µTorrent
Compact, ad-supported BitTorrent client with paid ad-free and Pro upgrades
Bloat
4 · VERY HEAVY*Ads in the client, upsells, and antivirus "potentially unwanted" flags. But its installer may add other software — see the box below before you click anything.
⚠ Before you install: the installer carries offers
µTorrent's installer presents partner offers, and antivirus tools including Microsoft Defender flag it as potentially unwanted. In 2015 a pre-ticked offer installed a cryptocurrency miner (Epic Scale) for people who clicked straight through.
- On every offer screen, click Decline — not Accept, not Next.
- Untick any box that installs something else or changes your browser or search engine.
- Afterwards, check Settings → Apps → Installed apps for anything new.
The clean route: Torrent clients with no ads or offers: qBittorrent and Tixati.
About
µTorrent is a compact BitTorrent client published by BitTorrent Limited. It now comes in two desktop forms: µTorrent Classic, the long-standing Windows program for managing many downloads at once with bandwidth limits, scheduling, RSS feeds and remote access, and µTorrent Web, which runs in the browser and focuses on playing media while it downloads. There is also an Android app and a headless server edition for Linux. The free versions are supported by advertising and by offers shown during installation. Paid Ad-Free, Pro and Pro+VPN subscriptions remove the ads and add features such as malware blocking, media conversion and, in the top tier, a VPN.
- Classic desktop client for bulk downloads
- Browser-based µTorrent Web with instant playback
- Bandwidth limits, scheduler and RSS downloader
- Remote access and Android app
- Paid tiers remove ads and add malware blocking
Before you download
- The free desktop client shows advertising; removing it requires a paid Ad-Free or Pro subscription.
- The installer presents optional third-party partner offers; the publisher's help center advises rejecting any you do not want.
- Antivirus tools, including Microsoft Defender, have flagged µTorrent installers as potentially unwanted; the publisher attributes this to the bundled offers.
- In 2015 a pre-selected installer offer for Epic Scale, a cryptocurrency-mining program, led to complaints that it was installed without users noticing.
- µTorrent Classic for Mac does not run on macOS 10.15 Catalina or later (µTorrent Web is offered instead), and the Linux edition is a headless server with a web interface.
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