How to Fix if Magnet Links Not Working?

A magnet link is a file-sharing method that works on a peer-to-peer (P2P) basis using torrent downloading software like uTorrent, BitTorrent, qBittorrent, and more.

However, in its usual petty manner, many users find themselves dealing with the annoying problem of magnet links not working—whether it is not launching in the torrent client, not launching at all, or returning an out-of-nowhere error.

In this ultimate guide, we’re going to further discuss why magnet links are not working and how to resolve these issues in various browsers, operating systems, and torrent clients.

What are magnet links?

Before we get into the fixes, we need to briefly discuss what magnet links are.

A magnet link is a hyperlink that includes the details required to download a file through a BitTorrent client without needing an associated torrent file.

A magnet link, on the other hand, doesn’t point to the place where a file is stored; rather, it contains metadata (such as hash codes) that lets your torrent client find the peers hosting that file.

Common Causes of Magnet Links Not Working

Here are some common reasons magnet links may not work:

1. No torrent client associated with magnet links, is there?
2. Magnet URIs are not handled by the default browser.
3. Firewalls or Antivirus is Blocking Torrent Client
4. Browser or torrent client settings are misconfigured.
5. The link is dead, old, or not in the right format.
6. Corrupted system registry or MIME-type handlers.

Now, let’s address it, scenario by scenario, to resolve the issue.

How to Open a Magnet Link in Chrome

First, you will need to configure Chrome to create magnet links. To do this:

1. Type “chrome://settings/handlers” into your Chrome browser.
2. Enable the “allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols” option.

3. Search for a download site with magnet links.
4. Choose the file you wish to download.
5. Click on “Magnet Download.”
6. A pop-up will appear to let you launch the magnet link in your chosen torrent client app. Click “Open.”

Methods To Fix Magnet Links Not Working

Here are some fixes that will help you resolve the magnet links not working issue on your Windows PC:

Fix 1: Restart Your Torrent Client and System

The magnet links not working error can be fixed by simply restarting your computer and using the torrent client.

You might also want to run your torrent client as administrator, providing it with full permissions to register the magnet URI handler.

Fix 2: Enable Chrome to Handle Protocols Like Magnet Links (Only Chrome Browser)

Here’s how to enable sites to trigger Chrome to handle magnet links:

1. Launch Google Chrome.
2. Open the menu panel by clicking the three-vertical-dots icon found on the right side of the title bar.
3. Select Settings.
4. Scroll down, and then click on Advanced to show more settings.
5. Next, under Privacy and Security, click Site Settings.
6. Scroll down and select Additional permissions > Protocol handlers.
7. Ensure that the toggle for “Sites can ask to handle protocols” is turned ON.

Fix 3: Using the Windows Registry

If you receive a message saying something along the lines of “This file doesn’t have an app associated with it to perform the action,” the Windows Registry might be the culprit. Note that you need to tell the system which app to use to open magnet links.

Steps to Edit the Registry:

1. Open the Run dialog (Win + R).
2. Next, type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Magnet\shell\open\command

4. In the right pane, check the Data column.
5. It’ll show you the path to your torrent client, so it should look something like

"C:\Program Files\qBittorrent\qbittorrent. exe" "%1"

6. If this path is wrong or the program doesn’t exist, right-click on the key and select Modify.
7. Enter the correct path for your installed torrent client.

Now try opening a magnet link again — it should successfully launch your BitTorrent app.

Fix 4: Use the Magnet Linker Extension (Only Edge)

Now, try some magnet links again — that should open your BitTorrent app successfully.

Microsoft Edge Assistant allows you to install extensions that can handle custom link types like magnet URIs. Here’s how:

1. Open Edge and click on the three dots in the top right corner.
2. From the dropdown, select Extensions.
3. Select Get extensions for Microsoft Edge.

4. Search for Magnet Linker.

4. Click Get, and when prompted, select Add Extension.

Fix 5: Disable Firewall or Antivirus Interference

A firewall or antivirus software may prevent the communication necessary to process magnet links.

1. Try temporarily disabling your firewall/antivirus and see whether the magnet link works.
2. If it does the trick, whitelist your torrent client in your security software.

Fix 6: Reinstall or Repair Your Torrent Client

Sometimes, an issue with the torrent software itself can occur. So, to fix the Magnet Links Not Working issue:

1. Remove your existing torrent client.
2. Download the latest version from the official website.
3. To do this, uninstall it, then restart your system.

This re-registers the app to handle magnet links and resets various settings.

Conclusion

Magnet links are a great way to download files but might feel annoying when they are not working anymore.

As we have seen, it could be browser settings, a torrent client not associated with the magnet link, firewalls blocking your request, or broken links, which you can ensure using the above steps.

However, if these methods fail, then try to restore your Windows and check if the issue gets resolved or not.

So, that’s all we have for you about fixing the Magnet links not working issue. We hope the above fixes helped you. For more info, comment below and let us know.