uTorrent Configuration Settings Optimize Torrent Client Guide

This client configuration guide is intended for the both new torrent users who are opening a new torrent client for the first time, and longtime torrent users looking for the best way to configure and optimize utorrent. Using these settings will normally increase overall performance and speed up your upload and download rates. If you are experiencing the common “not connectable” error, please read my previous guide on how to establish a remote connection and fix other common torrent client errors. That torrent guide details how to get your torrent client set up, and covers torrent client basics like port forwarding and connectivity issues.  For a complete archive of all my torrent guides, please visit my Torrent World Blog.

There isn’t much to optimize or any optimal setting changes in the first two uTorrent categories.  In general tab you will want to associate .torrent files with the uTorrent program; or whatever torrent client you are using.  Also selecting the option for auto update is very useful.  uTorrent in particular updates very frequently, and is always trying to optimize its client with the changing times.  When setting up the uTorrent UI simply pick whatever you prefer.  Again there is no optimal setting here, it is mostly determining what information is on the screen and where it is displayed.

In the uTorrent directories tab you can customize a lot of file and storage settings.  Again this is mostly preference and there is no real optimal setting, but I will briefly explain what each setting does to help stay organized. 

• Location of downloaded files:  This determines where the actual data is stored.  This has nothing to do with the .torrent file; it is the folder where the useful stuff is stored.
• Move completed downloads to:  This option allows you to set a separate directory for torrent data once it finishes downloading.  If this is a different directory than the first one you selected, torrents will move here when they reach 100%.  If you want to separate torrents still being downloaded and torrents you are seeding or finished with, this option allows for that.
• Store .torrents in:  Here you can choose where all the .torrent files go once you open them in uTorrent.  This is important because as long as you are seeding a torrent this .torrent file needs to be read when uTorrent opens.  If you delete the small 400Kb or so .torrent file you will have to redownload it to continue downloading or uploading that torrents data.
• You can also enable auto loading of .torrent files from a specific directory.  This is useful if you want to have a .torrent file start downloading in uTorrent as soon as you download it to your default download directory.  I personally prefer this off, but it can increase but try messing around with the configuration to find what works best for you.

Deselect randomize port each start, instead follow the guide to open and select a port manually.
Also don’t mess with the proxy server settings unless you know exactly what you are doing. Most private torrent trackers don’t allow a proxy server anyway. You also don’t need to add windows firewall exception, because you should have already done this manually if it the firewall was causing problems with uTorrent.  See my guide for port forwarding and firewall problems if either of these are the case.

the UPnP port mapping setting can help if you are having problems with port forwarding. In general you will want to have UPnP off; port forwarding manually is much more effective.

The BitTorrenting tab has some important options you will want to change for optimal performance:

• Peer exchange and DHT are tracker settings that allow peers connect from other sources. I recommend keeping DHT and peer exchange enabled, despite many older guides saying you should disable those settings. These days each private torrent site requires uploaders to create a customized .torrent file, marked as private, and with a special tracker code. These settings disable the ability to use peer exchange anyway, so turning it off will simply keep you from getting optimal speeds when using a non private torrent.
• You want to enable outgoing protocol encryption, and check the box to the right to allow incoming. This will keep your ISP from flagging your torrent information and limiting your upload and download speeds with .torrent files.

These settings may not seem important, but they are actually vital to getting the optimal performance out of your torrent client.  In general you don’t want to have your maximum download speed or maximum upload speed be above 90% of your connections maximum speed possible.  Trying to download or upload at 100% of your internet connections ability will severely limit your speed in the opposing field.  For example if you are downloading at 100% capacity your upload speed will only be a fraction of your maximum.

Maximum active torrents and active torrent download maximum isn’t hugely important.  Obviously trying to do more at once will limit the ability of each task.  However once you begin to deal with larger numbers of torrents this setting can begin to effect the next options, which are:

• Maximum number of Connections – Because each remote connection you establish uses resources and creates a short delay, it is important to keep this number at a reasonable amount.  If you set it too high you will notice both a decrease in speed and a slowdown of uTorrent in general.  Experiment with this number to find the optimal setting for your connection.  As a reference I have mine set at 400 and my upload and download rate is 20/20Mbit.
• Maximum number of connected peers per torrent- This goes along with the above setting, roughly 5-10% is a good range.  If you feel like getting the exact optimal number you can mess with this setting yourself.  Keep in mind that each peer you establish a remote connection with creates a small delay in data transfer, selecting a higher number begins to slow down transfers after you go above the optimal number of connections.
• Number of upload slots per torrent- This is helpful to make sure you are seeding multiple torrents evenly, or to keep one torrent from eating up all of your available peer connections. 

I will make a separate guide on the most advanced uTorrent settings, which will include many popular things people try to squeeze a little more speed out of their connection.  These settings can seriously screw up your network, and should not be changed unless you understand what they do.  The uTorrent configuration tips I outlined above should be all you need to do, and will give you the most noticeable increase in speed and usability from your torrent client.

You can browse a complete archive of torrent guides at my Torrent World Blog.  Guides for new torrent users, as well as more advanced guides like the above client configuration guide are all listed at my blog.