Thread: Utorrent - Everything you need to know

µTorrent Guide



This is the "General Preferences" screen, which is opened simply through "Options > Preferences" (or by pressing CTRL+P).


> The Language dropdown menu allows you to select the language for the entire µTorrent interface. In order for this to work, you must have installed the language pack (utorrent.lng) into µTorrent's settings directory, or in the same directory as the µTorrent executable itself.
> The More... button opens the download page in your web browser, where you'll find the language pack available for download.
> check - Check for updates automatically tells µTorrent to connect to the µTorrent servers to check for newer versions upon startup (always best to have the latest version!)
> check - Confirm when deleting torrents displays a dialog asking for confirmation when you try to delete a torrent job from the list. (can save you from deleting a torrent by mistake)
> check - Show confirmation dialog on exit displays a dialog asking for confirmation when you try to exit µTorrent. (can save you from accidentally closing uT)

Windows Integration


> check - The Associate with .torrent files button tells Windows to open .torrent files in µTorrent. If maindoc.ico is present in µTorrent's settings directory, it will be used as the icon for .torrent files instead of making Windows attempt to generate an icon automatically. (highly recommending - this greatly increases productivity!)
> check - Check association on startup will tell µTorrent to check associations with .torrent files every time it is opened. If this filetype is not associated when µTorrent starts, the user will be prompted for further action. (makes sure other rouge programs don't alter .torrent association)
> uncheck - Start µTorrent on system startup will make µTorrent start when Windows starts up. (personal preference - can degrade computer performance)


Privacy


> The Boss-Key field allows you to select a keyboard combination that, when pressed, will toggle the visibility of all traces µTorrent on the immediate desktop. The main window and any open dialogs, the taskbar entry, and the system tray icon all disappear when hidden, and appear again when unhidden (by pressing the keyboard combination a second time). To set this field, you must press the keyboard combination you wish to set the boss-key to. To do so, press your choice of modifier keys (any combination of Ctrl, Alt, and Shift) and the key (letters, numbers, function keys, and so on). Make sure the key combination you select is not used by another application, as that can lead to conflicts.
> The Clear Private Data button clears previously used paths in various locations, such as the Add New Torrent dialog and the Create New Torrent dialog.
> check - Allow µTorrent to send anonymous version number and random id when checking for new version does exactly that - it allows µTorrent to send an anonymous, non-private, randomly generated ID and the µTorrent version and build numbers to the update server in order to count the number of people there are using µTorrent. (this helps improve uT and doesn't invade your privacy)
> uncheck - Auto-update to beta versions tells µTorrent to inform the user about beta releases when automatic updates is enabled. Otherwise, the user is only informed of newer stable builds. (always use only stable version)



When Downloading


> check - Append .!ut to incomplete files tells µTorrent to append the .!ut extension to any file in the torrent contents that still hasn't finished downloading. Once a file is completed, the extension gets removed from it. Note that the state of this option takes effect immediately after the preferences are saved, regardless of whether torrent jobs are started, stopped, paused, or queued. (personal preference - this is a best way to keep track of downloading files)
> uncheck - Pre-allocate all files tells µTorrent to create and fully allocate every file you select to download immediately after starting the torrent job. It cannot be used in conjunction with compact allocation or sparse files. Note that this option does not have an impact on fragmentation of your hard drive, as µTorrent already allocates each file upon writing to disk even without this option. (personal preference - not so good for limited HDD space if is checked)
> check - Prevent standby if there are active torrents is self-explanatory; if there are active torrent jobs, µTorrent will attempt to keep the computer out of standby mode. (keeps system from entering power saving mode)




See Part 2

maybe its smarted that next time u post everything in 1 topic as a reply.. this just spams the whole board and bumps some other tutorials of the main page..

Hmm... Great idea! Thank you!

This is the "UI Settings Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "UI Settings" on the left of the Preferences window.


Display Options


> check - Alternate list background color will make µTorrent alternate the background color for each item in a listview (be it the torrent jobs list, or one of the listviews in the detailed info pane) between white and gray. If disabled, µTorrent will simply display a white background behind every item in the listview. (very nice for a long list of torrents; keeps order)
> check - Show current speed in the title bar displays the total upload and download rates in the title bar of the main window, before "µTorrent". (always nice to have as much info handy as possible!)
> check - Show graphical progress bar draws a progress bar for each torrent job in the torrent jobs list, behind the completion percentage. (same as above - as much info as possible is nice)
> uncheck - Show speed limits in the status bar displays the global rate limit (if set) next to its corresponding value in the status bar. (personal preference)


