SOCKS5 on uTorrent & BitTorrent
Hide your real IP in your torrent downloads — often faster than a VPN, and only the torrent client is routed through the proxy.
Proxy or VPN?
A SOCKS5 proxy only protects the application it's set up in — here uTorrent or BitTorrent. Peers see only the proxy server's IP, never yours.
In most cases SOCKS5 is faster than a full VPN, while leaving your web browsing direct. Disabling DHT and PEX in the torrent client is recommended.
Set up the SOCKS5 proxy
-
1
Open preferences
In uTorrent or BitTorrent : Options > Preferences, then pick Connection from the left menu.
Untick the four boxes under Listening Port, then enable Authentication under Proxy Server.
-
2
Fill in the server
TypeSOCKS5
Port1080
Proxy server — your pick- ca1.monvpn.com
- ca2.monvpn.com
- ca3.monvpn.com
- ca4.monvpn.com
- ca5.monvpn.com
Use your VPN username and password (not the client area ones).
-
3
Harden privacy
In the Proxy Server and Proxy Privacy sections, tick every box :
- Use proxy for hostname lookups
- Use proxy for peer-to-peer connections
- Disable all local DNS lookups
- Disable features that leak identifying information
- Disable connections unsupported by the proxy
-
4
Disable DHT & PEX
Under Preferences > BitTorrent, switch off all of the following to prevent leaks :
- Enable DHT network
- Enable DHT for new torrents
- Enable bandwidth management
- Enable peer exchange
Confirm with OK and restart the client. The SOCKS5 proxy is live.
Mind the credential case
These are your VPN credentials, shown in the client area > services > active service — and different from the client area login.
Good to know
Which operating systems?
Windows, macOS and Linux. The Android uTorrent app does not support proxies.
Is a proxy as good as a VPN?
A VPN protects all traffic. SOCKS5 is a great trade-off if you only want to cover your downloads, without slowing down the rest.
SOCKS rather than HTTP?
Always. uTorrent does accept HTTP, but it doesn't handle every kind of proxy connection. To hide your IP from peers, use SOCKS5.