How Does uTorrent Work? Who Is Seed And Leech

As you surf through the internet, you have probably come across the term, torrent.’ Like most people, you may have thought that the word refers to piracy of some sort, such as movie and music piracy on the internet.

However, as we are going to see in this article, uTorrent software download can be used legally to download and share files online. It is a legitimate way that artists can use to spread their work.

uTorrent image 4444What is uTorrent?

Also referred to as Torrent, uTorrent is software that you use to download torrent files. Torrent files are files that are sent through BitTorrent protocol. The file can be a movie, music, application, or even a game file. Torrent files are popular because they can be downloaded from various locations concurrently hence saving a lot of time. Torrent files are like indexes that guide the uTorrent to where the contents of the particular file are. Downloading files via torrent is a peer-to-peer kind of download in which information is derived from several computers with the file or even fractions of the file.

How does uTorrent work?

To get to know how uTorrent works, the following are the steps involved when using uTorrent to download files.

Step 1: Download uTorrent

uTorrent is free software and is found on most computer app sites. Once you have found the software, click install’ to install it on your computer. Be sure to click Decline offer’ to avoid installing adware when installing uTorrent. Do the same for any offers that may pop up during the installation process. To complete the installation, click Finish’ and uTorrent will launch immediately.

Step 2: Find a torrent source

There are numerous sources of torrent files; For instance, you can get them at The Internet Archive. Once you get to the source, you will find many torrent files, ranging from movies to music and books. All these files are free and legal.

Step 3: Open the file page

To start downloading, open the file, then click on the Torrent link. Since torrent files are relatively smaller, the download process will begin immediately. To view the files associated with the one you are downloading, double click on the file you are downloading to open uTorrent. If there are any files you are uninterested in, untick on the boxes beside the files.

Step 4: Choose a file location

To select the location of your file, go to the option located on the left side of the window. You can add a label if you like. Click Ok’ once you have picked the location where you want your file to be saved.

uTorrrent image 8498948948Tips

To check the details of your latest downloads, click on the Torrents’ section found on the left side of the main interface of the uTorrent app. This page is useful as it helps you know how long a particular file will take to download.

It is best to set priorities when downloading more than one file at the same time. To set the priority, head to the right side of the major uTorrent window and then choose the torrent to prioritize by clicking on the arrow pointed upwards. Similarly, you can move a torrent down the download list by clicking on the icon with the down arrow.

For a faster download, avoid downloading multiple files at a go. In case a single torrent file is slower compared to the rest, pause the others and then continue once the download pace fastens.

Who are a Seed and a Leech?

A seed is a person who has a complete file and uploads the file for other users to finish downloading the file. The seed is also a term used to refer to the machine that has some part of a file. One becomes a seed as soon as they begin to upload a file for other users to download.

On the other hand, a leech is a user who does not have the complete file; hence, they cannot share any part of the particular file.

This, therefore, means that one can download a file faster when the seeders are more. Conversely, one can hardly find any file to download when the leechers are more than the seeders.

Conclusion

I hope that the next time you come across the term torrent, you are no longer going to be in the dark. Help others understand torrents by sharing this information with them.