How to Torrent Safely With NordVPN — 2024 Guide

Raven Wu

Torrenting comes with many privacy and security risks. P2P networks are public, so everybody downloading the same torrent as you can see your IP address and what you’re torrenting. This makes you vulnerable to cyberattacks, including Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. And if you’re new to torrenting or exploring new torrent clients, there are many shady torrent sites that contain malicious links or malware-infected files.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to protect yourself: by using a VPN like NordVPN. NordVPN hides your IP address and encrypts your P2P traffic, so you remain safely anonymous while downloading torrents. It also has an ad, tracker, and malware blocker to stop annoying ads and prevent you from clicking malicious links on torrent sites.

NordVPN is one of my favorite VPNs for torrenting because it offers fast connections for speedy downloads, excellent privacy and security features, and a vast network of P2P-friendly servers. It’s also one of the only VPNs that is capable of scanning downloaded files for malware. All NordVPN subscriptions are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out risk-free.

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What Makes NordVPN a Good Choice for Torrenting?

It Has Great Torrenting Support

NordVPN has 4,500+ P2P servers in 45+ countries. This makes it really easy to find a nearby server to connect to for the fastest possible speeds when torrenting.

It also comes with SOCKS5 proxy servers. These servers change your IP address without providing encryption, which means you’ll get faster download speeds. SOCKS proxy servers are handy when security is less important than speed.

Additionally, NordVPN works well with all popular torrent clients:

It Provides Fast Torrenting Speeds

NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs on the market. The VPN uses its own proprietary NordLynx protocol, which is very fast and secure. In my tests, downloading a 20 GB file took just 12–13 minutes while connected to a nearby server. And while connected to a distant server, downloading a 20 GB file took 19–22 minutes.

It Has Excellent Privacy and Security Features

NordVPN allows secure torrenting because it has a lot of excellent security and privacy features, as well as some extras, including:

• 256-bit AES encryption. This is very strong encryption used by banks and militaries and makes all of your torrenting traffic unreadable to third parties. Even if someone intercepts your traffic, they won’t be able to see what you’re torrenting.
• Kill switch. Disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops to avoid accidental data leaks, which means other torrent users won’t be able to see your IP address. NordVPN also has a unique app-based kill switch that lets you choose specific apps to shut down in case the VPN disconnects (such as torrent clients).
• Leak protection. I ran 10+ leak tests on different P2P servers with NordVPN and never experienced any IP leaks.
• Threat Protection. A good ad, tracker, and malware blocker that blocks annoying ads and protects you from malicious links and malware-infected files on shady torrent sites.
• RAM-only servers. NordVPN stores your data in volatile memory, meaning it’s wiped every time its servers are turned on and off (or if they lose power).
• Perfect forward secrecy. NordVPN constantly changes the encryption key used to protect your data, so that even if a hacker obtained a key, they’ll only gain access to a tiny amount of data — your past and future torrent session data will remain secure.

It’s Easy To Use and Bug-Free

NordVPN is quick and easy to set up. It took me only 2–3 minutes to download and install the apps on my devices.

It’s also very user-friendly — even beginners should have no problems navigating its interface. I especially like how all of its P2P servers are grouped together for easy access, and there’s an option to have the VPN automatically choose the fastest server for you.

How to Torrent Safely With NordVPN

There are 2 ways to torrent safely with NordVPN: Use NordVPN’s P2P servers or its SOCKS5 proxy servers.

I recommend using NordVPN’s P2P servers because it’s safer and easier. When you’re connected to these servers, NordVPN hides your real IP address and encrypts all of your torrenting traffic.

If you value speed over security, the SOCKS5 proxy servers are the better option. This method still hides your real IP address, but it doesn’t encrypt your data. The lack of encryption means you’ll get faster speeds (but less secure) than when using NordVPN’s P2P servers.

How to Torrent Using NordVPN’s P2P Servers

1. Step 1. Download and install NordVPN. Go to NordVPN’s website by visiting nordvpn.com or by clicking one of the affiliate links on our site and subscribe to NordVPN. I recommend choosing the Standard subscription, which has all of the VPN’s features, including its P2P features.
2. Step 2. Enable the kill switch. Go to NordVPN’s settings and turn on its kill switch, which isn’t enabled by default. I recommend using the Internet Kill Switch, which disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops. If you prefer to only have the VPN shut down your torrent client when you get disconnected, you should use the App Kill Switch.
3. Step 3. Connect to a P2P server. Find P2P under NordVPN’s Specialty servers on the app’s home screen and choose a server to connect to. Keep in mind that choosing a nearby server will get you faster speeds, and if that’s your priority, you can click on the Fastest Server option and let NordVPN automatically find the fastest server for you.
4. Step 4. Start torrenting. That’s it! All of your torrenting traffic is now protected by NordVPN.

How to Torrent Using NordVPN’s SOCKS5 Proxy

1. Step 1. Open your preferred torrent client. Then navigate to the tab with its connection settings.
2. Step 2. Choose your proxy server type. In qBittorrent, you’ll find it under the Proxy Server section beside Type. Select SOCKS5 from the dropdown menu.
3. Step 3. Enter the address of your preferred proxy server. In qBittorrent, you should type or copy the server address into the Host box. NordVPN keeps a list of 5+ SOCKS5 proxy server addresses in its proxy setup guides on its website.
4. Step 4. Set the port to 1080.
5. Step 5. Input your NordVPN service credentials. Enter your service username and service password under Authentication. You can find these in your NordVPN account dashboard by clicking Set up NordVPN manually.
6. Step 6. Hit Apply to save your changes. That’s it! Your torrenting traffic is now using NordVPN’s SOCKS5 proxy server.