System Tray


> uncheck - Close to tray will tell µTorrent to close the main window to system tray rather than exit when the close button is used in the window title bar. (personal preference)
> check - Always show tray icon will display the tray icon regardless of µTorrent's main window visibility (unless hidden with the boss-key). If disabled, µTorrent will only display the tray icon when it is closed or minimized to system tray. (personal preference)
> check - Show balloon notifications in tray will display a bubble tooltip notification in the system tray when certain events occur in µTorrent, such as the download completion of a torrent job, an error, and so on. (saves you from having to open it to check on the status)
> check - Minimize to tray will tell µTorrent to minimize the main window to system tray rather than the taskbar. (keeps the Task Bar clear as I always have uT open!)
> uncheck - Single click on tray icon to open will make it so that it takes a single left-click on the tray icon to display or hide the main window. If left unchecked, it would require a double-click to achieve the same result. (personal preference)
> check - Always activate when clicked will make it so that left-clicking (or double-clicking, depending on whether the single click tray icon option is enabled or disabled) the tray icon will only activate the main window. If left disabled, µTorrent would normally alternate between activating and hiding the window for the same action. (personal preference)


When Adding Torrents


> uncheck - Don't start the download automatically adds manually imported torrent jobs in stopped mode. If this option is enabled, "Start torrent" in the Add New Torrent dialog will be unchecked by default (but can still be enabled). If that dialog is not enabled, torrent jobs will simply be added in stopped mode, and will have to be started manually. (defeats the purpose of showing the dialog box)
> check - Activate the program window will open the µTorrent main window (if hidden, minimized to system tray, or minimized to taskbar). If unchecked, µTorrent will simply display the Add New Torrent dialog. (personal preference - I like being able to instantly start the torrent)
> check - Show a window that displays the files inside the torrent will tell µTorrent to display the Add New Torrent dialog. If unchecked, µTorrent will simply ask where you'd like to save the torrent contents, assuming a default download location is not set. (to pick and choose files)


Actions for Double Click


> For seeding torrents allows you to select the action that µTorrent takes when you double-click a seeding torrent job on the torrent jobs list.
> For downloading torrents allows you to select the action that µTorrent takes when you double-click a downloading torrent job on the jobs list.






This is the "Directories Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Directories" on the left of the Preferences window.

Location of Downloaded Files


> check - Put new downloads in specifies the default location that the contents of newly added torrent jobs will be downloaded to. (Allows you to properly organize your torrents and save time)
Upon checking the above setting, you'll be prompted for a location to put the torrents into. This is where torrents will download to by default. This is an excellent way to save yourself browsing for a location (likely the same one) for each torrent. I've got mine set to a secondary hard drive in a folder named "Downloads". This is also the location you'll want to put the files for torrents you create before you start seeding.
> check - Always show dialog on manual add tells µTorrent to display the Add New Torrent dialog even if a default download location is. If left unchecked, µTorrent automatically sets the download location to the specified location and adds the torrent job to the torrent jobs list accordingly, without user intervention. (this allows you to alter the default location or pick and choose files)
> uncheck - Move completed downloads to specifies the location that torrent contents that have finished downloading should be moved to. (personal preference - good if you have limited space and for organization)
>> Only move from the default download directory tells µTorrent to move torrent contents only if it was saved to the directory specified under "Put new downloads in". If that option wasn't set, this option should be left disabled.
>> Append the torrent's label to the directory name will add the torrent job's label to the path that the torrent contents are moved to after they finish downloading.

Storage For Torrent Files


> uncheck - Store .torrent files in sets the location that µTorrent should save .torrent files to. By default, µTorrent will save these files to the settings directory. (personal preference - only used to change location of the .torrent files)
> uncheck - Move .torrents for finished jobs to moves .torrent files to the specified location after it is completed. By default, these files remain in the same location that they were first copied to. (personal preference - only used to save the .torrent files automatically)

Auto-Load Torrents


> uncheck - Automatically load torrents in directory tells µTorrent to check the specified directory every second for new new .torrent files, and automatically load them. Note that the directory specified here must be different from the directories specified in the .torrent storage settings, otherwise, you will have problems. (personal preference - used to load all torrents from a specific directory)
> uncheck - Delete torrent instead of renaming, when loading tells µTorrent to delete the .torrent file when it is auto-loaded. Normally, if this option is not checked, µTorrent appends .loaded to the extension to indicate that it has been loaded and prevent µTorrent from trying to load the .torrent file again. (personal preference)

See Part 3.

This is the "Connection Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Connection" on the left of the Preferences window.

Listening Port


> The Port used for incoming connections field specifies the port that µTorrent should use to listen for incoming connections. This port must be unfirewalled for optimal usage of µTorrent. (I recommend something above 10,000 for good measure. You'll want to make sure this port is allowed through your router and/or firewall. (See your router/firewall documentation for instructions on how to do that.) Without having this port "open to the Internet" you will not be connectable. Not being connectable will greatly reduce your Bittorrent speeds.)
> The Random port button selects a random port between 10000 and 65000 as the listening port. (if you are out of inspiration just click on it..)
> uncheck - Randomize port each time µTorrent starts makes µTorrent select a random port between 1024 and 5000 to use at startup. Note that this option might conflict with your port forwarding settings, so if you manually open ports in your router and firewall, it's best to leave this option disabled. (will likely make you not connectable)
> uncheck - Enable UPnP port mapping allows µTorrent to communicate with the router to forward a port without your manual intervention. Some devices do not support Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), so you might still have to forward your ports manually. Disable UPnP if that is the case. (UPnP isn't a very good solution - try to manually forward the port first)
> uncheck - Enable NAT-PMP port mapping allows µTorrent to attempt to forward a port with routers that support the NAT port mapping protocol (Apple products, for example). (same as above... first of all try to manually forward the port)
> uncheck - Add µTorrent to Windows Firewall exceptions allows µTorrent to add an entry to the Windows Firewall exceptions list that lets it bypass the firewall. This is useful only if you actually have Windows Firewall enabled. Note that this option works only on Windows XP with at least Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed. (only check this if you use the WinXP SP2 Firewall; not advised)

