What is a torrent file?

A torrent file (.torrent) is a small metadata file used by the BitTorrent protocol to coordinate peer-to-peer file sharing. It doesn't contain the actual files being shared — instead, it holds information such as file names, sizes, folder structure, piece hashes, and tracker URLs. When opened in a BitTorrent client, this metadata tells the software how to locate and download the content from other peers on the network.

Torrent files use a data format called Bencode, which encodes the metadata into a compact binary structure. Each file in the torrent is split into fixed-size pieces, and a SHA-1 hash of each piece is stored inside the .torrent file. This allows clients to verify the integrity of downloaded data block by block.

Tool description

This tool lets you create .torrent files directly in your browser. Upload one or multiple files, configure tracker URLs, web seeds, piece length, and other metadata, then generate and download the resulting .torrent file. All processing happens client-side — your files are never uploaded to a server.

Options explained

  • Torrent name: A custom display name for the torrent. Defaults to "untitled" but can be changed to anything descriptive.
  • Comment: An optional text note embedded in the torrent metadata, visible to anyone who opens the .torrent file.
  • Created by: An optional field indicating who or what created the torrent.
  • Piece length: The size of each data chunk that peers exchange. "Auto" selects an appropriate size based on total file size. Smaller pieces improve integrity checking but increase .torrent file size; larger pieces reduce overhead for big files.
  • Private torrent: When enabled, disables DHT (Distributed Hash Table) and PEX (Peer Exchange), restricting peer discovery to the specified trackers only. Commonly used for private tracker communities.
  • Trackers: Announce URLs for BitTorrent trackers that help peers find each other. Each tracker is added individually and occupies its own tier.
  • Web seeds: HTTP/HTTPS URLs where the files can be directly downloaded as a fallback, using the BEP 19 web seeding protocol.

Features

  • Create single-file or multi-file torrents from any file type
  • Add multiple tracker URLs and web seed URLs
  • Configurable piece length from 16 KB to 16 MB or automatic selection
  • Private torrent support for restricted tracker communities
  • Displays generated torrent metadata including info hash, total size, piece count, and torrent file size

Use cases

  • Distributing large files like software releases, datasets, or media archives across a peer-to-peer network
  • Creating private torrents for upload to private tracker communities
  • Generating torrents with web seed fallback URLs for reliable file availability

How it works

  1. Select one or more files using the drag-and-drop file picker.
  2. Configure the torrent options: name, trackers, piece length, privacy, and optional metadata.
  3. Click "Generate .torrent" — the tool splits your files into pieces, computes SHA-1 hashes for each piece, and encodes everything into the Bencode format.
  4. Review the generated torrent info (name, info hash, sizes, piece details) in the output panel.
  5. Click "Download .torrent" to save the file.

Tips

  • For files under 1 GB, the default "Auto" piece length works well. For very large files (10 GB+), consider choosing 4 MB or 8 MB pieces to keep the .torrent file manageable.
  • Add at least one tracker URL if you want peers to discover each other through a centralized announce server. Without trackers, only DHT and PEX can be used (unless the torrent is marked private).
  • The info hash displayed after generation uniquely identifies your torrent and can be used to create magnet links.