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BitTorrent Stuck on Connecting to Peers. How to Fix?

You are downloading a good movie, and suddenly, you find that BitTorrent is stuck on connecting to peers. This may make your download stop working. This can happen with almost all the BitTorrent clients, including uTorrent. This can be one of the most annoying issues, and virtually all the BitTorrent users may have come across the issue at least once in your life. How to resolve the BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers and get your torrent downloads back on track? 

How to fix BitTorrent Stuck on Connecting to Peers?

You can make use of a few key options to address the concern. Some of the best options to address BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers can include checking your Firewall settings, running a diagnosis of the BitTorrent settings, hiding your BitTorrent client traffic, making use of a good VPN service, and changing your BitTorrent client. 


What Can Cause BitTorrent Stuck on Connecting to Peers?


There are several reasons that can result in your BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers. The major reason that can cause the issue can be that the torrent file is dead or there are no seeds. If there are a very small number of seeders, you will find it working very slow. 

A few other reasons that can cause the issue can include Windows Firewall or the Antivirus, which may be blocking your torrenting. The blocks from ISPs can also be a huge reason. The other reason for causing the BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers can be due to the general congestion in the network or VPN incompatibility if you are using a VPN service. 


How to Fix BitTorrent Stuck on Connecting to Peers?


There can be a few concerns about why you would find BitTorrent is stuck on connecting to peers. Analyzing each of those reasons and resolving them can prove to be an effective option for most of your queries. 

  1. Check Your Firewall Settings and Enable Port Mapping

One of the prime reasons you would find BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers can include the issues with your Firewall settings. They would ideally need an open network ports. This will be helpful in controlling your incoming and outgoing traffic. 

The Firewall may be blocking the port that your BitTorrent is using, and this makes the client fail in connecting to the peers on the network. Enabling the proper port mapping will resolve the issue. 

For the tutorial on how to set up a proper port forwarding on the BitTorrent client, we take the example of uTorrent. The steps should ideally remain the same across clients. 

  • Launch your BitTorrent client. 
  • Click on Options -> Preferences.

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  • On the Connections menu on the vertical menu, check the options for Enable UPnP port mapping and Enable NAT-PMP port mapping
  • Choose BitTorrent on the vertical menu
  • Locate the option for Protocol Encryption and change the Outgoing option to Forced.

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  1. Use a VPN Service

One of the reasons why you find BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers is that your ISP may be restricting the torrenting. Using a VPN service can be helpful in bypassing the restrictions imposed by your ISP. Your device will be connected to a server in another country, and the restrictions will be bypassed in an efficient manner. 

You can opt for a good VPN service based on the needs you may have. The VPN services have been one of the excellent options ever for almost all your needs in an enhanced experience. Opt for a VPN service that is compatible with your torrenting client. It should be noticed that not all VPN services support torrenting. 

  1. Monitor Your Windows Firewall

One of the prime reasons for the issue where BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers can be the due to the Firewall setting on your Windows system. Even the antivirus solution you have opted for can be an issue that may be stopping the BitTorrent client from working comfortably. 

Follow the steps here below – 

  • Search for Firewall and Network Protection
  • Navigate to the option Allow an app through Firewall.

  • Change the settings and enable the Firewall settings for your BitTorrent client. 
  1. Run the Network Configuration Tests for Your BitTorrent Client

The BitTorrent client, such as uTorrent, does provide you a setup guide. The Network Configuration on your uTorrent client can be one of the reasons for the issues where you may find BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers. The client set up guide can help you resolve the network configuration issues. 

To work through this method, follow the steps here below: 

  • Launch your BitTorrent client. In our example, we will take up uTorrent
  • Click on Options -> Setup Guide 
  • Ensure that both Network and Bandwidth tabs are checked. 

  • Click on Run Tests 

Once the test is completed, the relevant values will be displayed under the Network and Bandwidth sections. Click on Save and Close. 

When you run the tests, uTorrent automatically configures your network configuration, and your connection issues should be resolved. 

  1. The File May be Dead

At times, your BitTorrent client or any other settings may not be wrong, but the issue can be with the file that you are trying to download. Your BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers could be due to the file you are downloading being no more valid. 

A BitTorrent client needs the peers to download a content by seeding them. When there are no seeds at all, the file is dead. And when you attempt downloading a dead file, you encounter the issue of BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers. The best option in those circumstances would be to check for another file. Most of the torrenting clients provide you a list of the seeders before you can click on the magnet link for downloading the file. 

The Closing Thoughts

Resolving your BitTorrent stuck on connecting to peers can be a severe issue, and you would find it quite annoying. The fixes outlined above should help you get access to the best solutions to get the best possible experience in resolving the problems. 

While it is important to keep your PC safe when you are handling the Torrent files on your computer. It would be advisable to keep scanning your device for any of the issues and malware attacks

About the author

Atish Ranjan

Atish Ranjan is an established and independent voice dedicated to providing you with unique, well-researched and original information from the field of technology, SEO, social media, and blogging. He has in-depth knowledge of computers and tech as he pursued computer science.

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