For many years, magnet links have served as a lightweight alternative to traditional torrent downloads. In this guide, we’ll demonstrate how to open a magnet link using any web browser.
Note: you’ll need to have a torrent client installed to use magnet links. Before proceeding with the next steps, download and install your favorite torrent platform on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
How to Open Magnet Links With Google Chrome
Before running magnet links on Google Chrome, ensure that it can handle magnet link protocols. For this, go to chrome://settings/handlers on your Chrome browser.
Look for the field labeled Sites can ask to handle protocols. By default, it should be enabled, but if it isn’t, enable it first. This setting allows Chrome to directly open magnet links and torrents using your preferred torrent client.
After this, find a torrent download site that hosts magnet links (most of them do). Some torrent file download sites prominently display a magnet download menu option. Others may just have a magnet icon, such as this example next to the Download button, on YTS, the official homepage of YIFY movies.
Click the download button in the Chrome browser. The magnet link will be converted to the format compatible with the torrent platform installed on your computer.
FYI: what is Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime? Learn how it affects the rendering of web content on Edge browser.
How to Open Magnet Links With Microsoft Edge
To run magnet links on Microsoft Edge browser, you will have to ensure it can handle the magnet link protocols. Visit edge://settings/content/handlers and enable the field for Allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols (recommended).
Next, go to a torrent download site. Search for a movie or a software. As soon as you hover near the Download or Get this Torrent button, a magnet link is visible at the absolute bottom of the webpage.
When you click the download button, you may get a warning from Edge browser that “this site is trying to open a torrent application.” Click Open to continue the download. The remaining download will continue in the application of your choice.
Related: you can download torrents from the Command line in Ubuntu, the most popular Linux distro.
How to Open Magnet Links With Firefox
To operate magnet links using Firefox, go to the Firefox address bar, enter about:config, then search for network.protocol-handler.expose.magnet on that page. In this preference text, click the toggle button to make sure the Value is set to false.
In the next step, open the browser’s settings and go to General -> Files and Applications -> Applications. Here, under What should Firefox do with other files? choose Save files, or Ask whether to open or save files.
After that, visit a torrent site and select your magnet link. Firefox will ask you whether you want to allow this site to open the magnet link. Click Choose Application, and you can now open the link directly in your torrent platform.
How to Open Magnet Links With DuckDuckGo Browser
DuckDuckGo is emerging as a popular privacy-conscious browser. To open magnet links using DuckDuckGo, simply click the magnet icon or a prominent text saying Magnet download.
As the DuckDuckGo browser has very few settings to bother with, the magnet link should straightaway open using an installed torrent application. Its crucial identifying information, the hash, is calculated on a given website and sent directly to your torrent program.
FYI: check and search Safari history on a Mac device.
How to Open Magnet Links With Safari
The Safari browser doesn’t support magnet links in its default mode. It is harder because of the legal issues with downloading torrents on the Apple ecosystem. As shown here, you won’t be able to see any download links on the magnet URL.
However, there is one method that works on iPads and iPhones. You’ll only need to install the Magnet Linker extension on App Store. Once that extension is working on your Safari browser, it will automatically copy-paste the magnet link. After that, you can download it using a torrent platform on Mac.
Related: here’s all you need to know about the legality of downloading torrent files.
How to Open Magnet Links With Opera
To run magnet links using Opera browser, first go to the Opera omnibox and type opera://settings/handlers. This will open Opera’s handler settings. Here you must select Sites can ask to handle protocols.
The process for opening magnet links in Opera is largely similar as Chrome/Edge. Just find the file you want to download and click it. If it’s a magnet link, then your Torrent client should open automatically. Alternatively, you may get a prompt asking if you want to open the magnet file with your torrent app.
Magnet links and torrent files go hand in hand, but they aren’t exactly the same thing. In fact, if you use a magnet link, you don’t even need to download a torrent file to start downloading the content. It is always recommended to use a reliable commercial VPN while downloading torrent/magnet links.
Want to know how to convert a magnet link to a torrent, and vice versa? We have you covered. Now that you can download movies using magnet links, why not find out how to watch videos and movies with your online friends?
Image Credit: Horseshoe magnet by DepositPhotos. All screenshots by Sayak Boral.
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