How to create a torrent

1. Download and install a bit-torrent client

My personal favorite is µtorrent, a lightweight but powerful client. This guide will not help you configure the client, but the start-up guide provided by µtorrent will get you a long way. You can also refer to the documentation for further assistance.

2. Collect the files you wish to share

The best way is to simply create a folder, name it descriptively, and put your files there. You can include subfolders. Do not move or modify the contents after you have finished step 3: it will corrupt the torrent.

3. Create the torrent

In µtorrent, go to File - Create New Torrent...

In the dialog box, click Add directory. Chose the directory you wish to share, and click Select Folder. The tracker I recommend is openbittorent. Simply put "http://tracker.openbittorrent.com/announce" in the "Trackers:" field. You can also put a comment. The rest of the settings leave them as they are. Click "Create and save as..." Save the torrent-file where you can easily find it. A good idea is to have it in the same folder as the folder you are sharing.

4. Sharing the torrent

Simply sent the torrent-file to whomever you want to share the files with.

5. Sharing to the world

This step is only if you wish to share to EVERYONE on the internet. When sharing to the world, you need a website where people can search for your torrent. My favorite torrent indexing site is The Pirate Bay, but there are many many others. At The Pirate Bay you simply sign up with a username and a password, then click the "Upload torrent" link at the bottom of the page. Here you will be prompted to upload the torrent-file you just created, and to fill in some descriptive information about the torrent. When you are done, your torrent is available to the world.