uTorrent

About this release

The standard uTorrent client is famous for one thing above all: it is tiny. The whole program is a few megabytes, it runs from a single executable, and its memory use stays low enough that leaving it running on a machine doing other work costs nothing noticeable. For a client that is meant to sit in the tray for weeks, that has always been the argument.

The transfer feature set is complete despite the size. Distributed hash table, peer exchange, local peer discovery, magnet links, encrypted connections, per torrent and global speed limits, upload slot management and selective file downloading within a torrent are all present. Bandwidth can be scheduled so transfers run flat out overnight and back off during the working day.

Queue management is the part heavy users lean on. Torrents order by priority, seeding targets can be set by ratio or by time, and finished items move to a completed folder automatically. Labels group jobs by category, and the list can be filtered by state so a queue of hundreds stays readable.

The interface is a list, a detail pane with peers, trackers, pieces and a speed graph, and a small toolbar. Remote control from a browser can be enabled for a machine that runs headless, and the client will optionally start with the system and reconnect to whatever was in flight when it stopped.

What it does

Very small footprint

A few megabytes on disk and low memory use even with a long queue loaded.

Complete transfer stack

Distributed hash table, peer exchange, local discovery, magnet links and encryption.

Selective downloading

Pick individual files inside a torrent and skip the rest.

Bandwidth scheduling

Full speed overnight, throttled during the day, on a weekly grid.

Labels and filtering

Group and filter a queue of hundreds so it stays readable.

Remote web interface

Control the client from a browser on a machine that runs without a monitor.

Changed in this version

• Improved peer handling on trackers with very large swarms.
• Faster hash checking on solid state drives.
• Fixed an interface stall when loading several hundred torrents at start.
• Display scaling corrected on high density screens.
• Reduced idle processor use while seeding.

System requirements

Install order

1. Unpack the archive.
2. Run the installer or place the executable in a folder of your choice.
3. Set the download and completed folders on first run.
4. Configure the listening port and speed limits before starting a large queue.

Worth knowing before you start

File details