Torrenting has always been a sensitive topic. While in many countries bordering the edges of legality, in some countries, it’s completely illegal. For the most part, however, it’s legal as long as you aren’t downloading copyrighted material. But why do people use NordVPN for torrenting?
Well, VPNs, in general, tend to encrypt your traffic and hide your IP. This prevents your ISP from seeing your downloading/browsing history, on top of which, you’re safe from hackers online. Even torrenting is much safer, as your IP can’t be seen by other peers who download the same torrent.
But now, the question is – can you use NordVPN with torrent clients and enjoy anonymous P2P? Well, the answer is obviously yes. In today’s article, we’ll explain how to use it, which settings to use, and how to make sure your traffic is really secure.
Does NordVPN Allow for Torrenting?
When checking NordVPN’s website, you’ll see that it allows for P2P. Besides, people use NordVPN with uTorrent safely and securely, without any problems. Another thing is that the provider offers optimized servers for this activity, which you can find in ALL of its apps.
This immediately tells us that the service openly supports and encourages its users to enjoy this activity. Furthermore, there’s another factor contributing to its torrent-friendliness. It’s a no-logging policy, which is crucial when talking about it.
This means the provider won’t store logs of your downloads, IP addresses, DNS requests, or timestamps. With multiple external audits from PwC and Deloitte, the provider is really one of the best providers for this purpose. If we add various security features to this, we get an even better provider.
AES-256 encryption is here, and so is the kill switch for preventing IP/DNS leaks. The provider even comes with Double VPN servers, something that’ll double your encryption and ensure you’re downloading/browsing safely.
All in all, NordVPN Torrent usage is indeed a thing, as millions of people use it for this purpose. However, since many of you aren’t tech-savvy, we feel obligated to show you exactly how to use NordVPN for torrenting and P2P.
How to Use NordVPN for Torrenting – Beginner’s Guide
In this section, we’ll do just that. But before we move on, we invite you to read our full NordVPN review that’ll give you even more information about the service. Let’s now present you with the steps to use NordVPN for anonymous P2P activities.
1. Subscribe to NordVPN
This provider isn’t free and we think all of you know that. If you haven’t subscribed to it yet, we strongly recommend taking advantage of its exclusive discount.
Through our site, users can get a 2-year plan with a 50+ percent discount and save some serious money. You don’t even need to use a NordVPN coupon to get it.
NordVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for all of its plans, making it that impressive. If you’re dissatisfied, a refund is always an option but from our experience, users rarely request a refund and simply keep enjoying the provider fully.
To subscribe, click on the button above, select the plan, and enter your email. Now, proceed to the payment, and once it’s complete, visit your email to verify the account. At this moment, you’ll be able to create a secure password as well, which marks the end of this process.
2. Download and Install the VPN
NordVPN can be installed on any device. But since we’re talking about torrenting and P2P, we assume you’re on Windows. To install it on Windows, download the setup file from the site and install it as any other app. On Android, you’ll have to install it directly from Google Play – a much simpler feat.
Once the provider is installed, open the application and sign in with the email and password from Step 1.
If you did everything right, the provider should open its dashboard – it should look like this.
3. Connect to the P2P Server
To use NordVPN for torrenting, you need to connect to the P2P server. Of course, the provider has 5,500 servers in 60 countries and all servers are working for P2P. However, P2P servers are optimized for this activity and they’ll provide you with the best performance.
Also, we recommend connecting to the closest server optimized for torrenting. To do that, click on the arrow pointing down, next to the few recommended locations (under Quick Connect). You’ll find P2P right there, so just click once on it and the provider will connect in a second.
4. Enable the Kill Switch
When performing this online activity, it’s vital to ensure that all the other security measures are working. One of them is the kill switch. By default, it should be enabled but if it’s not, make sure you enable it in Settings.
Click on the Gear icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen and then choose the Kill Switch option. Find the Internet Kill Switch and use the button on the right to enable it. Also, tick the second option underneath. Now, you will be protected if the VPN connection is lost for some reason.
5. Make Sure There Are No IP/DNS Leaks
This one is pretty important as well! If you’re wondering how to use NordVPN for torrenting safely, you should first test the VPN for IP and DNS leaks. We recommend using the site Browser Leaks, which will let you do both IP and DNS leak tests easily.
When performing the test, your original IP and DNS addresses should be fully concealed. With NordVPN, we never had any issues, so if you connected to the server already, most likely, no leaks will be present either way. This is just a 10-second job to ensure leaks aren’t spoiling your privacy.
6. Do a Speed Test
NordVPN works for torrenting because it’s one of the fastest providers. Still, it’s a good idea to check out how fast it is before you start downloading. You can go to speedtest.net and perform a simple speed test to check your upload/download speeds and download latency.
If everything’s okay and there aren’t drastic reductions compared to your native speeds, you should be good to go. As an example, we’ll show you our native internet speeds:
When using NordVPN for torrent downloads, our speeds look like this:
As you can see, there are almost no speed reductions, which tells us that the provider is working as it should.
7. Start Torrenting
And with that out of the way, you can safely download torrents. This applies to any client you use – uTorrent, qBitTorrent, BitTorrent, Vuze, Deluge – or any other. Simply go to the torrent site, download the file, or use a magnet link and enjoy.
Thanks to the provider’s rock-solid security and stringent privacy, you can download to your heart’s contempt. No bandwidth limits, no slow speeds, just pure awesomeness!
Secure P2P Traffic With NordVPN
NordVPN Torrenting Issues: How to Fix Them?
If NordVPN isn’t working for torrenting, you might be encountering some of these issues:
- Slow speeds
- Unstable connections
- The VPN won’t connect
- Torrenting won’t start
These problems can be VPN-related but in some cases, they aren’t. Here are some of the potential fixes that you can apply to remedy the problem and hopefully make the provider work.
