File extension TORRENT
| File type | BitTorrent Information Format |
| Developer | BitTorrent |
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What is a TORRENT file?
Files with the .TORRENT extension contain metadata about a file or a group of files available for download from the BitTorrent file distribution network.
The data concerns the file names, the file sizes, the sizes of the parts, the folder structure, as well as the URL address of the tracker and the control sums of the individual parts of files; they can also contain different, expanded information. TORRENT files do not contain the downloaded data, such as movies or music – those are saved on the disc by the relevant software – the BitTorrent network client.
Program(s) that can open the .TORRENT file
More information about TORRENT file
TORRENT file extension is used by peer-to-peer (P2P) internet file sharing program BitTorrent. TORRENT file don’t store the actual data, only metada that contains information about the downloaded files, for example, file size or location.
Dividing files into fragments
BitTorrent file sharing technology allows files to be fragmented into smaller parts and downloaded simultaneously by multiple clients. The solution enables main server bandwith conservation and reduces download times. Information stored in TORRENT files allows recreation of the file from downloaded fragments.
TORRENT files use peer-to-peer file sharing model, because file fragments are downloaded from various users. For example, two users that have different parts of the same data can share their respective fragments over the network to allow each user to recreate the complete file.
Huge popularity of TORRENT files
Using TORRENT files is one of the most popular method of sharing files over the internet as virtually any type of file or data can be distributed over P2P networks. Typically TORRENT files are used for sharing movies, music, or computer games. TORRENT files became popular due to their small size and simplicity. BitTorrent network has its darker side also – it is used to large extent for sharing copyrighted materials, which is considered illegal.
How to open TORRENT files
If you cannot open the TORRENT file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports TORRENT among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the TORRENT file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the TORRENT format files
The inability to open and operate the TORRENT file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the BitTorrent Information Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a TORRENT file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the TORRENT file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the TORRENT from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the TORRENT format
- The TORRENT file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the TORRENT file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a TORRENT file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the TORRENT file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the TORRENT file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the TORRENT file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
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This extension
can be converted to:
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.TORRENT) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected TORRENT file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the TORRENT file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. TORRENT) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.