Torrenting is a pretty simple process when you look at it from afar. You just need a proper torrent client (Deluge, BitTorrent, etc), a web browser, and an internet connection. However, many have expressed concerns about how to torrent safely and privately and for a reason.
This activity is dangerous because you can accidentally download copyrighted material or inadvertently hitchhike malware or spyware. Moreover, there’s concern about ISP monitoring and the fact that your IP address is exposed all the time to other people in the P2P network.
As a result, this activity is often associated with the lack of privacy, which sounds quite concerning, knowing the scope of cyber attacks in 2026. Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to bolster your security and torrent safely, which we’ll explain in this in-depth guide.
How to Torrent Safely: Perform These 5 Steps
- Subscribe to a reputable VPN for torrenting. NordVPN is the best option in 2026.
- Install the VPN on your device.
- Connect to the fastest P2P server to get the best speeds.
- Enable the kill switch and virus/malware protection (available in NordVPN).
- Go ahead and start downloading in complete safety and anonymity.
How to Download Torrents Safely in 2026: Five Important Steps
When discussing how to torrent safely, it’s good to define the word “safety” in this aspect. What does it mean to go online and engage in P2P activities safely? It means:
- Hiding your whereabouts i.e. your IP, location, network, etc.
- Protecting your device against malware, viruses, spyware, rootkits, and more.
The first condition is clear, but you need a VPN to change your online location and hide your original IP address. The second condition means you’ll also need malware and/or virus protection to protect not only your device but your identity as well, as some malware and viruses can log your key presses and steal your sensitive information.
1. Use a Reputable VPN Service
First up, we need you to hide your IP address and replace it with a new one. This is a must-do because P2P file-sharing exposes your IP to other people. If you replace it and encrypt your traffic with the VPN, the IP given by the VPN will be exposed instead. The best VPNs for torrenting in 2026 include:
We’ll talk more about them later.
However, it’s vital to choose a P2P-friendly VPN, which has enough “firepower” to protect you from DDoS attacks, doxxing, and other threats, and ensure above-average performance. We recommend NordVPN because it’s very affordable, with 2-year plans discounted by at least 70%.
This VPN is also risk-free because each plan is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Subscribe to the VPN, download its app on the device you’ll use to torrent safely and connect to a server. If you choose NordVPN, we recommend connecting to the nearest P2P server, as displayed in the screenshot below.
Again, this is the FIRST and MOST IMPORTANT step. In most cases, it’s usually enough, especially if you choose NordVPN, which offers more means of online protection. We’ll get back to that in Step 5 of this guide on how to torrent privately.
Bonus Tips: Configuring a VPN for P2P
Simply by connecting to a VPN, you’ve completed 70% of the “job”. However, you can solidify your privacy and security by further optimizing and configuring the VPN for the task. We recommend:
- Enabling a kill switch. A kill switch prevents data leaks by turning OFF your internet connection if the VPN connection breaks. In doing so, it prevents your data from “slipping out” and being exposed to the public eye, which is very important for this scenario.
- Utilizing IPv6 and DNS leak protection. Most VPNs have it ON by default but if it’s OFF and there’s a setting to turn it ON, you should absolutely do it. Again, you don’t want your IP sliding through the cracks, preventing you from torrenting anonymously.
- Using modern protocols. NordVPN offers NordLynx based on WireGuard, which combines security, anonymity, and speed idea for P2P. However, ExpressVPN’s Lightway and PIA’s “vanilla” WireGuard are excellent options for torrenting safely. Avoid outdated protocols like SSTP and PPTP. They’re known for being slow and insecure.
If you’re in a country with heavy surveillance and censorship, enabling obfuscation is also a good idea but at the cost of speed. A Double VPN or MultiHop is another optional fix but because of two encryption layers, don’t expect the best downloading and uploading speeds.
2. Install a Reliable Torrent Client
Once you’ve taken care of the single most important step to torrent safely in 2026, it’s time to choose the P2P client. If you do a quick Google search, you’ll find dozens but in most cases, you’ll find that the following options are the most popular:
- qBitTorrent
- Vuze
- uTorrent
- BitTorrent
- Deluge
Which one is the best, you may ask? Well, it all depends on your preferences. BitTorrent and uTorrent are often used by beginners because of their simplicity and overall reliability. However, uTorrent is less favored by seasoned users because of its intrusive ads that don’t usually stem from tracking but are also annoying.
Vuze is the sleekest of them all and interface-wise, it’s one of our favorites.
Better yet, it offers a paid version, which includes virus protection, so you can use it as an end-all-be-all solution for safe torrenting. Unfortunately, its free version also displays ads, which our experts are never fond of.
Our absolute favorites are qBitTorrent and Deluge.
