Getting Started

Install Torrenta, add a torrent, and learn the few keys that do most of the work.

Install

Download the package for your platform from the releases page. Each one bundles its own Java runtime, so you need nothing else. Verify a download against checksums_sha256.txt on the same page.

There are three builds, because the engine’s native library exists only for these platforms:

Platform	File
Linux x64	`Torrenta-<version>-linux-x64.deb` or `.rpm`
macOS Apple Silicon	`Torrenta-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg`
Windows x64	`Torrenta-<version>-windows-x64.msi`

Intel Macs and ARM Linux are not supported yet.

Linux

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install ./Torrenta-*.deb

# Fedora
sudo dnf install ./Torrenta-*.rpm

The packages register Torrenta for .torrent files and magnet: links.

macOS

Open the .dmg and drag Torrenta to Applications.

The app is not yet signed with an Apple Developer ID, so macOS refuses to open it the first time. Allow it once under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.

Windows

Run the .msi. The installer is unsigned, so SmartScreen may warn on the first run; allow it to continue. The installer associates .torrent files with Torrenta.

Homebrew and winget packages are not published yet; 0.1.0 is on GitHub only.

First launch

Until you add a torrent, the window shows a welcome screen instead of an empty list:

A drop zone. Drop a .torrent file, a magnet link or a link to a torrent anywhere on the window.
Four keys: Ctrl+O opens a .torrent file, Ctrl+V adds what is on the clipboard, Ctrl+K filters, runs a command or takes anything you paste, and Ctrl+, opens Settings.
The clipboard. When the clipboard holds a magnet or a link to a torrent, the welcome screen says so each time the window gets the focus, with an Add it button.
The download folder. “Downloads go to …” names the folder and its free space, with a change link. The default is ~/Downloads.

On macOS, read Ctrl as Cmd throughout these docs, except for Ctrl+Tab, which is Ctrl everywhere.

Add your first torrent

Copy a magnet link in your browser, then press Ctrl+V in Torrenta. (Or press Ctrl+O and pick a .torrent file, or drop one on the window.)
The Add dialog opens. For a magnet, the file list is fetched while the dialog is open and the tree fills in as it arrives.
Untick any files you do not want, check the folder and the free space it shows, and press Enter to add. Shift+Enter adds it paused.

The torrent appears in the list with its progress, rates and a one-line status. Select it and press Ctrl+Shift+D for the details pane, which tells you why a torrent is not moving when it is not. See Adding torrents for every option in the dialog.

The keys to learn first

Key	Does
`Alt+X`	The command palette: every command, found by typing part of its name
`Ctrl+K`	The omnibox: filter the list, run a command after `>`, paste a magnet
`Ctrl+V`	Add the magnet or torrent link on the clipboard
`Ctrl+O`	Add a `.torrent` file
`Space`	Pause the selection, or resume it if it is all paused
`Delete`	Remove the selection (it asks first); `Shift+Delete` also deletes the files
`Ctrl+Shift+D`	Show or hide the details pane
`Ctrl+1` / `Ctrl+2` / `Ctrl+3`	Transfers, Search, RSS
`Ctrl+,`	Settings

You do not need to memorise more. Open the palette, type a few letters, and run the command; each row shows its key, so you pick them up as you go. The full list is on the Keybindings page, and Keyboard covers the keys inside dialogs and tabs.

Where settings and data live

Everything Torrenta keeps is in one folder, ~/.torrenta, on every platform: the settings file, one resume file per torrent, categories, feeds, search providers and the rest. Removing a torrent deletes its file there.

To keep it elsewhere, start Torrenta with --config-dir DIR or set the TORRENTA_CONFIG_DIR environment variable. One Torrenta runs per settings folder; starting it again hands any files or links on its command line to the one already running.

The folder’s contents are listed in Settings, themes and sync.