FAQ: Miscellaneous

µTorrent User Manual

How can µTorrent be so fast and small?

µTorrent is programmed in C++ using custom-coded libraries, with the GUI being written using the Win32 API. It is compressed with UPX to bring the size down by approximately 50% from its normal compiled size. A serious effort is made to keep the program as resource-efficient as possible.


How do you pronounce µTorrent?

Although there is no official way to pronounce µTorrent, Ludvig Strigeus wrote, "I usually say 'you torrent' because [the µ] looks like a u." He also offered "microtorrent" and "mytorrent" as alternative pronounciations.


How do you write µ on the keyboard?

If you are using an international IME as your keyboard input language, press AltGr+M, or Ctrl+Alt+M. Alternatively, you can press Alt+0181 (with the numbers pressed serially on the number pad), which works on all IMEs and regional settings.


Is µTorrent open source?

No, it is not open source, and it is very unlikely that it will ever become open source.


Is there a Linux or Mac OS X version of µTorrent?

You can download the Mac version of µTorrent here. For those of you wishing to run µTorrent on a non-Windows operating system, the Wine project offers a solution.


What is %AppData%?

%AppData% is a Windows environment variable that contains the path to the standard user application data directory. To access it, you can press "Start" button on the Windows taskbar, select "Run," type %AppData% into the "Open" field, and press "OK."


Where can I get the latest µTorrent beta?

Occasionally, public beta testing builds are posted on the download page, in the forum, or in the IRC channel. If there is no public posting... well, if you have to ask for the beta builds, then you can't get them :)


Who makes µTorrent?

  • Ludvig Strigeus (ludde) is the original author and maintainer of µTorrent
  • BitTorrent Inc.'s developers are the current maintainers of µTorrent. The developers include:
    • Jan Brittenson (CodeRed)
    • Richard Choi (rchoi)
    • Adam Kelly (AdamK)
    • Arvid Norberg (arvid)
    • Ryan Norton (RyanNorton)
  • Giancarlo Martínez (Firon) maintains the µTorrent website and community
  • Timothy Su (ignorantcow) is the website designer

I have a bug report, feature request, or unanswered question. What should I do?

If you think you've found a bug, please make sure it is not caused by any incompatible software. If the bug is reproducible, please visit the "Found Bugs" forum in the µTorrent forums and make sure your bug has not already been reported. If not, then register and post instructions on how to reproduce the problem.

If you have a feature you'd like to request, visit the forum and search to make sure it was not previously requested. If you post a request without first looking, then chances are fairly high that you will be told to search, and the thread will be locked.

If you have an unanswered question, visit the forum or IRC channel and ask. Searching the forum and reading the forum stickies are important things to do while at the forum.