Some BitTorrent clients have a built in Torrent maker. However, if your client doesn’t have one or does not offer features you want, here’s a small tutorial to create your own torrent. All you need is a free software called MakeTorrent.

1) Download and install MakeTorrent
2) Choose the ‘Simple mode’ in MakeTorrent
3) Select the files(s) on your computer that you want to include in your torrent (for eg e:\data\movie.avi)
4) Choose the announce url from the Tracker dropdown (for eg http://trackername:6969/announce). Though MakeTorrent automatically downloads and updates the torrent tracker list, you can manually enter the announce URL if you want to use a different tracker.
5) Click Create .torrent now
6) Upload the torrent file that you just created to the tracker you used in the tracker announce url box
7) Start your torrent. Make sure to save it in the same folder you made the torrent of
8) After verifying the data, your Torrent Client will show that you’re seeding your torrent
9) Keep seeding until several other people have completely downloaded the file and in turn started seeding the file themselves.

Some Bittorrent Terminology

1. Seeder: Someone who has the complete file and lets others download it from him/her with Bittorrent, as soon as you finish downloading a torrent and leave the torrent going so people can download from you, you’re a seeder too. Uploading a complete file is called seeding.

2. Leecher: Someone who is downloading a file but hasn’t finished it yet.

3. Reseed: If someone seeds a torrent again after they had already finished and closed it earlier. This is done when a torrent has many leechers, but no seeder. It’s a great way to help out the community. It reactivates the torrent so to speak Others can now finish their download and then seed. Read here how to reseed.

4. Tracker: An application run by a webmaster of a bittorrent site. It regulates the up and downloads of the torrents which use the tracker’s announce url.

5. Announce url: The website address the tracker is using (ie. http://blablabla.no-ip.com:6969/announce), when you make a torrent, make sure you use the announce url of the site you want to upload your torrent to.

6. Peer: Someone who is uploading and/or downloading a torrent.

7. Swarm: All the seeders and leechers on a single torrent.

8. Hit ‘n run: Closing down your torrent immediatly after you finish your download, this is very selfish and can and will get you banned from many sites.

9. Torrent: Small text file that points to a certain tracker and a certain file for downloading with bittorrent.