UnlockTorrent

A torrent file acts like a table of contents (index) that allows computers to find information through the use of a Bittorrent client. A torrent file gives addresses identifying computers that can send parts of the requested file. With the help of a torrent file, one can download small parts of the original file from computers that have already downloaded it. These "peers" allow for downloading of the file in addition to, or in place of, the primary server.

Torrent files are normally named with the extension ".torrent".

Torrent files themselves and the method of using torrent files have been created to ease the load on central servers, as instead of sending a file to for request, it can crowd-source the bandwidth needed for the file transfer, and reduce the time needed to download large files. Many free/freeware programs and operating systems, such as the various Linux distributions and GIMP, offer a torrent download option for users seeking the aforementioned benefits. Other large downloads, such as media files, are often torrented as well.