Switch to a Different Server
If the provider isn’t working for torrenting, use a different server. The one you’re using might be overloaded, which can result in slow speeds and frequent instabilities. In that case, use a P2P server that isn’t overcrowded.
You don’t even have to use the closest one if it’s not working. If you’re in France, let’s say, you can try a server in Spain, which is also close to you and should give you excellent performance.
Use Another Protocol
NordVPN offers two main protocols – NordLynx and OpenVPN. On iOS, it uses IKEv2 instead of OpenVPN, for example, but its best protocol is NordLynx. If you’re using one of the other protocols, make sure you switch to NordLynx.
It’s a protocol based on WireGuard that delivers stunning performance and security, and thus, should be viable for torrenting. Our tests showed that it’s impeccable and when talking about P2P activities, we had zero issues with it.
Disconnect Other Devices
If NordVPN won’t connect and you can’t begin to download, try disconnecting your inactive devices. The service sports 6 simultaneous connections and if you go overboard, it will refuse to connect. To make sure you fit inside this number, simply disconnect a device or devices you’re not using.
Ensure Your Network Isn’t the Problem
Finally, NordVPN might not be guilty – your network might be the problem. Check your internet speed and make sure you have a strong WiFi signal. You might need to use the Ethernet cable instead! Or perhaps, your ISP has some problems with internet distribution in your place.
You can call your Internet Provider and see what’s the deal. In many cases, you’ll find that the source of the problem lies in your network. Sadly, using NordVPN for torrenting or any other purpose isn’t possible if your network connection is poor – that must be repaired.
Use Another VPN
If everything fails, you can try using another VPN that will be better. For example, ExpressVPN is a bit faster provider with servers in 160 locations, which makes it the best alternative to NordVPN. And while not cheaper than this provider, it showed slightly fewer speed reductions on average.
On top of that, the provider offers a 49% discount and 3 free months for its annual plan, so you can still save some money.
Another alternative includes CyberGhost, a cheaper provider with torrenting servers in dozens of countries.
This provider is also impressive performance-wise, showing excellent stability with almost no speed reductions for torrenting. Try one of these (or both of them) out if NordVPN for torrenting isn’t working for you.
How to Use NordVPN’s SOCKS5 Proxy?
Aside from just connecting to a VPN, you can use its SOCKS5 proxy as well. NordVPN offers this option if you, for some reason, don’t want to use the app and you want to enhance your torrenting speeds through this proxy.
Bear in mind that this is beneficial from a performance standpoint but it’s not great for getting over censorship or unblocking restricted streaming sites. The good thing is that it’s pretty simple to set up, so let us cover the required steps to set up NordVPN’s SOCKS5 on your torrent client.
We’re using qBitTorrent for this guide but you can apply the steps to any other client you’re using.
- If you haven’t subscribed to NordVPN, make sure you do it now by following the steps above.
- Download and install qBitTorrent – it’s completely free.
- Log in to your account on NordVPN’s site.
- Select “Set Up NordVPN Manually.”
- The provider will send a verification code to your email, so enter it when prompted.
- Under “Service credentials (manual setup)”, you’ll find your username and password. Copy it somewhere or write it down on a piece of paper.
- Now go back to qBitTorrent, open it, and go to Tools. Select Options.
- Click on Connection and find the menu called “Proxy Server.”
- In the “Type” drop-down menu, instead of None, select SOCKS5.
- Set the port to 1080.
- Tick the boxes “Use proxy for peer connections” and “Authentication.”
- Now enter your username and password from before.
- Click OK to apply your new settings.
Conclusion
Having in mind its cutting-edge security and P2P optimization, NordVPN is one of the top picks for torrenting. With fast speeds produced by 10 Gbps servers and its NordLynx protocol, it’s hard to find a more reliable provider for this amount of money.
On top of that, the provider is fairly easy to use, and setting it up for P2P takes no more than 30 seconds. In addition, it also supports SOCKS5 proxy, so you can even speed up your downloads if you’re experiencing slow speeds.
That said, our team recommends this provider when talking about safe and secure torrenting. And if you, by any chance, don’t find it satisfying, you can always check CyberGhost or ExpressVPN instead. These providers are as dependable, and with NordVPN, they’re the best services overall.
FAQ
Let’s address a few more questions we haven’t delved into in this guide.
What is the best torrent client to use with NordVPN?
All clients are great when paired with this VPN and there’s no “best” client. NordVPN works with every torrent app you can think of, whether it’s uTorrent, BitTorrent, Deluge, qBitTorrent, or Vuze. It’s just a matter of preference.
We like using qBitTorrent because it’s lightweight and pretty customizable, for instance. Some like using Vuze because of its modern interface and good device support. This really doesn’t matter, as long as you’re securing your traffic and making your P2P activities private.
Can I download torrents with obfuscated servers?
Yes. Obfuscated servers are great for bypassing censorship since they make your VPN traffic look like “ordinary” traffic. They’re not the fastest, though, as additional obfuscation can tamper with the performance. Furthermore, they use OpenVPN TCP instead of NordLynx.
This explains why they take longer to connect and aren’t as fast as “normal” servers with the NordLynx protocol.
Will Double VPN servers make torrenting safer?
Undoubtedly! They’ll route your traffic through two servers and double your encryption. This will make you safer and impossible to detect online but at the cost of a severe performance hit. Two layers of encryption will tank your speeds, so keep that in mind.
If you need additional security and you don’t care too much about performance, using Double VPN is a good idea. But if you want to download as fast as possible, using normal servers is good enough, especially when talking about a safe and secure VPN like NordVPN.