Proxy Server


This is a large and complex topic. It is not possible to cover all variations here so this shouldn't be used unless you know exactly what you are doing.

> The Type dropdown menu specifies the type of proxy you are trying to use. Note that "HTTP" proxies cannot be used for peer-to-peer connections, as the HTTP CONNECT (used for tunneling persistent connections over the proxy) was introduced in HTTP/1.1, and most HTTP proxies still use HTTP/1.0.
> The Proxy field is where you enter the proxy's URL or IP address.
> The Port field is where you enter the proxy's port.
> Checking Authentication indicates that you need to log into the proxy server in order for it to work.
>> The Username field is where you enter the username required to log into the proxy server for authentication.
>> The Password field is where you enter the password required to log into the proxy server for authentication.
> Use proxy server for peer-to-peer connections forces µTorrent to communicate and transfer data with peers through the proxy. By default, this option is disabled, and µTorrent only uses the proxy to communicate with trackers. Note that peer-to-peer communication cannot be used with HTTP proxies.





This is the "Bandwith Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Bandwith" on the left of the Preferences window.

Upload

> uncheck - Automatic will allow µTorrent to automatically adjust its global maximum upload rate limit based on periodically measured network conditions.
> The Maximum upload rate field is self-explanatory. It will limit the maximum rate at which µTorrent will upload. Setting the value to 0 is equivalent to setting it to unlimited. Setting the value to anywhere between 1 and 5 will limit your download speed to 6 times the set upload speed, and you will see a "Download Limited" message in the status bar. This value is interpreted in KiB/s, so please enter it as such. (Keeping in mind that your download speed is directly proportional to your upload speed, limiting your upload just below your maximum possible speed will help your Internet performance (not just uT) as a whole. Find out your upload from your ISP (say 384kbps), then divide it by 8 to get your kB/s (kilobytes per second). Now shave about 20% off of this number and enter it here. For example... if you have a 384kbps upload, dividing that by 8 gives you 48 kB/s. 48 - 20% (=8) is 40. This will give you the optimal upload cap to allow other minor tasks (email checking, web browser AV updating, etc) to function while giving you the fattest pipe possible for upload speed. Keep in mind that trial and error works best. The percentage rate (20%) isn't set in stone. Use it as a starting point and try higher and lower to see what works best for you.)
> uncheck - The Alternate upload rate when not downloading field allows you to define an alternate upload rate when no torrent job is in downloading mode (only uploading). Other than the context in which it is active, this upload rate limit behaves exactly like the "Maximum upload rate" field. Unless you know what you're doing with this option, do not mess with it, as it might give the impression that µTorrent is not obeying the global maximum upload rate. This value is interpreted in KiB/s, so please enter it as such.

Download

> The Maximum download rate field limist the maximum rate at which µTorrent will download. Setting the value to 0 is equivalent to setting it to unlimited. Note that download rate limiting is very unreliable, so you might see greater fluctuations in download speeds with this option set to anything other than 0, and µTorrent might not be able to limit the speeds to the specified amount either. This value is interpreted in KiB/s, so please enter it as such. (This can also be useful, especially if you're on dial-up or a slower DSL service. Capping the download speed using the same formula as above will allow you the necessary bandwidth to perform the other tasks mentioned. If you have a 1.5Mbit or better ISP connection, don't worry about this (leave it as 0; unlimited). If you notice issues using other Internet apps (like browsing the web) while downloading torrents, you can try capping your download rate here.)


Number of Connection


> The Global maximum number of connections field defines the maximum number of connections that µTorrent can make at any given time in all active torrent jobs. (setting this number too high will cause instability and slowness. Setting this number too low will produce the exact same results. The number to use completely depends on your speed. The best "formula" to use is stick in whatever kbps upload speed you have (such as 384/512). Again, playing with this will give you the best results, so don't be afriad to deviate from this.)
> The Maximum number of connected peers per torrent field defines the maximum number of peers that µTorrent can connect to at any given moment for each torrent job. (this is also one of those "grey areas" when it comes to definitive settings and calculations/formulas. What I've found the most effective is use the number you calculated for the "Global maximum upload rate" above (40 in my example) and double it. Again, tweak it here and there to find the sweet spot. Too high and you'll expereince bandwidth choking. Too low and you'll find your speeds moving slowly.)
> The Number of upload slots per torrent field defines the maximum number of peers that µTorrent will upload to at any given moment for each torrent job. (again, heavily dependant on your Internet connection. The most efficent way to calculate this that I've found is to take that same number we doubled for "conected peers" just above (again, 40 in this example) and divide it by 4 (10 in this example). This number should obviously never be 0 or else you'll never connect! For dial-up users, 1 or 2 at most should suffice. Otherwise try the mentioned calculations and toy with it from there.)
> check - Use additional upload slots if upload speed < 90% tells µTorrent to open more upload slots if the current total upload speed is less than 90% of the global maximum upload rate.

