenting sites allow commenting. Check what other users have to say about the file, and take into account any warnings about potential malware.

5. Get good antivirus software

You should always have quality antivirus software on your computer to protect yourself from malware, hacks, and cyberattacks. This is even more important if you’re going to be downloading torrents, as you’ll be opening up your device to other connections, some of which may have bad intentions.

Brands such as Norton and TotalAV have been making top-tier antivirus solutions for years. If you have a good antivirus product in place on your device, it will monitor and scan any files you download and immediately let you know if there’s any malware. Good antivirus software will usually also remove or isolate the malware before it has a chance to do any damage, so you can torrent safely.

Why is a VPN necessary for safe torrenting?

It is important to know how to torrent safely, as this activity can be really risky. Luckily, with a VPN installed and set up on your device, you’ll be protected from most, if not all, of the risks that are involved with torrenting files online. Here are some of the main benefits of torrenting with a VPN.

1. Avoid ISP throttling

With an unprotected internet connection, everything you do online will be visible to your ISP. If torrenting large files is frowned upon by your ISP (as is the case with many ISPs), it may throttle your connection. This means your speeds and bandwidth will be reduced drastically.

When you use a VPN, all your online activity, data, and traffic are completely hidden from your ISP. So it will have no reason to throttle your connection, even if you are downloading torrents. A VPN is how you download torrents without your ISP knowing.

2. Access restricted content

Many ISPs block access to well-known torrenting sites, as do many employers, schools, and colleges. If you want to access a torrent site but find you’re blocked from doing so, a simple way around any sort of content restriction is simply to use a VPN.

VPNs change your IP address and hide all your activity, so no one can see what you’re doing online. You can also connect to a completely new server in a new country – one that doesn’t have any restrictions on it.

3. Keep your IP address safe

If you’re downloading torrents onto your computer with a torrent client, your location and IP address will be on display to anyone who’s connected to the torrent file. This opens you up to potential hacks, cyberattacks, and malware.

You can make sure you remain completely anonymous while torrenting by using a VPN. It will hide all your personal details, mask your IP address, and encrypt your data, so you’ll be safe and secure.

Torrent safely starting today

Can I torrent safely with a free VPN?

No, you cannot torrent safely with a free VPN. Free VPNs are pretty limited not only in server options but also in security features. You won’t get the best data encryption, safest tunneling protocols, or additional security measures like a reliable kill switch with a free provider.

Additionally, you won’t get specialized servers for a P2P connection, or the available servers won’t support torrenting.

Another issue is that free VPN providers may be collecting and selling your data to third parties or target you with malicious ads, which brings even more trouble when trying to torrent safely.

An alternative is a freemium VPN – a limited free version of a paid subscription provider. One of our tried and tested quality freemium options is Proton VPN. This provider’s free version offers security features to cover the bases, limited features, and server choices. However, you can torrent safely with it, even though the connection speed with the free plan will be disappointing.

How to configure a VPN for safe torrenting

To make sure you’re as safe as possible while torrenting, you should not only download a VPN but also make sure it’s properly configured to protect you from online threats.

You can do this by first installing the VPN and then heading to the settings section to make sure all the important security settings are activated.

Here are the settings to look out for:

• Turn on the kill switch. Sometimes, this is switched off in default settings, so turn it on.
• Set the strongest encryption. Make sure your tool is set to 256-bit AES encryption so that all your data is as secure as possible.
• Use a secure and fast protocol. It’s best to use the WireGuard protocol if you want to torrent safely, and not PPTP, which is older and not as secure.
• Enable leak protection. Switch both IP and DNS leak protection on.
• Utilize split tunneling. This keeps some of your online traffic, like torrenting, encrypted with the VPN and leaves other sites on your regular IP address. It is useful when you need to keep some sites on your normal IP, such as delivery services and online banking.

Video

In just under 8 minutes learn how to torrent safely using a VPN:

What are the dangers of torrenting without a VPN?

Torrenting is a great way of downloading the files you need, but it’s not without its risks. From unwittingly downloading malware to opening yourself up to hackers, there is a selection of dangers associated with torrents.

Let’s take a look at some of the main risks that can come with torrenting without a VPN:

• Malware. Unfortunately, torrent files are rife with malware. Cybercriminals often use tempting torrents as a Trojan horse with malware loaded into the download. All it takes is for you to make one wrong download, and your device can be infected with all sorts of dangerous malware, including spyware, viruses, and ransomware.
• Copyright problems. Some people also use torrents to transfer copyrighted material. Sometimes, torrents can be mislabelled, and if you accidentally download something that’s technically been stolen, you could face some problems. Your ISP could reveal your data to the copyright holder, which could lead to fines or even worse if you are found guilty of breaking copyright laws.
• Throttling. A less severe but extremely frustrating consequence of torrenting is when your ISP throttles your internet connection. Torrents can often be large-size files, and they take a lot of bandwidth to download. If your ISP notices you are torrenting, it could drastically slow down your internet speed and reduce your bandwidth. This means your downloads and browsing will be very slow.
• Cybercriminals. When you download torrent files, your IP address is opened up to the various sources that are sharing the files. This means you’re exposed to threat actors who can use any visible information to execute DDoS attacks.
• Data protection. Since your device is exposed when you’re sharing files and downloading torrents, this means your personal info and data are easily accessible to your ISP and other users.

If you fall victim to any of the above issues, it could have a serious impact on your life, and that's why it's so important to know how to torrent safely. Luckily, a VPN can solve many of these security problems.

The final word

Torrenting can be a fast and efficient way to download content, but it's important to do it safely. That means choosing a trustworthy torrenting client, only downloading files from reputable sources, and avoiding anything that might be copyrighted or suspicious.

To protect your device, it’s also worth using a reliable antivirus to catch any hidden malware before it causes damage. And for added privacy and access to geo-restricted sites, a good VPN can help keep your activity hidden from your ISP and other prying eyes. With the right tools and a bit of caution, you can enjoy a much safer torrenting experience.

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