Introduction to uTorrent

Open up uTorrent and take a quick look at the interface.

Opening up preferences for the first time

Ok, now that uTorrent is running, open up the Preferences window.

Hit the General tab and make sure you set the language to the one you feel most comfortable with.

We want to make sure that uTorrent is set to open when you download a torrent file so hit the Associate with .torrent files button and then make sure Check association on startup is checked.

That is all you will need for this tab so hit OK.

Downloads Tab

Now, open the Downloads tab, and leave the setting like in the picture.

Check the Put New Downloads In tab, and browse for a suitable folder for your downloads. To make my life simple I use the Desktop.

That is all you need to do for the Downloads tab so hit OK to save the changes.

Speed Tests

Before going into anymore preferences, we need to check our download and upload speeds, because as you read in the last page, uploading too much will throttle your download.

You will want to visit http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/ and pick the city closest to yours and get your max upload speed.

Now with that same number, take 10%, and this final number you get is your Global Max Upload, which can be set in the Preferences section of uTorrent. For now though, write this number down and don't lose it.

Note: If you do not live in the US, visit here and pick the city closest to you, http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest?more=1

Connection Tab

This is a very important tab, so pay close attention.

Press the random port button or select your own listening port. Check here first for known port vulnerabilities:
http://www.commodon.com/threat/threat-ports.htm

If you are selecting your own port, then uncheck the randomize port each time box, if not, then check it.

Check the next two boxes.

Now take out that number you wrote down earlier (max global upload) and write that number in the Global Maximum Upload Rate box. Leave the next box unchecked and the Global Max Download box at 0 which means infinite.

You are now done with the Connection tab.

BitTorrent Tab and Finishing Off Preferences

Here is another important tab.

For Global Max Connections set the number to 450.
Note: If this crashes your router, then set the number lower, at 150-200.

Set the Maximum Number of connected peers per torrent to 200.

Leave the Number of Upload Slots at 5.

If you are on a Private tracker, then you will want to uncheck the DHT boxes (like in the picture at right)
If you are not, then please leave them checked.

Now, move down to the Protocol Encryption section and make sure Outgoing: is set to Enabled and the box next to it is checked.

You are now done with preferences so you may press OK and then restart uTorrent.

Firewall and Router Help

The next step is to open your firewall program.

If you are behind a software firewall, such as McAfee, please allow full access to the internet for uTorrent.

If using Windows Firewall, then you must do the following: Open Windows Firewall through the Control Panel. Go to the Exceptions tab and press Add Port. Then add the port # you selected before. If using Windows Firewall I'd suggest using the same port every time and not randomizing. This is only to add convenience, and not force you to add a new exception every time you open uTorrent.

Router:
If you are behind a router, please visit http://www.portforward.com and then select your router, and then uTorrent or torrent. Follow every step to forward your ports and allow greater access to better speeds for your torrents.

Tweak test for cable and dsl connections

Run this test and follow all the steps it tells you to improve your cable/dsl connection: http://www.broadbandreports.com/tweaks

Under advertised speed, use the max speed you got after taking the speed test earlier in this guide.

Finishing Up

Ok, well that is the end of the guide and using all these tips you should be able to max out your downloading speeds for your connection. Good luck and enjoy! If you have any questions please visit our P2P Discussion Forums.

Version History

v2.0 - Complete revision 28 February, 2008 by DVDBack23
v1.0 - First Version Online, 01 March, 2007 by DVDBack23