NordVPN Torrenting Guide

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So many streaming platforms are making their own shows nowadays that, even if you subscribe to several of them, odds are you’re still not going to have access to at least some of the content you want to watch. Because of this, torrenting is still one of the most popular methods for obtaining shows and movies. However, as great as it is, it comes with certain risks, which is why using a VPN is crucial for this activity.

For years now, NordVPN and torrenting have been inseparable. Today, we’ll tell you all about this exceptional service and how to use it to watch whatever you want to whenever you want.

Do You Need a VPN for Torrenting?

Before we move on to anything else, we’d first like to address one common misconception: You have to use a VPN to torrent. Torrenting without a VPN is certainly possible, but it’s not recommended, so it’s easy to understand where the confusion might come from.

Namely, torrenting itself isn’t illegal, but downloading copyrighted material is. If you don’t have a good VPN for torrenting to keep your online activity confidential, you’re likely to get fined. To be fair, this isn’t true for every country, but it’s becoming more widespread each year.

However, not all VPNs are created equal: Some of them aren’t suitable for torrenting. Some are too slow, while others don’t have protection protocols in place to keep your data safe from third parties that might want to report you or misuse your information. That’s why you should always try to do as much research as you can and, if possible, avoid free services since they’re likely to cause you more harm than good.

Why Use NordVPN for Torrenting?

Many recommend NordVPN as the go-to virtual private network service for torrenting because it offers everything you could possibly need: specialized servers, speed, and safety.

This VPN provider has servers in 37 countries, set up specifically for P2P sharing, which is quite convenient; otherwise, you’d have to sift through more than 5000 NordVPN servers to find one in a country that hasn’t banned torrent traffic. Of course, the servers are optimized for speed.

Nonetheless, your distance from a NordVPN P2P server is always going to impact your internet speed at least a little, but, thanks to Nordlynx – the VPN protocol NordVPN launched in 2020 – most people barely notice they’re using a VPN at all.

As far as safety is concerned, NordVPN implements all the essential security protocols and more. Once you turn it on, NordVPN will create a VPN tunnel for you so that your data can’t be seen by your internet service provider or anyone else. Furthermore, your personal information going through these tunnels will be encoded with AES-256-bit encryption. It goes without saying that your IP address will be hidden as well.

Using NordVPN for torrenting also means that you won’t have to worry about a single DNS leak or your data being exposed to prying eyes in case your server connection fails: Its kill switch will automatically block your access to the internet.

NordVPN’s CyberSec feature will keep ads and malicious sites away from you but, for an extra layer of protection, you should consider getting a piece of quality antivirus software as well.

The last but definitely not least important factor we’d like to mention is that NordVPN is based in Panama, which has no mandatory data-retention laws. Therefore, you can rest assured knowing that the company’s zero-logs policy is trustworthy.

Torrenting and NordVPN

If you’re wondering how to use NordVPN for torrenting, the solution depends on whether you have the NordVPN app installed. In any case, you’ll begin by purchasing a NordVPN subscription and opening your email to activate your account.

To download the software, all you need to do is sign in, pick a P2P server, and that’s it. However, as an extra precaution, we suggest you turn on NordVPN’s kill switch by navigating to the “Settings” section of the app and locating the “Kill Switch” tab.

Here you’ll find two types of kill switches that you can turn on for more protection while torrenting through NordVPN. The first type is the standard internet-disconnecting kill switch, while the second enables you to apply the kill switch to a specific app.

Those that don’t want yet another app eating up device memory will have to set up a proxy. It sounds more complicated than it is, so just follow our instructions, and you’ll complete the entire process in a matter of minutes. We’ll use µTorrent in our example, but the steps you’ll need to take are pretty similar for every torrent client out there.

Torrenting with NordVPN Without an App Guide:

  1. Open µTorrent on your device.
  2. Click on the “Options” tab and select “Preferences.”
  3. In the new window, you’ll see a left sidebar. There, you should click on “Connection.”
  4. You should see the “Proxy Server” section in front of you, which contains the “Type” dropdown menu. Expand it and choose Socks5.
  5. Enter one of the following addresses into the “Proxy” field: (amsterdam.nl.socks.nordhold.net, atlanta.us.socks.nordhold.net, dallas.us.socks.nordhold.net, dublin.ie.socks.nordhold.net, ie.socks.nordhold.net, los-angeles.us.socks.nordhold.net, nl.socks.nordhold.net, se.socks.nordhold.net, stockholm.se.socks.nordhold.net, us.socks.nordhold.net)
  6.  The next step in setting up NordVPN for µTorrent is typing “1080” in the “Port” bar.
  7. Tick all the boxes in the “Proxy Server” and “Privacy Policy” sections.
  8. Finally, fill in the designated “Username” and “Password” spaces.
  9. Press “OK” and start torrenting.

Final Thoughts

NordVPN is great for torrenting. Nevertheless, we encourage you to explore and see what else is out there, even if there’s not much to dislike about this VPN service. We’re aware that everyone has different preferences, so it’s not our intention to sway you towards what we like. After all, if you’re having doubts about getting NordVPN, comparing it to other top VPNs might be exactly what helps you decide.

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