See Part 4.

This is the "BitTorrent Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "BitTorrent" on the left of the Preferences window.

Basic BitTorrent Features


> uncheck - Enable DHT Network enables the Distributed Hash Table (DHT) if checked. You can also do this by right-clicking the DHT status in the main window status bar and selecting the corresponding option. (not allowed on private trackers - NEVER check this!)
> uncheck - Enable DHT for new torrents tells µTorrent to check for peers from the DHT network on each newly added torrent job. This option only works if DHT is enabled, and if the 'private' flag is not set in the .torrent file. (not allowed on private trackers - NEVER check this!)
> uncheck - Enable Local Peer Discovery allows µTorrent to attempt to discover local peers via multicast. If a peer is considered local, transfer rates with the peer will not be limited unless Limit local peer bandwidth is also enabled. Local peers will not be added to the peer list for .torrent files with the 'private' flag set. (not allowed on private trackers - NEVER check this!)
> check - Ask tracker for scrape information tells µTorrent to scrape the tracker (ask for peer and seed counts). By default, the tracker is scraped only when the torrent job is started, but this can be changed. (regularly checks the health of a torrent like seeds/leechers)
> uncheck - Enable Peer Exchange enables Peer Exchange (PEX) for each newly added torrent job, provided the 'private' flag is not set for that .torrent file. (similar to DHT, it allows peers outside of the tracker to connect - NEVER check this!)
> uncheck - Limit local peer bandwidth: This option decides whether µTorrent should apply the rate limits to peers on the local network. Peers are considered local if they are discovered by Local Peer Discovery, or if they are on the same LAN as the client.
> The IP/Ho***ame to report to tracker field allows you to specify your IP address when reporting to the tracker. This is used for the case that your WAN (Internet) IP address is not reported correctly to the tracker for whatever reason (might be that you are behind a proxy server). Note that you can type a ho***ame in this field, so if you use a dynamic DNS service, you can enter your domain into this field. Also, realize that not all trackers pay attention to this information, and often ignore it. (should be left blank unless you know what you're doing.)

Protocol Encryption


> The Outgoing dropdown menu allows you to select the mode of encryption that you prefer µTorrent to establish. All modes will accept incoming encrypted connections, and the encryption is 2-way.
>> Disabled will force µTorrent to attempt to establish only unencrypted outgoing connections.
>> Enabled will allow µTorrent to establish encrypted and unencrypted outgoing connections, depending on how the peer responds to the handshake. This is the recommended option, as it allows you to connect to the largest number of peers.
>> Forced forces µTorrent to establish only encrypted outgoing connections. Any peer that doesn't support encryption will not be connected to. It is recommended that you not use this option unless your ISP actively searches for unencrypted outgoing connections, as it can significantly impair your ability to connect to peers.
(Choose "Enabled" - This setting allows some users to bypass traffic shaping techniques used by some ISPs and also offers more security)
> check - Allow incoming legacy connections allows µTorrent to establish unencrypted incoming connections. If disabled, any incoming connection that is unencrypted will be ignored. It is recommended that you not disable this option unless your ISP actively searches for unencrypted incoming connections, as it can significantly impair your ability to connect to peers.




This is the "Queueing Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Queueing" on the left of the Preferences window.

Queue Settings


> The Maximum number of active torrents field defines the maximum number of unforced torrent jobs that µTorrent will allow to be active before placing it on the queue. Torrent jobs are counted regardless of whether they're seeding or downloading torrents, as long as they are uploading or downloading at 1 KiB/s or higher. (there is no real "right or wrong" answer... just use common sense)
> The Maximum number of active downloads field defines the maximum number of unforced torrent jobs that µTorrent will allow to be downloaded before making it wait on the download queue. This option only applies to torrent jobs that are downloading or are to be placed in downloading mode. (use common sense)

Seed While [Default values]


> The Ratio is: <= field allows you to set the ratio that you wish to reach before µTorrent throttles the speed for the torrent job (or stops it, if you set it to do so). Setting the ratio to -1 is equivalent to setting it to unlimited. Setting this value to 0 tells µTorrent to ignore this value and look only at the seeding time limit. This value is interpreted as a percentage, so please enter it as such. µTorrent will throttle the seeding process only after both this and time limit have been reached. (Only useful for limited connections or limited system resources. It's in your best interest to seed forever if you can.)
> The seeding time is dropdown menu allows you to select the maximum amount of time you wish for the torrent job to continue seeding at normal speeds after it has finished downloading. µTorrent will throttle the seeding process only after both this and the ratio threshold have been reached. (choose "Ignore" option)
> check - Seeding tasks have higher priority than downloading tasks will give seeding tasks higher priority than downloads, so if your maximum number of active torrents is reached, and a torrent job reaches seeding state, the downloading tasks will not force it into queued seeding state. (great for your ratio and the BT community!)
Note: These values only affect torrent jobs added after they are set. Existing torrent jobs will retain their current seeding goals, even if these default settings are modified.