Both are open-source clients, which means you won’t have to deal with ads, trackers, and other fluff. Being open-source, both are customizable and include neat features like torrent search engines and transfer encryption. We slightly prefer qBitTorrent, for example.
It’s frequently updated and allows for more customization in the form of skins that enable you to use a dark theme or apply any other theme you like. We’ve been using qBitTorrent for years, and thanks to timely updates and improvements, had ZERO problems.
Torrent anonymously with NordVPN
3. Rely on a Safe Torrent Website
Avoid shadowy websites, regardless of what you do online. Many people say you shouldn’t watch porn on such websites but we think torrenting is far more dangerous and requires further attention. Luckily for you, there’s no shortage of reliable and trustworthy platforms, such as:
- The Pirate Bay
- TorrentLeech
- 1337x.to
- RARBG
- YiFi, and dozens more…
These websites have security systems that allow them to filter fake torrents and minimize the risk of downloading something you shouldn’t. Some sites, like TorrentLeech, rely on memberships, and in return, you get only verified and genuine torrents to download.
We should warn you that these websites can be blocked by ISPs in some countries, so it’s vital to use a VPN to unblock them. Once you change your IP address to another region, you can access the desired website and download torrents safely thanks to encryption and other security features.
4. Download Only Verified Torrents
The previous step segways into this discussion about so-called “verified” torrents. When we say “verified” we usually refer to a torrent belonging to a popular uploader with many downloads, seeders, and leechers. You can see such torrents from a mile away.
On most sites, you can also sort the search results based on their seeders and leecher but also based on popularity and number of downloads. This helps you filter out the bad from the good at the drop of a hat.
Another tip we can give you is to check the contents of the file you’re trying to download. If you’re downloading music, files should have the MP3, WMA, FLAC, and other extensions. If it’s a movie, the extension should be MP4, WMV, AVI, MKV, etc.
Our practice is to examine the comments under the torrent. If they’re positive and there’s plenty, we know we’re going in the right direction. A telltale sign of a “fake” torrent is software, a movie, or a music album that hasn’t been released yet. You know it’s a scam!
5. Ensure Proper Virus/Malware Protection
In the first step, where we said that the benefits of a VPN for torrenting safely are immense, we mentioned that using ONLY this tool is insufficient. If you go back, you’ll see we also recommend device protection, which comes in the form of anti-malware or antivirus.
However, modern VPNs, one of which is NordVPN, started to implement malware and/or virus protection in the same app, essentially shielding you from all sides. Now, should you use a VPN with an antivirus or opt for a “dedicated” solution and rely on two separate apps?
We think you can torrent safely with a VPN that already contains this protection.
NordVPN, for example, offers Threat Protection Pro, which shields against ads, trackers, malware, and viruses on ALL devices. It’s much easier and costs less to rely only on one security suite.
Now, imagine buying an antivirus separately. A good one like TotalAV, Kaspersky, or Norton.
You’re looking at a minimum of $30/year ON TOP of the existing VPN subscription. We think that dedicated antivirus apps are more efficient but if you don’t neglect Steps 3 and 4, you likely won’t need that much protection because you’ll download safe torrents either way.
At the end of the day, virus and malware protection is necessary to torrent securely. Whether you’ll use NordVPN with Threat Protection Pro or buy/install a dedicated tool for that cause is up to you.
Can I Torrent Safely Without a VPN?
Our five steps represent the essential things you must do to ensure safety during this activity. We’d go so far as saying that a VPN in place is pretty much 70% of the job done, with virus/malware protection being 20%, leaving the rest to the other steps we explained.
That said, a VPN is more than a base for safe and secure P2P, and for this reason, you can’t perform this activity safely without it. Sometimes, it’s hard to torrent at all, especially in European countries, where most torrent sites are blocked and P2P is frowned upon.
Risk-free VPNs for torrenting, as presented here, help you bypass these blocks, sidestep ISP throttling, preserve your privacy, protect against malware and viruses, and hide your IP address. We’re not saying you can’t download via P2P without a VPN—you can, but in that case, you should be prepared to face the consequences sooner or later.
Which VPNs to Use for Safe Torrenting in 2026?
You obviously want dependable, fast, safe, and privacy-oriented providers. Our extensive tests have proven that there are no better options than NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access for the reasons outlined below.
9200 servers
167 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
10 simultaneous connections
9.4 /10
3000 servers
105 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
10 simultaneous connections
9.1 /10
27000 servers
91 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
Unlimited connections
9 /10
1. NordVPN
NordVPN ticks all the boxes and is often chosen by experienced P2P users. With unlimited bandwidth for downloads, P2P servers in 70+ countries, and the fastest speeds, you get an ideal combination for limitless enjoyment. Its security and privacy are the best around.
