Using NordVPN and uTorrent is just a few clicks away, and once you’re set up, you can look forward to entirely anonymous torrenting.
So if you were worried the setup process is something only a tech-genius would understand, you’re in luck!
Don’t have NordVPN yet?
Purchase a subscription today and enjoy a massive discount!
Keep reading to find everything you need to help you get set up with uTorrent and NordVPN, along with some tips and tricks for when you experience issues.
Setting Up NordVPN and uTorrent; The Short Version
No one wants to stick around when there’s anonymous torrenting to be done, right!?
If you already know your way around a torrent client installation and have a VPN account set up, this is the part you’re going to like.
Follow these short steps to hit the ground running with uTorrent and NordVPN.
- Grab a NordVPN subscription now and claim a huge discount.
- Install the NordVPN application and sign in with your shiny new credentials.
- Connect to a NordVPN P2P server.
- Head to the NordVPN website and check the header section for a message showing your IP address. So long as it shows Protected you’re safe to start torrenting.
You’re now connected to a torrent-optimized server with an untraceable IP address to enjoy unlimited downloads with uTorrent!
I told you it was easy!
Is NordVPN Good for Torrenting?
Yes, NordVPN is suitable for torrenting, as it offers Socks5 proxy support.
Plenty of other VPN providers use Socks5, but NordVPN knocks others out of the park with their optimized p2p servers.
Utilizing a Socks5 proxy allows users to encrypt any connections that transfer through the uTorrent application, while full p2p servers let you encrypt your entire device.
Read Also: Top VPNs Offer SOCKS5
How to Set Up NordVPN With uTorrent: In Detail
If you’re looking for a more in-depth tutorial on setting up uTorrent with NordVPN, this part of the article has everything you need to get up and running.
Check out the steps below to set up a NordVPN account and adjust your uTorrent proxy settings to ensure bulletproof torrent encryption.
- Take advantage of a huge NordVPN subscription discount before it’s too late!
- Head to the uTorrent downloads page and download uTorrent Classic.
- Once the download finishes, follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation process.
- Run uTorrent and then navigate to Options > Preferences.
- In the new window that opens, select Connection from the left-hand menu and then choose Socks5 from the Proxy drop-down menu.
- Open a web browser and visit the NordVPN server address page. Choose P2P from the server type dropdown list, and the best server for your location will appear on the left. Make a note of the server address.
- Now, head to uTorrent and copy and paste the Server Address you’ve just noted into the Proxy field. Also, set the Port number to 1080.
- The following checkboxes should be enabled:
- Authentication
- Use proxy for hostname lookups
- Use proxy for peer-to-peer connections
- Disable all local DNS lookups
- Disable features that leak identifying information
- Disable connections unsupported by the proxy.
- Enter your NordVPN username and password into the field shown below. This is usually the email you used to set up your NordVPN account and the password you set.
- Select Apply and then click OK.
- Visit IPMagnet and make a note of the IP address provided.
- Click on the link highlighted in the image below, ensuring you do not close the browser.
- Select Open uTorrent from the prompt that appears, and uTorrent will then run and begin a download.
- Go back to the page from IPMagnet you still have open and select Update. You should now see a different IP address from what you noted previously.
If you followed the steps to the latter, you are now rocking a bulletproof NordVPN proxy, and your torrenting is completely invisible within uTorrent.
uTorrent and NordVPN Troubleshooting Tips
Using NordVPN and uTorrent works like a well-oiled machine for most users, but there are times when connections are frustratingly slow, which can leave you wondering why you started the download in the first place.
Fortunately, there are some tried and tested methods for fine-tuning NordVPN and uTorrent to ensure you get the best experience.
Try the fixes below to see if they help.
Slow Connection? Ditch The Wireless
If you’re using a wireless connection to download torrents (or anything else for that matter), other devices can interfere with your connection, taking up some or most of your bandwidth.
To ensure the Xbox upstairs isn’t hogging the bandwidth you need on your PC, it’s best to connect your device via an ethernet cable.