When µTorrent Reaches The Seeding Goal


> uncheck - The Limit the upload rate to field allows you to set the speed that µTorrent throttles the upload speed for a torrent job to when it reaches the seeding goal set. Setting this value to 0 is equivalent to telling µTorrent to stop the torrent job. This value is interpreted in KiB/s, so please enter it as such. (haha "when you reach the seeding goal" :d)



This is the "Scheduler Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Scheduler" on the left of the Preferences window.

Scheduler Table (if enabled)


Here you can adjust the bandwidth uT is allowed to use depending on the time of day. It's nice for allowing uT to still run during the day, but also allow more bandwidth when others are using the nerwork/computer. The settings are pretty much self-explanitory.

> Each square in this table represents each hour in each day of each week. You can change the color by left-clicking on a box. It cycles through dark green, light green, and white. To get light red (Seeding Only), hold Shift while left-clicking on the box. Left-click-dragging will cause all time blocks that the mouse passes over to change to the new color.
> If the box is dark green, it is Full Speed, which means that µTorrent will adhere to the global upload and download rate limits during that hour.
> If a box is light green, it means the upload and download rates are Limited, and will be bound by the rate limits set in the "Scheduler Settings" section.
> If a box is white, it means that all torrent jobs that are not forced will be set to Turn off, or stop.
> If a box is light red, it means Seeding only, and all unforced torrent jobs that are downloading will be stopped. Seeding torrent jobs will proceed to seed as usual.

Scheduler Settings (if enabled)


> The Limited upload rate field sets the global maximum upload rate that all torrent jobs should follow when operating under Limited mode. Other than the context in which it is active, this upload rate limit behaves exactly like the global maximum upload rate. This value is interpreted in KiB/s, so please enter it as such.
> The Limited download rate field sets the global maximum download rate that all torrent jobs should follow when operating under Limited mode. Other than the context in which it is active, this download rate limit behaves exactly like the global maximum download rate. This value is interpreted in KiB/s, so please enter it as such.
> check - Disable DHT when turning off disables DHT when the scheduler is operating under Turn off mode.

See Part 5.

This is the "Web UI Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Advanced > Web UI" on the left of the Preferences window.

Enable Web Interface will enable the web interface if checked. When enabled, it is assumed that webui.zip is placed properly in the µTorrent settings directory. If the file isn't found there and someone attempts to access the Web UI, µTorrent will simply complain about it not being found in the Logger tab, and display nothing.

Authentication


> The Username field allows you to specify a username to log into the web interface, and is required in order to use the web interface.
> The Password field sets the password for this username. It may be left blank if you do not wish to password-protect the web interface.
> Enable Guest account with username enables or disables the guest account, a user that can view (but not edit) the torrent jobs currently in your torrent jobs list. If enabled, a username for the guest account must be specified in order for it to work.

Connectivity


> Alternative listening port, if enabled, tells µTorrent to use the specified port to listen to Web UI requests (and the internal tracker if enabled). This option is especially useful for those who randomize their ports each time µTorrent starts. If left disabled, µTorrent will serve the web interface over the same port as its normal listening port. You must forward this port manually, even if you use UPnP to forward the normal µTorrent listening port.
> Restrict access to the following IPs allows you to limit the IPs that are allowed to connect to the web interface. Multiple IPs may be specified, but they must be separated by commas. IP ranges may be specified using CIDR notation.





This is the "Advanced Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Advanced" on the left of the Preferences window.

!!!!!WARNING: Unless you fully understand the consequences of changing an advanced setting, you should not modify it without guidance.!!!!

