If you do a lot of torrenting, you’ve probably come across the term “info hash” – and you’ve even used them to download files, perhaps without even knowing it.
But what is a torrent info hash? And how do you use them? We’ll tell you everything you need to know.
What a Torrent Info Hash Does
The short answer: much like a magnet link or .torrent file, an info hash is a way to download a specific torrent.
The long answer: an info hash is a unique ID for a torrent file, created through cryptography and the file’s name, size, path, and other info. It not only verifies you’re downloading the right stuff, it can check for tampering or corruption of the file.
By the way, magnet links actually point to an info hash, they just do it as a hyperlink – hence magnet link – rather than a string of text. And for most people, using a magnet link is just fine.
However, there are a few advantages to info hashes:
- On some sites, they allow you to download a torrent without logging in, since the hash is displayed publicly
- They don’t require you to download (.torrent file) or click (magnet link) anything, which could make them slightly safer
- They’re easy to save or share, since you can just copy the text string and paste it anywhere you want; you could even write it out by hand, if you needed to
With that in mind, let’s look at how to use one to download a torrent.
How to Use a Torrent Info Hash
It’s actually really easy. Just find the info you want to download:
Highlight the hash and right-click or Ctrl + C to copy it.
Open your torrent client and find the option for adding an info hash. This will vary a bit based on which one you’re using, but in qBittorrent you simply click on Add Torrent Link:
In uTorrent, it’s Add Torrent by URL.
Once you’ve found it, simply paste the info hash by right-clicking or with Ctrl + V. Hit ‘OK’ and the file should start processing – and as long as it has seeders, it’ll start downloading soon after!
Wrap-Up
That wasn’t too hard, now was it? Now you know what a torrent info hash is, how it differs from a magnet link and how to use one.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask in the comments.