uTorrent
Version 3.6.0 · BitTorrent Inc. · Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 (32-bit and 64-bit) · ranked #220 in the library
The small torrent client that has been on more machines than any other, a few megabytes on disk, near nothing in memory, and every setting that matters exposed for anyone who wants to tune it.
Read the installation section below before you start. The order of the steps matters on this release.
About this release
Overview
uTorrent became the default client because of its size. The executable is a few megabytes, it holds a handful of megabytes in memory with dozens of torrents loaded, and it runs perfectly well on hardware that would groan under anything heavier. This build has the advertising panes and the bundled offers removed so what you get is the client and nothing else attached to it.
The feature list is what a torrent client needs rather than what a marketing page wants. Magnet links, distributed hash table, peer exchange, local peer discovery, encrypted connections, selective file downloading inside a torrent, sequential download order, per-torrent and global bandwidth limits, and an upload ratio target that stops seeding automatically. Labels and directories sort completed downloads without any manual filing.
Remote control is built in. The web interface lets you add and manage torrents from a browser on another machine, which is how it ends up running headless on a small home server. Scheduling turns transfers up or down by time of day, RSS feeds add matching torrents automatically as they appear, and the disk cache settings let you keep write activity off a mechanical drive during long transfers.
What it does
Feature breakdown
Extremely small footprint
A few megabytes on disk and minimal memory use even with a large number of active torrents, which is why it runs happily on old and low powered machines.
Complete protocol support
Magnet links, DHT, peer exchange, local peer discovery, protocol encryption and micro transport protocol congestion control all present and configurable.
Selective and sequential downloading
Choose which files inside a torrent to fetch and in what priority order, with a sequential mode for content you want to start using before it completes.
Bandwidth control and scheduling
Global and per-torrent limits for both directions, a connection cap, and a weekly schedule that raises or lowers throughput by hour.
Web interface for remote control
Manage the queue from a browser on any machine on the network, including adding torrents and changing per-torrent settings.
RSS automation and labelling
Subscribe to feeds with filters that add matching torrents automatically, and route completed files into folders by label.
Changed in this build
Version 3.6.0
- Improved handling of very large torrents with tens of thousands of files in the piece picker.
- Disk cache tuning defaults adjusted for solid state drives.
- Web interface refreshed with a responsive layout that works on a phone browser.
- Fixed a rare hash check failure on torrents resumed after an unclean shutdown.
- Reduced start-up time when the session holds several hundred torrents.
Installation
Follow these in order
- Extract the archive to a folder of your choosing.
- Run the executable directly if you want portable mode, or install it if you prefer file associations set up.
- Decline nothing during setup, this build has no bundled offers to decline.
- Open the preferences and set your download folder and completed folder.
- Set global upload and download limits appropriate to your line before starting anything.
- Enable the web interface only if you actually need remote access, and set a strong password if you do.
Release notes
From whoever packed it
- Portable mode is enabled by placing an empty settings file next to the executable. Everything then stays in that folder.
- Leave protocol encryption set to enabled rather than forced unless your connection is being shaped.
- The disk cache default is conservative. Raising it helps considerably on mechanical drives during long transfers.
System requirements
Minimum and recommended
| Operating system | Windows 7 through Windows 11, 32-bit or 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Anything from the last two decades |
| Memory | 512 MB, more only if you run hundreds of torrents |
| Graphics | No requirement |
| Storage | 20 MB for the program plus space for downloads |
Questions about this release
Answered before you ask
- What is different from the Pro edition?
- This is the standard client with advertising removed. The Pro conversion and antivirus extras are not part of it.
- Can it run without a visible window?
- Yes, minimise to tray and drive it from the web interface. Some people run it that way permanently.
- Does it support magnet links only?
- Both. Magnet links and torrent files are handled identically once added.
Download
Pick a mirror