> bt.allow_same_ip: Enabling this option allows multiple incoming connections from the same IP address. This option affects a single torrent job at a time, so you can still have the same IP address connect to you on different torrent swarms. It is recommended that this option be left disabled, as it weakens the anti-leech protection.
> bt.auto_ul_factor: This option sets the portion of the largest reading to use for throttling. It is interpreted as a percentage, so please enter it as such.
> bt.auto_ul_interval: This option controls how often µTorrent tests the upload rate for setting the upload rate limit automatically. Every time this interval passes, µTorrent disables the upload rate limit and lets it run while sampling the rate. This option is interpreted in seconds, so please enter it as such.
> bt.auto_ul_min: This option determines the smallest upload rate µTorrent will use while in auto-uplink throttling mode. If the sampled average is less than this value, µTorrent ignores the sampled average and uses this value instead. This value is interpreted in bytes per second, so please enter it as such. Note that if this value is too low, the automatic upload rate limiter might possibly set the upload rate to a level low enough to trigger Download Limited mode.
> bt.auto_ul_sample_average: This option sets how many seconds to average the amount of uploaded data over (sliding window).
> bt.auto_ul_sample_window: This option controls how long each sampling run will take. It is interpreted in seconds, so please enter it as such.
> bt.ban_ratio: The lowest acceptable ratio of good to bad pieces a peer can send before it gets banned. This takes effect after bt.ban_threshold is exceeded and bt.use_ban_ratio is enabled.
> bt.ban_threshold: This option specifies the maximum number of hashfailed pieces any single peer can send before µTorrent takes action against it (either banning it outright, or enforcing bt.ban_ratio if bt.use_ban_ratio is enabled).
> bt.compact_allocation: Do not use this option, it is not working properly. You will have errors if you do. Use diskio.sparse_files instead. Enabling this option allows µTorrent to create files in a manner similar to the Python scripting language's method for allocating files in order to save space while downloading. Note that enabling this option potentially leads to increased disk fragmentation. Do not use this option with diskio.use_partfile. Also, it cannot be used if you tell µTorrent to pre-allocate disk space.
> bt.connect_speed: This option specifies the number of connections µTorrent should make each second up to the net.max_halfopen limit.
> bt.enable_tracker: Enabling this option enables the rudimentary tracker embedded in µTorrent. If you wish to use this tracker, the URL is located at OpenDNS where IP is your WAN IP address, and port is the port µTorrent is listening on (or the alternative listening port if set and enabled). If you use a dynamic DNS service, your domain may be used instead of your IP address. The embedded tracker allows tracking of external .torrent files, and provides no way to limit them. There is no interface for viewing the .torrent files that are tracked. It is imperative that µTorrent is able to listen for incoming connections for this feature to work properly, so you have to make sure you have completely forwarded your ports in order to use the embedded tracker.
> bt.graceful_shutdown: If enabled, µTorrent will take as long as it needs to finish its shutdown sequence (writing in-progress pieces to disk, deleting files in deletion queue, and waiting for tracker replies to stop messages -- among other things). That means that even if it takes several minutes to shutdown gracefully, it will wait for that long, and the process will remain in memory until then. If disabled, µTorrent will limit how long it waits to to 10 seconds, and regardless of the state of the shutdown sequence, µTorrent will force itself to exit.
> bt.multiscrape: Enabling this option allows µTorrent to send multiple hashes each time it scrapes a tracker, which is more efficient than sending one hash at a time. In most circumstances, this option should not need to be disabled, as µTorrent will fall back to single scraping if it detects that the tracker does not support multi-scraping.
> bt.no_connect_to_services: This option tells µTorrent not to connect to peers using ports specified in "bt.no_connect_to_services_list" as their listening ports. This stops firewalls from complaining about µTorrent trying to send an e-mail.
> bt.no_connect_to_services_list: This option specifies which ports µTorrent should not connect to when "bt.no_connect_to_services" is enabled.
> bt.prio_first_last_piece: Enabling this option prioritizes the first and last pieces of each file in a torrent job, increasing the chances that they can be previewed before download completion.
> bt.scrape_stopped: Enabling this option allows µTorrent to get seed and peer counts for torrent jobs that are stopped.
> bt.send_have_to_seed: Enabling this option tells µTorrent to send a message to other seeds indicating how many pieces you currently have.
> bt.set_sockbuf: This debugging option allows µTorrent to automatically detect the TCP buffer size (so_sndbuf) and adjust it based on your upload speed. It does not adjust based on latency.
> bt.use_ban_ratio: This option tells µTorrent to use bt.ban_ratio to decide when a peer gets banned after it has exceeded bt.ban_threshold.
> bt.use_rangeblock: When enabled, µTorrent will automatically attempt to determine whether an entire range of IP addresses should be banned for sending hashfailed pieces rather than banning individual IPs one at a time. When µTorrent bans 4 IPs from the same /24 CIDR block, it will ban the entire /24 CIDR block. When µTorrent bans 4 CIDR blocks of size /24 from the same /16 CIDR block, it will ban the entire /16 CIDR block. When µTorrent bans 4 CIDR blocks of size /16 from the same /8 CIDR block, it will ban the entire /8 CIDR block.
> dht.rate: This option specifies the amount of bandwidth that DHT will use. The default value, -1, tells µTorrent to manage the bandwidth usage automatically based on your maximum upload rate. The automatic value is obtained by dividing your maximum upload by 16. This value is interpreted in bytes per second, so please enter it as such.
> diskio.coalesce_writes: This option tells µTorrent to try to minimize the number of writes to disk by writing more data at once. It doesn't have any effect on download speeds, but might increase memory and CPU usage to achieve less disk writes.
> diskio.flush_files: Enabling this option closes file handles every minute. It helps to reduce the effect of Windows managing the system cache badly for some people and causing so-called "memory leaks."
> diskio.smart_hash: This option makes µTorrent hash data from memory (if in the write queue) instead of flushing to disk, re-reading from disk, and then hashing. This should help reduce hard disk reads, especially when transferring at high speeds.
> diskio.sparse_files: Enabling this option allocates only the data that has been written. It works only on partitions that are formatted as NTFS. Note that enabling this option potentially leads to increased disk fragmentation. Also, it cannot be used if you tell µTorrent to pre-allocate disk space.


