Magnet Links Not Working? 8 Ways to Fix Them

Do you click on a magnet link, but your browser doesn't try to open the torrent client to download the file? If so, you may have a problem with the magnet link, torrent client, or browser. Fortunately, there are simple solutions to get magnet links working properly again.

What causes magnetic links to stop working?

Magnet links are used to download torrents. and are considered superior to downloading a torrent file. However, sometimes they don't work and there are a few reasons for this, including:

• There may be a problem with the magnetic link.
• The website hosting the magnet link may be experiencing technical difficulties.
• You may not have a torrent client installed or its settings may be configured incorrectly.
• You may not have correctly configured your browser to open the magnet link.
• Your security software may restrict your browser's ability to open external magnet links.

Once the causes are understood, let's look at the possible solutions.

1. Check for specific issues with links or websites

A problem with a particular link or the embed tool on a website can cause a magnet link to not respond when clicked.

To determine if the problem is link-specific, try opening another magnet link from the same website. If other links work, it's likely a problem specific to the link, something outside of your control. If other links also do not work, the problem may be specific to the website.

To do this, go to any other website that hosts the magnet links and try to open them. If links behave normally on other websites but act strangely on one in particular, they may not have been inserted correctly. In this case, the best thing to do is to contact the website administrator and report the problem.

However, if you are having trouble opening magnet links on other websites, the problem is likely deep-seated and requires further investigation.

2. Make sure you have a Torrent client installed

You need a torrent client installed on your device to download content from a magnet link. If you don't have one installed (or you get an error like "This file does not have an associated application"), it's time to download a torrent client capable of handling magnetic links, such as qBittorrent.

If you already have a torrent client installed, it may not support magnet links, so magnet links will not respond. Therefore, you will have to change the default app to open magnet links.

3. Set a default app for magnet links or switch to a different one

To change the default app to open magnet links, follow the steps below:

1. Guy "Record" In Windows Search, right-click the Registry Editor application and click Execute as an administrator.
2. Copy and paste the following path into Registry Editor:

    Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Magnet\shell\open\command 

3. Right click on Default key in the right panel and select Modify...
4. So, in the Value data Paste the path to the executable file of your preferred torrent client.
5. Finally, click OK.

If you don't know the path to your torrent client executable, right-click the client file. Shortcut icon and select Properties. Then go to Shortcut and copy the path from Aim field.

Make sure you add the strings "%1" /SHELLASSOC and "%1" at the end of the path of uTorrent and qBittorrent, respectively, before adding them to Registry Editor.

4. Allow your Torrent client to download content from magnet links

Some torrent clients come with file association settings that allow you to restrict downloading torrent files or magnet links when necessary. If this option is enabled in your client settings, your browser cannot ask your torrent client to download content from a magnet link, even if you have set your preferred torrent client as the default application.

The qBittorrent client has this configuration. To verify that the file association settings are configured correctly in qBittorrent, follow the steps below:

1. Open qBittorrent.
2. Navigate to the Tools menu and click on it to expand it.
3. Select Options.
4. Go to the Behavior left tab.
5. To locate File association settings and check the box next to Use qBittorrent for magnet links.

6. Click Apply and OK to end.

If you use other torrent clientsMake sure you enable the permission that allows your torrent client to download content from magnet links.

When you install uTorrent, you are prompted to select the file types you want the client to handle by default. If you uncheck the option to handle magnetic URIs during installation, the torrent client may not be able to handle magnetic links. Since uTorrent does not allow you to change file types after installation, you will need to uninstall and reinstall it again. During reinstallation, be sure to check the preference to handle magnetic URIs.

5. Change site settings in Chrome

If magnet links aren't working in Chrome, you may have blocked sites from handling protocols. So, to change the protocol handlers settings in Chrome, follow these steps:

1. Type the following URL in Chrome and press Enter:

    chrome: 

2. Look at the circle next to it Sites may request to manage protocols..
3. Check that the site you use magnet links on is not prohibited from handling protocols. Click on the cross icon (x) to remove the restriction if it is.

6. Add a preference in Advanced Preferences Settings in Firefox

If magnet links don't work in Firefox, follow these steps to add a preference manually:

1. Guy about: configuration to bring out the Advanced preferences window.
2. Guy network.Protocol-handler.expose.magnet in a search box and you probably won't find any preferences that match it.
3. Click on the plus icon to the right end of the string to add it.

4. Click the toggle icon "⇌" to change the preference value to FAKE.

7. Install an extension in Microsoft Edge

Edge does not have a built-in setting to alter protocol handling. So, you need to install an extension to do that. To install it, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Microsoft Edge Add-ons Page and search Magnetic linker.
2. Once you have located it, click Get button to install it.

Please note that while the only review for this tool has one star, I tested it and it works. The next time you use Edge to open a magnet link, it will recognize it.

8. Whitelist your browser and Torrent client from your security software

If none of the above solutions work and you are still having trouble opening magnet links, then it is likely that your security software is preventing your browser from prompting the torrent client to open magnet links. To rule out this possibility, you should whitelist your browser and torrent client in the security suite.

If you are running Windows, check out our guide on how to allow applications through the Microsoft Defender firewall.

Make Magnet Links Responsive Again

When magnet links stop responding to clicks, we are forced to use the standard torrent file download method to install them. Hopefully, you now have a clear understanding of what can cause magnetic links to stop working and the possible solutions you can employ to resolve the issue.