How to Run Torrent Files
BitTorrent files, sometimes just called torrents for short, are a type of file that allow a BitTorrent client to connect to a tracker that enables individual users to download pieces of a file from one another. This system of file transfer allows users to download many pieces of a file simultaneously from different "peers," resulting in fast download speeds. Another advantage to BitTorrents is that file transfers do not require connecting to an outside peer-to-peer service, so file sharing has a higher degree of anonymity.
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Instructions
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Find and download a BitTorrent client. BitTorrent is an open source technology, so there are many different BitTorrent programs capable of running torrent files (see Resources for links to two popular BitTorrent clients).
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Install the BitTorrent client. You should just be able to double-click the program you downloaded, and it will run an auto-installer.
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Open the torrent file you wish to run using your new BitTorrent client. You can either drag the torrent file into the client after opening it or right-click the torrent file and select "open with" and choose the client.
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Make sure there are peers available download from. Opening a BitTorrent file is only the first step of the downloading process, in order to receive the file you want, you need to connect to peers that also have the same torrent open in their BitTorrent client. If there are no peers either currently downloading or providing access to a full version of the file, known as seeding, you will not be able to download the file. In your BitTorrent client, select the download that is running. This will give you various information about the download, such as size, download speed and available peers and seeds. If the available peers and seeds are zero or close to zero, you may not be able to get the file in a reasonable amount of time. If this is the case, consider looking for a different version of the file.
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Tips & Warnings
BitTorrent clients should not be used to share copyrighted data, as it is illegal. Sharing files via BitTorrents is not completely untraceable.