See Part 5.2.

CONTINUED

This is the "Advanced Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Advanced" on the left of the Preferences window. (

!!!!!WARNING: Unless you fully understand the consequences of changing an advanced setting, you should not modify it without guidance.!!!!

> diskio.use_partfile: This option is used to store data that is downloaded from files that you told µTorrent to skip. This is necessary to prevent the file from being allocated. It stores the parts of the skipped files that come with a piece, since µTorrent must download and save the entire piece, and each piece can contain data from multiple files. The partfile is removed when you remove the torrent job from the torrent job list.
> gui.addpre_uselistview: Enabling this option tells µTorrent to disable the treeview in the Add New Torrent dialog, and use a flat listview instead.
> gui.bypass_search_redirect: Enabling this option tells µTorrent to search directly on the selected search engine rather than being redirected through http://search.utorrent.com.
> gui.compat_diropen: If you experience abnormal behaviors while browsing directories in µTorrent, such as a blank browsing dialog, try enabling this option.
> gui.default_del_action: This option tells µTorrent how it should remove torrent jobs when pressing the Remove button in the toolbar or Delete on your keyboard. Note that any value above 3 will cause the "Remove" button in the toolbar and the Delete button on your keyboard to do nothing in µTorrent. To be safer, you'd best be setting this option in the GUI through the toolbar method.
0 means "Remove"
1 means "Remove and delete .torrent"
2 means "Remove and delete Data"
3 means "Remove and delete .torrent + Data"
> gui.delete_to_trash: Enabling this option tells µTorrent to attempt to delete files to the Recycle Bin rather than directly erasing them from the disk. It is easier to set this option in the GUI through the toolbar method.
> gui.update_rate: This option controls the amount of time between each update of the µTorrent main window. The higher it is, the less frequently µTorrent updates the main window, meaning that if you select 1000, the information displayed on the main window is at most 1000 milliseconds (1 second) old. For users of slower computers, you might want to increase this number to decrease resource usage when the main window is displayed. Any value below 500 will be ignored, and 500 will be used instead.
> ipfilter.enable: This option, when enabled, tells µTorrent to load ipfilter.dat and apply the rules on connections established after it is loaded. Note that disabling and re-enabling this option will force µTorrent to reload ipfilter.dat.
> net.bind_ip: If your computer setup requires that you use a specific LAN adapter for incoming connections, you may specify that adapter's IP address here.
> net.low_cpu: Enabling this option reduces CPU usage slightly. You may achieve faster speeds with this option disabled. In general, this option is useless for most people unless they have extremely fast connections.
> net.max_halfopen: This option specifies how many connections µTorrent should attempt to establish simultaneously at any given time. On systems running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2), if your TCPIP.sys file is unpatched, you should leave this option at its default value. (Go to this site: www.LvlLord.de - Tipps, Tricks & Utilities - News to get the patch utility than set the halfopen connection to a higher value for ex. 50)
> net.outgoing_ip: If your computer setup requires that you use a specific LAN adapter for outgoing connections, you may specify that adapter's IP address here. Note that Windows will sometimes ignore this setting and use other adapters. There is no known fix for this.
> net.outgoing_max_port: This sets the upper limit for the outgoing port range. If this option is set to some invalid port number or some value less than "net.outgoing_port," it gets ignored, and only "net.outgoing_port" gets looked at (meaning the outgoing port "range" will actually be a single outgoing port).
> net.outgoing_port: This option specifies the port that µTorrent should use to make outgoing connections. Normally, µTorrent selects a port from the ephemeral port range (between 1024 and 5000 by default on Windows) at random. "This can be used with full cone NAT routers to reduce the number of NAT table entries and thus prevent cashes on some router models. When the outgoing port is bound to the same as the incoming port that might even solve NAT problems on full cone NAT routers" (AzureusWiki). This option only works on Windows 2000 and above. This option is ignored if it is not a valid port number.
> net.wsaevents: This option is used for tweaking if you are experiencing odd firewall issues. Decrease the value one by one to see if it helps.
> peer.disconnect_inactive: Enabling this option tells µTorrent to disconnect from a peer that is not transferring with you after 5 minutes of inactivity. The time limit can be set using peer.disconnect_inactive_interval.
> peer.disconnect_inactive_interval: This option sets the amount of time µTorrent should wait before breaking an inactive connection. This value is interpreted in seconds, so please enter it as such. Any value below 300 will be ignored, and 300 will be used instead. (set up to 600 - this setting can help stabilize your connection.)
> peer.lazy_bitfield: Some ISPs block seeding by looking for the complete bitfield and closing the connection. When enabled, µTorrent does not send the complete bitfield, but a sample of it, so as to prevent blocking of seeding.
> peer.resolve_country: Enabling this option tells µTorrent to use an Internet database of IP addresses (a DNSBL) to determine a peer's country. Even if the settings directory contains flags.conf and flags.bmp, this option will take precedence, and the internal flag images will be used instead.
> queue.dont_count_slow_dl: Enabling this option tells µTorrent to ignore slow downloading torrent jobs as part of the queue. If a torrent job is downloading at less than 1 KiB/s, it will not prevent the next item in the queue from starting.
> queue.dont_count_slow_ul: Enabling this option tells µTorrent to ignore slow uploading torrent jobs as part of the queue. If a torrent job is uploading at less than 1 KiB/s, it will not prevent the next item in the queue from starting.
> queue.prio_no_seeds: Enabling this option gives torrent jobs without seeds higher priority when seeding than other torrent jobs.
> queue.use_seed_peer_ratio: When this option is enabled, µTorrent will determine the seeding queue order based on the ratio of the number of seeds to the number of peers connected in the swarm. The lower the seed:peer ratio is for a torrent job, the higher priority it will be given in the seeding queue. If a torrent job has 0 peers and queue.dont_count_slow_ul is disabled, it will be given the lowest priority. Otherwise, if the aforementioned option is enabled, the torrent job is treated as if there is 1 peer in the swarm.
> rss.start_matches: Enabling this option tells µTorrent to override the Don't start the download automatically option for torrent jobs added by RSS favorites.
> rss.update_interval: This option sets the length of time µTorrent should wait before it checks the RSS feeds again. This value is interpreted in minutes, so please enter it as such. Any value below 5 will be ignored, and 5 will be used instead.


