How To Turn A Magnet Link Into A Torrent File
The popular Bittorrent indexer The Piratebay announced yesterday that the decision was made to switch the position of torrent and magnet link download links on the website in order to save bandwidth.
Many media sites reported that The Piratebay would be dropping torrents altogether, but that is not true. While it is still possible to download torrent files directly from the site, most users will probably click on the first download link they see that is not advertisement, and that will load the magnet link instead now.
If you have never heard of magnet links before I suggest you check out What Is A Magnet Link And How Does It Differ From Torrents?. For those in a hurry: A magnet link is a hypertext link that contains information that the torrent client can use to find the data to download.
Downloaders should not experience issues when they switch from torrents to magnet links. It may take longer before the client begins the download, but that is about it.
Another issue is that without access to the torrent file, you cannot use it in a program like Torrific which turns torrents into direct http downloads.
What most users do not know is that their torrent client will actually save a torrent file once the magnet link has been added to the client and the download has been started.
Users of the popular uTorrent client can for instance open the %appdata%\Roaming\uTorrent\ directory to find all torrent files listed in that directory. Torrents only appear here once the client has started downloading the file, and not before.
Having to start to download the files to get the torrent link is not an optimal solution, but it seems to be the only option at this point in time. Maybe someone will create a program in the future that downloads only the torrent file, for now, that's not possible.
Update: So called torrent file caching services have come to some prominence in recent time. They cache magnet link and torrent file relations so that users can download torrents directly without having to use magnet links at all.
As mentioned earlier, the main benefit here is that downloads start faster as all information required to do so are already available.
Here is a short list of these caching services that you can use.
- Torcache - While you can upload torrent files to the search for caching, it does not provide options to search stored information. You need to use a third-party program to do so.
- Torrage - Currently offline because of the Piratebay Raid.
- TorrentCaching - Works similar to Torcache. While you can upload torrents to the service, you need to use third-party services to find them again.
- Zoink - Offline as well currently.
A program supporting these services is Magrent for Firefox. It supports all four services and provides you with options to download torrent files directly when you right-click on magnet links in the browser.
Hi guys! I hope it is not too late, but i want to know if is it possible to find the magnet link before the download started in some place, or in the browser
I had a lot of things downloading , some that had started downloading and others not…
I really in need of something, because i lost so much time finding this books on varios websites. I can’t go back and use all the magnet links again…it is too much, all over the place
Can I have something or not?
Thanks in advance!
Usefull! I didnt know that! Thanks
Someone already make a simple GUI for Windows XP x86 etc and other operating systems. All I’m seeing is linux this that and nothing else.
Most don’t care to code or compile etc code just a siple tool that does it quickly and easily. Don’t bother adding crap or your site etc. Because that would be crapware and no use to anyone.
Problem with magnet is if you have X and like to seed it, magnet link has no seeders or peers. Have only a magnet link need then a .torrent file to seed X.
Also I have found a torrent file for a few magnets before a huge site went off line forever. Those had nothing for a long time and with torrent all started and have long ago completed. This was a magnet with no trackers not that it needed any.
Talking of tracker you shouldn’t use them, never trust them. It’s not the trackers themselves you see that’s not to be trusted. Best practice remove them before or as you add a magnet link to client. Of course the torrent needs to have DHT available which many of them do. For those that don’t maybe you can turn on DHT without destroying the torrent internal sha1 hash.
Is there a tool that can allow any internal changes to a torrent without destroying this internal sha1 hash. As if it becomes destroyed or changed the .torrent file is then useless.
Hi,
What you did not do in your article is the title.
“How To Turn A Magnet Link Into A Torrent File”
How do I do this? I have a file startings magnet:?…… and utorrent doe not understand this.
Thanks.
there is also http://magnet2torrent.org that converts magnet links to torrent file
I found this tool can covert almost alll magnet link to torrent file…
http://mag2tor.com
I download with Torch browser and I always use the magnet link, it works pretty good.
John with problems to open the magnet links : right-click on the link, copy the adress, open the adress with you bt client. Hope you figured it out :p
Once I dled the torrent, I recreated a torrent file to send it to a friend (who lives in england and can not reach the pirate bay because it is blocked), but I have no idea wether I’m gonna be her only peer or not. I think so (yes indeed, the signature of the files are different)
Vuze torrent client offers an option for exporting torrent file; after opening magnet/torrent file, Rclick & from advanced>export>torrent… u can save .torrent file.
There is also a Firefox add-on that converts magnet links and URIs to torrent:
Magrent: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/magrent/
The title of this post is misleading. Nowhere does it tell me “How To Turn A Magnet Link Into A Torrent File”. It just tells me why magnet links are better.
Exactly. Completely misleading. What was the point.
try also bitTorrent :)
hello,
i am not understanding a fundamental point in this tread about magnet links. what does the client torrent software (qbittornet, Vuze.) have to do with the downloading between magnet and torrents files. the reason i ask this is because when i go to the piratebay, using my tor-browser (a very mini version of firefox), i am NOT allowed to download. i get the following message: “Firefox doesn’t know how to open this address, because the protocol (magnet) isn’t associated with any program.”
i have tried to going into about:config and putting in the following lines “network.protocol-handler.app.magnet” without any luck.
what does client software have to do with this. it seems like the problem (at least for me) is at the browser level. the browser is not recognizing the magnet protocol, hence i can never start the download. i have heard some people mention that i can copy the link from the browser of the file that i want to download, and some how incorporate into the client program and start the downloadl. sadly there is always something missing in the translation and i just don’t get it :((((
i am running ubuntu 12/04
any help for a lame guy like me???????
u can use Vuze (formerly Azureus) to dl both magnet links & torrent files. plus point is u can select which files to dl even with Magnet links before u start ur dl.
Magnet links are added in uTorrent 1.8.5+
Martin, I fail to see how this would help torrific users. The method you mentioned gets the .torrent file, not the .torrent url (which torrific needs) Am I missing something?
You could upload it to the Internet again for instance.
:facepalm: Why didn’t I think of that? Thanks. I’m currently using torcache.net to upload the .torrent files.
@robert
Why use two clients? Why not use one good client like Tixati that can handle both magnet links and torrent files?
I am using qTorrent temporarily until
I get µTorrent to handle magnet links.
However, I have been hesitant to use
µTorrent versions after 1.7.7 and I may
try a later version again if that is what it
takes or I may just move to another client.
And I’ll be sure to check out and try Tixati.
Right now it is not a pressing issue since
I have not encountered a magnet mink which
I could not find a torrent for but that situation
may become increasingly difficult as more sites
adapt to magnet links if they follow The Pirate Bay.
Excellent tip, Martin. I had found this out by accident
only because I have assigned an easily accessible
folder to store torrents within µTorrent settings.
I have been using µTorrent v1.7.7 and noticed
it did not handle magnet llinks with the
error message “unable to load”.
I wonder which version of µTorrent began
handling magnet links or if v1.7.7 can
but configuration is necessary.
Presently I use qTorrent just for magnet links.
It looks like the editing window to chose elements
of the download does not appear with magnet links
as it has with torrent files downloaded within µTorrent.
If this is a characteristic of magnet links than
that alone makes them inferior to torrent files.
Good question, I cannot really tell. And you are right, you need to start the download first before you are able to deselect items that you do not want to download.
The lack of a preview/edit capability before the
download starts is a step backward and
editing after starting just more work.
I say it’s a good move for the Pirate Bay, especially if it saves them money. You don’t really need the torrent file anymore. Good clients like Tixati already handle magnet links, so who need torrent files. Magnet links are easier to share as well.