That way, you’ll know there’s no airwave interference, and you can get the full benefit of the broadband coming down your phone or fiber line.
Set On Using Wifi? Try This
Not everyone has the means to run a cable to their device, so wifi may be the only option.
To eliminate the concept of device interference, it’s worth disabling wifi for the devices across your home to see if it makes any difference to your connection speed.
If it does, you could turn the wifi back on, one by one, for each device, to see which one impacts your connection the most.
NordVPN P2P Server Slowing You Down?
When downloads prove to be problematic, it’s worth trying both NordVPN and uTorrent setup methods I mentioned in this article.
If you’re using a NordVPN p2p server and diving straight into uTorrent to download torrents with issues, try the proxy setup method detailed above.
Or Are You Using the Proxy?
Likewise, if you’re using the uTorrent proxy setup and experiencing issues, it could be that you’ve missed a step or it’s simply not working as expected.
If that’s the case, try the NordVPN p2p steps detailed near the start of this guide.
Check NordVPN Is Working
Whichever setup method you followed, it’s rendered useless if NordVPN isn’t encrypting your connection.
You can check this by heading to the NordVPN website, checking your IP address in the banner, and so long as it shows Protected, you’re good to go.
Server Hop to Improve Speeds
If the NordVPN server you’re using isn’t performing as you’d hope using uTorrent, try another server.
NordVPN has lots of p2p-optimized servers available, so if one isn’t working, try another server location.
Never Ending Seeding
There are reports all over the internet with users saying their torrents continuously show a Seeding message while using NordVPN.
Scenario 1: For starters, if your torrent has completed 100% and then shows a Seeding message and you’ve left it like that for a while, you can remove the torrent and take your content to do as you wish.
You’ve done your part for the torrent community by allowing other users (Leechers) to download at least some part of the torrent from you.
Scenario 2: If your torrent has downloaded a portion of the file and begins seeding, it could mean that the seed you were downloading from has gone offline or stopped seeding.
You’ll upload a part of the file you’ve downloaded for others to download and may need to wait until the file comes back online to continue the download.
Possible fix: Torrents or Magnet Links are never 100% reliable, so if the file you began downloading has stopped progressing or shows as continuously seeding, it may be worth finding another source and restarting the download.
A note about port forwarding: Port forwarding can help speed up torrent downloads and the seeding process.
Because NordVPN does not support port forwarding, this could also contribute to the endless seeding issue.
Firewall Blocking Your Connection
Windows Defender can be a sensitive beast, and, usually, you’ll receive a prompt to allow the connection to uTorrent during the installation process.
If your connections are slow or never start in the first place, it’s useful to whitelist uTorrent for Windows Defender.
If you still have issues with NordVPN and uTorrent, it’s worth contacting NordVPN support.
NordVPN Torrent Tests Revealed
It’s always helpful to see how VPNs perform when downloading torrents with different platforms like uTorrent.
I downloaded a legal torrent file from Fedora Project to see how NordVPN performed when connected to a dedicated p2p server.
The results were pretty impressive.
When downloading a 4.55 GB file over a direct connection, I experienced download speeds of around 3.5Mbps.
Yet connecting to a dedicated NordVPN proxy server returned a better result with a download speed of 4.1Mbps.
In other words, NordVPN produces a slightly better download speed over an encrypted connection versus connecting directly without any protection.
Can You Get Caught Using NordVPN With uTorrent?
Theoretically, you cannot get caught using uTorrent with NordVPN as long as you have the VPN set up correctly to hide your IP address.
You can do this in several ways, but with NordVPN, it’s as easy as checking your IP address on their website, as I detailed above.
Conclusion
NordVPN and uTorrent work hand in hand.
This is a good thing because it’s vital to use NordVPN when downloading torrents to ensure your IP address is hidden from your ISP should you download any copyrighted content.
NordVPN provides a slightly better download speed with uTorrent versus a direct connection and reduces your ISP’s ability to throttle your downloads by detecting high bandwidth usage.
There’s never been a better time to purchase a NordVPN subscription.
Prices are lower than ever, so now is your chance to save big!
