BitTorrent Pro

About BitTorrent Pro

This is the client the protocol is named after, and it is still one of the smallest things on any download list. The whole application is a few megabytes, it starts instantly, and it holds a queue of hundreds of transfers without noticeably loading the machine. For pulling large files off a swarm rather than a single server, that combination is hard to beat.

The Pro tier removes the advertising panels that fill the free build and unlocks the features around them. Bandwidth scheduling changes the upload and download limits by time of day so transfers run flat out overnight and stay out of the way during working hours. Per torrent limits and priorities decide which item in a long queue gets the line first, and individual files inside a torrent are selected or skipped rather than taken as a block.

The queue behaviour is what makes a long list workable. Active transfer limits stop everything competing at once, seeding ratio and time rules retire a completed item automatically, and folder rules move finished downloads into a destination by label or by tracker. Every transfer resumes after a restart, and a partially downloaded item survives being moved between drives.

The remaining pieces are the ones people configure once and forget. Port configuration and mapping for a router, encryption for connections on networks that shape the protocol, a proxy for routing peer traffic, and a bandwidth test that suggests sensible limits rather than leaving them at a default that saturates the line and makes everything else on the network unusable.

What is included in this build

• Very small client that starts instantly and holds a queue of hundreds of transfers
• Advertising panels removed throughout the interface
• Bandwidth scheduling with different limits by time of day
• Per torrent priorities and limits within a long queue
• File level selection inside a torrent rather than taking everything
• Seeding ratio and time rules that retire completed items automatically
• Automatic folder rules moving finished downloads by label or tracker
• Port mapping, connection encryption and proxy support for peer traffic

Changed in version 7.11.0.47255

• Improved peer connection handling on large swarms
• Faster queue processing with many active transfers
• Better disk write scheduling on mechanical drives
• Additional interface language corrections
• Reduced memory use on queues with thousands of entries

Installation walkthrough

These steps assume a clean machine. If a previous release of the same application is present, deal with that first, since an overlapping install is the most common cause of a setup that stops halfway.

1. Extract the archive and run the installer as administrator.
2. Decline any bundled extras offered during setup.
3. Run the bandwidth test on first launch and accept the suggested limits.
4. Set the download and completed folders before adding the first transfer.
5. Configure port mapping on the router if incoming connections are being refused.

System requirements and file details

Frequently asked about this title