See Part 6.

This is the "User Interface Extras" screen, which is shown by clicking "Advanced > User Interface" on the left of the Preferences window.

Speed Popup List


> uncheck - Override automatic speed popup list allows you to define the lists of speeds that are displayed when right-clicking the corresponding item in the status bar on the main window. If left unchecked, µTorrent automatically generates the list in context, based on the current limit.
>> Upload speed list defines the upload speed list. -1 adds a separator to the list. 0 means Unlimited. Any other positive value is interpreted normally (as that value). Each value must be separated with a comma. The values are interpreted in KiB/s, so please enter them as such.
>> Download speed list defines the download speed list. -1 adds a separator to the list. 0 means Unlimited. Any other positive value is interpreted normally (as that value). Each value must be separated with a comma. The values are interpreted in KiB/s, so please enter them as such.

Persistent Labels


> The field here allows you to specify permanent labels that remain regardless of the number of torrent jobs there are acutally using that label. Multiple persistent labels may be entered, but must be separated with a | (vertical pipe). Note that persistent labels are given higher priority than normal labels in the category list, so correspondingly, they are displayed above their normal counterparts.

Search Engines


> This textarea allows you to edit the list of search engines that µTorrent can use when using the built-in torrent search facility. One search engine may be entered per line, and must be entered as follows (where ?search= is arbitrary and depends on the search engine being used):
Name|OpenDNS
> In order to add custom search engines to the list on your own, you should have some basic understanding of HTML.
> Blank lines are displayed as separators in the search engine menu.
> If you leave the entire field blank, the search widgets in the toolbar will be hidden from view.




This is the "Disk Cache Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Advanced > Disk Cache" on the left of the Preferences window.

The default settings are best left alone unless you are noticing issues.

Disk Cache


> Override automatic cache size and specify the size manually allows you to set a new maximum memory usage for the disk cache. Normally, µTorrent automatically adjusts the cache size based on your current download speed. This value is interpreted in MiB, so please enter it as such.
> Reduce memory usage when cache is not needed flushes disk cache when µTorrent is not transferring data. This option should not be used if you wish to minimize disk access.

Advanced Cache Settings


> Enable caching of disk writes allows µTorrent to use the disk cache to store data in memory before writing it to disk. This has the effect of decreasing the frequency of writes to disk.
>> Write out untouched blocks every 2 minutes makes µTorrent write to disk the 16 KiB blocks of data in memory that haven't been touched for 2 minutes or longer and don't fill up a piece. This option should not be used if you wish to minimize disk access.
>> Write out finished pieces immediately makes µTorrent write a piece to disk once it is completed in memory. This option should not be used if you wish to minimize disk access.
> Enable caching of disk reads allows µTorrent to use the disk cache to store frequently read data into memory from disk. This has the effect of decreasing the frequency of reads from disk.
>> Turn off caching if the upload speed is slow disables the read caching if uploading is below 40 KiB/s. This lowers memory usage when the cache is not needed. This option should not be used if you wish to minimize disk access.
>> Remove old blocks from the cache removes chunks of read cache data from memory if they haven't been accessed for 10 minutes in order to make room for other data. This option should not be used if you wish to minimize disk access.
>> Increase automatic cache size when cache thrashing increases the size when reading from disk increases (most often due to increased upload speeds). If you override the automatic cache size, this option is not needed.


See Part 7.