How to Stop Seeding After Downloading in uTorrent

There are different opinions on whether you should allow seeding or not, as well as whether you should use uTorrent at all. Despite this, uTorrent is one of the most popular downloading platforms in the whole world.

The platform’s based on a file-sharing system, which means that if other people didn’t seed after they’ve downloaded their video, you wouldn’t be able to download yours. However, there are various reasons why someone would want or need to stop seeding, and there’s a way to do it.

How to Stop Seeding?

When you start downloading a video, a small timer will appear, and it’ll show you how much time you have to wait until the download completes. Once the time’s passed, uTorrent will notify you that your torrent finished downloading. If you look carefully, you’ll see that another timer has replaced it, one with a Seed sign.

All you have to do is right-click on your file and choose Stop. That way, you’ll break the connection with the server, and you’ll stop seeding from your computer. This process is completely safe as you’ve already downloaded your file, and it won’t disappear from your computer.

If you’re still concerned, you can copy the file to another folder and remove the file from uTorrent. That way, you can be sure that you won’t seed it anymore. You can now peacefully watch the movie, knowing that everything’s fine.

However, this won’t stop seeding for good. The next time you try to download something, you’ll have to repeat the whole process. Some plug-ins can stop seeding for a more extended period, but uTorrent can detect that you’re using them, and you’ll probably get blocked from the website. That’s why we don’t suggest using them.

Is It Ok to Stop Seeding?

Although there are no official rules that require you to seed after downloading a torrent, it’s considered a nice gesture and something that you should do. Some users believe that downloading a video for yourself refusing to seed is selfish. They don’t approve of it because if everyone just stopped seeding, uTorrent would soon be dead.

There are even some offensive names for those who usually behave like this. In the uTorrent community, they are called “leechers.” This term refers to those who benefit from other people’s content but don’t want to give back to the community.

Of course, if you have a justified reason for doing so, you shouldn’t pay attention to other people’s opinions. As outlined above, there are some legitimate reasons to stop seeding, and we’ll get to them now. While the first one regards legal issues, the other one’s about your Internet data.

Good Reasons Not to Seed

When it comes to the law, everything depends on the region you live in and its regulations. In fact, in some countries, seeding a file is a bigger offense than downloading it. Therefore, those who do seed might face a harsher penalty.

The logic behind this is the following: It’s a more serious crime to enable others to get a file illegally, then it is to download it. When you’re downloading, you’re only endangering yourself, while those who disseminate illegal content are allowing others to break the rules, as well.

The other legitimate reason’s your Internet speed. Seeding takes a lot of data; it might take the same amount as the downloading process. If you have limited Internet access, you may not be able to waste your monthly allowance on seeding the content. That especially applies to people living in rural areas or students on a tight budget.

To Seed or Not to Seed

We’ve shown you how to avoid seeding after downloading a torrent, but it’s up to you to decide when and how often you are going to use this feature. There are both pros and cons to it, depending on the situation and your point of view.

How often do you use uTorrent? Do you usually seed or not, and what do you think are legitimate reasons to stop seeding? Give us your two cents in the comments section below.