256-bit encryption is used to protect your traffic, while features like Threat Protection Pro and Double VPN shield against malware and provide a double encryption layer. More importantly, NordVPN keeps NO logs of your downloading history, adding to its quality.
This means anything you do or download is familiar only to you, although we don’t recommend abusing that by downloading copyrighted material. NordVPN has apps for all torrent-friendly devices, making the VPN popular on Android phones and Windows PCs.
NordVPN is also configurable with uTorrent, where users can employ SOCKS5 provided by the service. It’s a nice way to speed up the download, albeit, at the cost of privacy. NordVPN is inexpensive, so it’s a perfect option to enjoy year-round safe torrenting without breaking the bank.
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a beginner-friendly service whose 3,000+ global servers are ready to take on whatever you need. Streaming, gaming, and torrenting are permitted and they’re buttery-smooth. ExpressVPN doesn’t restrict your bandwidth, plus, it utilizes 10 Gbps server ports.
Our tests have shown massive speed improvements with the Lightway protocol so that you can download and upload files promptly. It’s one of the top choices to torrent safely in 2026 because of its built-in security in the form of AES encryption and Network Lock (kill switch).
ExpressVPN supports 8 simultaneous connections and even includes tracker protection on every device. Unlike NordVPN, it lacks malware protection, so if you use it, consider implementing this form of protection from another software (Norton, TotalAV, and others).
The VPN is currently on a massive 61% off sale with 4 free months for the biennial plan. Take advantage of that to secure your traffic and enjoy all the privacy you can get.
3. Private Internet Access
PIA, as many call it, is an affordable option with immaculate security and unbeatable privacy. It’s also pretty fast thanks to WireGuard, so even large downloads will be swift. PIA is based in the USA but is also used to watch US TV channels in Canada or any other country worldwide.
How to torrent safely with PIA, though? The same way as before! Subscribe to it, connect to a nearby server, and voila! PIA offers MACE to block ads, while its Port Forwarding and SOCKS5 proxies provide the much-needed obfuscation and stability while torrenting.
PIA has RAM-based servers paired with a no-log policy with an audit, making sure no data is retained. While its apps can be clunky, they’re well-equipped to handle all your needs, which is brought to another level with unlimited simultaneous connections on one account.
If you need virus protection, PIA will sell it to you for $1.45/mo to top up the initial offer, which is already affordable at $2.19/mo for the 2-year plan.
The Bottom Line
In this guide about how to torrent safely and protect your identity, we learned that the VPN is a crucial link in the chain. Without it, you’re missing out on essential privacy, which will come to bite you back in the long run. Despite its importance, we don’t think you should blatantly neglect the other tips.
By that, we particularly mean focusing on verified torrents, using a safe client (BitTorrent is great!), and sticking to renowned websites. Virus and malware protection is a no-brainer, especially if you’re doing this often, to prevent privacy infringements and cyber attacks.
We advise using NordVPN for 360-degree protection. Other VPNs like ExpressVPN and PIA are more than reliable but don’t forget an antivirus to download torrents safely and without anxiety.
FAQ
Do you feel like you could use more clarification? Let us answer your questions below.
⚖️ Is torrenting even legal?
Yes, it is but only if it’s performed legally. Illegal P2P activities mean downloading and/or distributing copyrighted material. If you’re downloading a movie that just came out, you’re likely infringing on a copyright and going against the law, for which you can be fined.
To be clear, you CAN conceal this activity with a VPN but to be fair, you shouldn’t.
Gizmodo doesn’t encourage any form of copyright infringement, with or without a VPN. Stay on the legal side of the law and torrent safely with a VPN as it’s “intended”. Remember that if no one sees a crime, that’s still a crime. Let that be your guidance star.
👁️ Can the ISP notice I’m torrenting while using a VPN?
No, it can’t. Your ISP can see that you’re connected to a VPN but because of encryption, it can’t read the contents of your connection. All it’ll see will be a garbled mess of letters, numbers, and characters, symbolizing the uncrackable cacophony.
This doesn’t apply only to this activity. While using a VPN, your ISP won’t be able to tell what you’re doing at all! You could be watching foreign TV channels, playing games, or binge-watching Netflix shows. Without a VPN, all of this is visible to your Internet Provider.
❌ Do free VPNs work for torrenting?
Hey, we have a separate guide on torrenting with free VPNs. In short, they don’t because they lack P2P optimization and usually block this traffic altogether. You can still torrent safely with some of them but they restrict your bandwidth, making the experience lackluster.
Some of them are plagued by security and privacy issues, so expect heavy logging, data leaking, and other quite concerning problems.