Guide

Everything BitDinghy can do, in the window and on the command line. New here? Start with "Your first download".

Your first download

Download BitDinghy, unzip it and run BitDinghy.exe.
Copy a magnet link (it starts with magnet:?) from a website you trust.
Paste it into the box at the top (“Paste a magnet link, a .torrent file’s path, or a web link to one”) and press Download.

BitDinghy first fetches the download’s file list, checks the names are safe, then starts. Each download shows its progress, speed, time left and how many people it’s connected to.

Downloads go to a BitDinghy folder inside your Downloads folder, unless you choose another one in Settings.

Adding downloads

Magnet links: paste them in the box.
.torrent files: click Open .torrent file…, drag the file onto the window, or paste its path in the box.
Web links to .torrent files: paste the https:// link. Plain http:// links are refused unless you allow them in Settings (they can be changed on the way to you).
From your browser or Explorer: see “Make BitDinghy the default” below.

BitDinghy never overwrites a file it didn’t download. If a file with the same name is already in the download folder, the download is refused with a message naming the file. If that file is the download you had before (for example, from another program), choose Use the files already there: BitDinghy checks them and downloads only what’s missing.

Managing downloads

Pause and Resume: a paused download stays paused, even after a restart.
Remove: choose Keep the files or Delete the files too. Deleting only ever touches the files BitDinghy downloaded itself.
Files: for a download with several files, untick the ones you don’t want, at any time. (BitDinghy may have to create small parts of unticked files, because pieces can cross file edges; it hides them so they don’t get in your way.)
Check files: reads the files on disk again and downloads anything damaged or missing.
Try again: for a download that stopped with a problem, after you fixed it (for example, freed some disk space). Problems are explained in plain words.
The queue: by default 3 downloads run at once and the rest wait their turn. Change the number in Settings (“Downloads at the same time”), and use the ⏶ and ⏷ buttons to change the order.

Your list is saved as you go, so BitDinghy carries on where it left off after a restart, or even after a crash or a power cut.

BitTorrent works because people share what they download. While BitDinghy is open, finished downloads keep sharing with others. In Settings you can stop sharing a finished download at a ratio (1.0 means it has shared as much as its own size) or after some minutes. A download stopped by a limit has a Share again button.

Settings

Click Settings in the window to unfold it:

Download folder (used from the next start).
Download limit and Upload limit, for all downloads together (none by default).
Downloads at the same time (the queue).
Sharing limits (see above).
Connections (used the next time you start BitDinghy): whether other people may connect to you, a fixed Port or an automatic one, and UPnP (asks your router to forward the port; off unless you turn it on). The first time BitDinghy accepts connections, Windows Firewall may ask about it.
Recommended settings: BitDinghy learns how fast your connection is from your own downloads (it never runs a speed test) and suggests limits that leave room for the rest of your internet use. Press Use these to apply them.

History

The History section shows your download and upload speed over the last 10 minutes, how much you downloaded and uploaded each day for the last 30 days, and the downloads you removed.

Make BitDinghy the default for magnet links and .torrent files

In Settings, press Make BitDinghy the default…. Windows then opens its Default apps page, where you choose BitDinghy (Windows doesn’t let programs choose themselves). After that, a magnet link in your browser or a double-clicked .torrent file opens BitDinghy, which always asks before adding anything. Undo removes BitDinghy’s registration again.

The command line: dinghy

dinghy.exe sits next to BitDinghy.exe. Open a terminal in that folder (or add it to your Path) and type dinghy --help. A download’s number is the one dinghy list shows.

Command	What it does
`dinghy get "<magnet link>"`	Downloads a magnet link, a `.torrent` file or a web link to one, showing progress until it’s done. Put magnet links in quotes.
`dinghy list`	Shows the saved download list.
`dinghy pause 2` / `dinghy resume 2`	Pauses or resumes download number 2.
`dinghy remove 2`	Removes it from the list; its files stay. Add `--delete-files` to delete the files it downloaded (you’re asked to confirm).
`dinghy files 2`	Shows its files. `--pick 1,3-5` downloads only those (`--pick all` for all).
`dinghy check 2`	Checks its files on disk again.
`dinghy move 2 top`	Moves it in the queue: `up`, `down`, `top` or `bottom`.
`dinghy history`	How much was downloaded and uploaded each day (`--days 30`), and removed downloads.
`dinghy recommend`	Shows the recommended settings; `--apply` uses them.
`dinghy default-app on`	Makes BitDinghy the default for magnet links and `.torrent` files (`off` undoes it, `status` shows it).
`dinghy settings`	Shows where BitDinghy keeps its files and its settings.
`dinghy settings set <name> <value>`	Changes a setting, for example `download-limit 2048` (KiB/s), `max-active-downloads 5` or `download-dir D:\Downloads`. `dinghy settings set --help` lists them all; the word `default` goes back to the standard value.

With the window open, dinghy talks to it, so both always show the same list. The channel between them can only be used from your own computer, never from the network.

With the window closed, dinghy get downloads in the terminal by itself; press Ctrl+C to stop (the download stays in the list, and carries on next time).

Where BitDinghy keeps things

Next to the programs, in a folder called data: settings.toml (your settings), downloads.db (your download list and history) and crash-reports. dinghy settings shows the exact place. If that folder can’t be written (for example, BitDinghy is in a read-only place), it uses your Windows user’s settings folder instead.

Saved settings and lists keep working when you upgrade: just replace the two programs and keep the data folder.

When something goes wrong

BitDinghy explains problems in plain words: a full disk, a file another program has open, no permission to write, an unplugged drive, a file too big for a FAT32 USB stick. If it crashes, it saves a short report that stays on your computer and tells you about it next time. See Support for how to report a problem.