qBittorrent download for Windows

qBittorrent is a BitTorrent client: it downloads files that are shared through torrent files and magnet links, and shares them back while it does. It is open source, has no paid tier, and the client itself shows no advertising, which is a large part of why so many people moved to it from older clients.

qBittorrent downloads for Windows

The download page lists only x64 installers for Windows, for Windows 10 and later. There is no 32-bit or ARM64 build.

You will notice that each release appears twice. The two installers differ only in the version of libtorrent, the engine underneath: one is the plain build, the other carries an extra label such as "lt20". Take the plain one unless you have a specific reason to try the other; the interface is the same. Release candidates are listed beside the stable release for people who want to test, so check the label before you download.

Every installer has a PGP signature, and the page shows the SHA-256 hash of each file.

On other systems, the Linux AppImage and the packages in most distributions are the usual route. The macOS build exists, but the project says plainly that macOS is barely supported because it lacks active Mac developers.

Setting it up

Choose where files go. Tools, Options, Downloads sets the default save path. You can still change it for each torrent when you add it.

Add a torrent. File, Add Torrent File opens a .torrent; File, Add Torrent Link accepts a magnet link. The dialog that follows lets you untick files you do not want, which saves a lot of space on large multi-file torrents.

Limit the speed. The speed icons in the status bar give you upload and download limits, and an alternative set you can switch to when you need the connection for something else.

Queue sensibly. Under Tools, Options, BitTorrent you set how many torrents may download at once. Everything else waits its turn.

Decide when to stop seeding. The same page has seeding limits by share ratio or time. Sharing back is how BitTorrent works, so a reasonable ratio is good manners.

Two features worth knowing

• Web UI. Enable it under Tools, Options, Web UI to control qBittorrent from a browser, which is handy when it runs on a home server. Set a strong password before you do.
• Network interface. Under Advanced you can bind qBittorrent to one network adapter, for example a VPN. If that connection drops, transfers stop instead of carrying on over your normal one.

The built-in search engine is optional and needs Python installed. Without it, the rest of qBittorrent works normally.

A word on legality

BitTorrent is simply a way of distributing files. Plenty of software, including Linux distributions, is shared that way. Downloading or sharing copyrighted material without permission is illegal in many countries, and torrenting makes your IP address visible to the other people in the swarm.

Questions and answers

Is qBittorrent free and ad-free?

Yes. It is free, open-source software under the GNU GPL, and the client contains no advertising.

Which of the two Windows installers should I take?

The plain build of the current stable release. The labelled alternative differs only in the libtorrent version underneath.

Why is my download stuck at 0%?

Usually there are no seeders, or nobody reachable. Check the Peers and Trackers tabs for that torrent. If nobody is sharing it, no setting will help.

Can I control qBittorrent from my phone?

Yes, through the Web UI in a browser, once you have enabled it and secured it with a password.