Torrent IP Check
Your browser and your torrent client are two different programs, and a VPN can protect one but not the other. Open our test torrent in your client and see the IP it actually announces.
Why a browser VPN check is not enough for torrents
Quick version: every peer in a swarm sees the IP address of every other peer. That is the address copyright monitors collect. Your browser can be on the VPN while your torrent client is not - this test asks the client itself.
A browser-based check, including our VPN test, sees the connection your browser makes. A torrent client is a separate program with its own network settings. Split tunnelling in the VPN app, a proxy configured only in the client, a client bound to the wrong network adapter, or a VPN that dropped while the client kept running all give the same picture: the browser test says your VPN works, and the swarm sees your home address.
How to check your torrent IP
- Connect your VPN the way you normally torrent, and start your torrent client.
- Press Open magnet link above. If your browser does not hand the link to the client, press Copy magnet and paste it into the client (qBittorrent: File -> Add Torrent Link), or download the .torrent and open it.
- Wait a few seconds. The client announces itself to our tracker, and this page shows the IP, port and client the tracker saw, next to the IP your browser uses.
- Remove the test torrent from your client. It has no peers and never downloads anything.
How to read the result
- Protected - the client announced from a VPN or datacenter address, or from the network of the VPN your browser is on. Peers do not see your ISP.
- Leaking - your browser is on a VPN, but the client announced from an ordinary ISP address. The client goes around the tunnel: fix it before you download anything.
- Real IP - the client announced from an ordinary ISP address and your browser shows no VPN either. If your VPN app says connected, it is not carrying your traffic.
- Unknown - our lookup services did not answer for the address. Compare the torrent IP with the one your VPN app shows.
The Port tile is the port your client tells the tracker it listens on. With a VPN that offers port forwarding, it should match the port the VPN assigned you; otherwise other peers cannot connect to you, and downloads are slower but no less private.
How our torrent IP check works
Each visit gets its own test torrent: a single small text file, marked private, with our tracker as its only tracker. The tracker address carries a one-time ticket, so the tracker recognises your test and nothing else. When the client starts the torrent, it sends an announce to the tracker, and the source address of that connection is the IP the client shows to the world. The tracker never hands out peers, so it cannot be used to share anything.
The address the tracker saw is kept in memory for ten minutes, long enough to show it on this page, and never written to disk or a database. It may be your real IP - that is the point of the test - so we treat it that way.
The honest limit: we see the client's connection to our tracker. Connections to DHT nodes and to other peers normally take the same route, but a client can be set to send them differently (a SOCKS proxy for peer connections only, for example). The tracker is reachable over IPv4, so an IPv6 route around your VPN does not show here - the IPv6 leak test covers that.
How to fix a torrent IP leak
Bind the client to the VPN adapter
The most reliable fix: the client may only use the VPN's network interface, so when the VPN drops, the client stops instead of falling back to your normal connection.
- qBittorrent: Tools -> Options -> Advanced -> Network interface, pick the VPN adapter (wg0, tun0 or the provider's adapter name).
- Transmission: set
bind-address-ipv4in settings.json to the address the VPN assigns you, with the client closed. - Deluge: Preferences -> Network -> Outgoing Interface, enter the VPN adapter.
Turn on the kill switch
A kill switch in the VPN app blocks all traffic when the tunnel drops. Without it, a client running overnight keeps seeding from your home address the moment the VPN reconnects or fails.
Check split tunnelling
If your VPN app has split tunnelling (per-app routing), make sure the torrent client is on the tunnelled side. A client added to the bypass list, or a VPN set to tunnel only the browser, is the classic cause of a leak this test catches.
After any change, start a new test. Then run the DNS leak test in your browser too, and see the best VPN for torrenting if you are choosing a provider.
Frequently asked
How do I check my torrent IP address?+
Open the magnet link on this page in your torrent client, or download the .torrent and open it. The client announces itself to our tracker within a few seconds, and the page shows the IP address, port and client the tracker saw. With a VPN connected, that IP should belong to the VPN, not to your ISP.
Does the test torrent download anything?+
No. The torrent describes one small text file and has no peers, so nothing ever downloads. A magnet link stays at 'downloading metadata', a .torrent stays at 0%. Remove it from your client once the result is on the page.
Why does my torrent client show a different IP than my browser?+
Because they can take different routes. A VPN app with split tunnelling may cover the browser but not the client, a proxy set inside the client covers only the client, and a client bound to the wrong network adapter goes around the tunnel. That is exactly the case this test exists for: the browser check alone would say your VPN works.
How do I make qBittorrent use only my VPN?+
In qBittorrent open Tools -> Options -> Advanced and set Network interface to your VPN adapter (for example wg0, tun0 or the provider's adapter name). If the VPN drops, qBittorrent then stops instead of falling back to your normal connection. Run this check again afterwards.
Does this test catch DHT and peer leaks?+
It sees the connection your client makes to our tracker. Connections to DHT nodes and other peers normally take the same route, but a client can be set up to send them differently - a SOCKS proxy for peer connections only, for example. The .torrent version is marked private, so for it the client talks to our tracker and nothing else.
Is it safe to open the magnet link?+
Yes. The link points at a torrent we generate for your test alone, with a single text file and no peers. Our tracker answers only torrents it generated and never hands out a peer list. The address it sees is kept in memory for ten minutes to show you the result and never written to disk.