Note that the exact instructions may differ slightly between different torrenting clients. I recommend following the guide for your specific torrenting client on NordVPN’s website — NordVPN has step-by-step guides for all top torrenting clients, like qBittorrent, uTorrent, and BitTorrent.

Connected to NordVPN But Still Can’t Torrent? Try These Troubleshooting Steps

Check Your Internet Connection

The problem may be with your internet connection rather than with your VPN or torrenting client. To check if you’re still connected to the internet, try visiting any site on your browser. If that’s not the problem, I suggest conducting a speed test next to see if you’re internet speeds are preventing you from torrenting files.

If your speed is causing trouble, try connecting your device directly to your router using an ethernet cable. A direct connection is usually faster and more reliable than a Wi-Fi connection.

Make Sure You’re Using a P2P Server

NordVPN only allows torrenting on specialty servers, so you’ll need to make sure you’re connected to one of the servers where it allows torrenting. To find NordVPN’s P2P servers, on its app home screen, click on Specialty servers, then P2P.

Check Seeders and Peers

A torrent file with more seeders than peers (leechers) is likely to download faster. Try to find a torrent file with a healthier seeder-to-peer ratio for faster download speeds.

Change Your VPN Server

The VPN server you’re on might be down or overcrowded, which often leads to slow speeds. If that’s the case, switching to another server will solve your issues. I recommend trying to find the closest one that works, so you can get the best speeds possible.

Check Your Firewall and Antivirus

Firewalls and antivirus software can sometimes interfere with torrenting. This often happens because they monitor and control data traffic for potential security threats and if your torrenting activities get flagged, your firewall or antivirus software might block the P2P connections, quarantine torrent files, or quarantine your torrent client software.

Try disabling them temporarily to see if that’s affecting your torrenting activities. If it does, you may need to add the torrenting client you’re using to your firewall or antivirus’s exceptions/allow list, so it stops blocking your torrenting client from accessing the internet.

Change Your VPN Protocol

NordVPN supports multiple protocols, and some are faster than others. Try switching between NordLynx and OpenVPN to see if it makes any difference. To change your VPN protocol, click on the cog (gear) icon in the bottom left on its app home screen, then click Connection, then VPN protocol.

Check Your Torrent Client’s Settings

Make sure that you aren’t limiting download and upload speeds. You’ll find these settings in the settings menu of your torrent client. If you’re trying to use a SOCKS5 proxy, double-check to make sure that everything is properly configured according to the setup guide on NordVPN’s website.

Contact NordVPN Support

Consider reaching out to NordVPN’s support team for more assistance if you’ve tried all of the above steps and are still experiencing issues — they may be able to provide specific insights based on your particular situation. NordVPN offers both email support and a 24/7 live chat.

Is It Legal to Use NordVPN for Torrenting?

Yes, torrenting is completely legal. Torrenting only becomes illegal when it’s used to share copyrighted materials without the permission of the owner, which is often the case with movies, music, software, and other forms of digital media. NordVPN lets you torrent more privately and securely, but it doesn’t change the legal or illegal nature of your actions.

There are countries that prohibit or limit torrenting and also countries that ban or heavily restrict VPNs. That’s why it’s super important to always check whether local laws and regulations allow for P2P file sharing and using a VPN. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities, including the use of a VPN to download copyrighted material.

Is NordVPN the Best VPN for Torrenting?

NordVPN is a very good VPN for torrenting. It offers very fast speeds, excellent privacy and security features, works with popular torrenting clients, has a large P2P network of 4,500+ servers in 45+ countries, and offers a SOCKS5 proxy. I particularly like that it can scan downloaded files for malware, a feature that not a lot of VPNs offer.

However, ExpressVPN is a better VPN for torrenting in many ways. It’s faster than NordVPN, it allows torrenting on all of its servers, and it supports port forwarding, which allows you to connect to more peers for faster download speeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is NordVPN good for torrenting?

Yes, NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for torrenting. It has very fast speeds, strong privacy and security features, a large P2P network of 4,500+ servers in 45+ countries, and comes with a SOCKS5 proxy. On top of that, it has an ad, tracker, and malware blocker that’s capable of scanning downloaded files for malware.

Is it safe to torrent with NordVPN?

Yes, NordVPN is a very safe VPN for torrenting. It has all the industry-standard VPN privacy and security features, including 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and an independently audited no-logs policy. It also has advanced security features like RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and leak protection. All of these can make sure that your torrenting activities remain private and secure.

What I really like is NordVPN’s Threat Protection — it’s a very good ad, tracker, and malware blocker that blocked almost all ads on every torrent site I visited and stopped me from accessing malicious P2P sites 100% of the time. I also think it’s great that it scans downloaded files for malware, so it can prevent malicious torrent files from ending up on your device.

Why is uTorrent not working with NordVPN?

There are numerous reasons why a torrenting client may not be working with NordVPN. For example, the torrent you’re trying to download may not have enough seeders, your firewall or antivirus may be interfering with your torrenting client, or your client may be configured incorrectly. Try some of these troubleshooting steps to see if it resolves your issue.

But I like ExpressVPN better for torrenting because it’s faster, allows torrenting on all of its servers, and supports port forwarding.

Does NordVPN work with qBittorrent?

NordVPN works with all major torrenting clients, including qBittorrent, BitTorrent, and uTorrent. I tested NordVPN with all of these torrent clients and a couple of more, and I never had any problems accessing or using them when connected to NordVPN’s P2P-dedicated servers. If you’re experiencing issues torrenting with NordVPN, try these troubleshooting steps.

Read more about NordVPN in our full review