Magnet Links Not Working – How To Fix

Magnet links are an easy and secure way to share files. It can be very frustrating to encounter a magnet link that isn’t working as it renders the content you are looking for out of reach. Receiving a prompt on your Chrome browser telling you that you have a magnet link error can leave you stumped on how to proceed.

Not to worry, though.

In this article, we shall examine how to fix magnet links errors. Let’s look at how to troubleshoot our way out of magnet link not working errors in different browsers.

Using a Magnet Link

First, let us start by going over how to use a magnet link. Improper procedures might be what’s preventing you from downloading your magnet link.

You will need to have a BitTorrent client that is magnet link-capable installed on your browser. Once you have an appropriate client, click on the magnet link like any hyperlink on a website.

In the section below, we will look at downloading magnet links on your Chrome browser.

How to Open a Magnet Link in Chrome

You will first have to set up Chrome to allow you to create magnet links.

To do this:

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

Next:

1. Find a download site that has magnet links.
2. Select the file you are interested in downloading.
3. Click on “Magnet Download.”
   
4. You will receive a prompt to open the magnet link using your preferred BitTorrent platform. Click “Open.”
   

Magnet Link Not Working in Chrome

Sometimes, when you open a magnet link in Chrome, the browser returns an error message. There are several steps you can take to try and rectify the problem.

Check Your Content Settings

Ensure that your browser’s content settings are correct. To do this:

1. Open a Chrome tab and click on the Menu icon.
   
2. Select “Settings.”
   
3. Scroll to the bottom and click on the “Advanced” button.
   
4. Click on the “Content Settings” button.
   
5. Find the “Handlers” option that says “allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols.” Click on it.
6. Ensure that this setting’s toggle is in the ON position.
   
7. Your Chrome browser should now be able to download your magnet link.

Edit the Registry

Sometimes the message associated with your error will say, “this file does not have an app associated with it.” This means that your Chrome browser cannot detect the correct application to download the magnet link. You will need to open and edit the Registry to rectify this error.

You can do this by following the directions below:

1. Open the run command prompt by pressing Win+R.
2. Enter “regedit” in the dialogue box that opens.
   
3. The registry editor will now open in a new window. Scroll to the file location: \Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Magnet\shell\open\command
   
4. You will see the data column on the right panel that shows the path to the BitTorrent client.
   
5. In a new window, open the C drive.
   
6. Press Win+E to open My Computer.
   
7. If this is stored in the wrong directory, reset the Registry options.
8. Chrome should now be able to open your magnet link.

Magnet Links Not Working in Edge

To enable your magnet link to open in Edge, you will use a very similar process to opening a magnet link in Chrome. There is, however, no need to set up handlers. Instead, you will need to download the “Magnet Linker” extension for Microsoft Edge.

To find and add this extension, follow the instructions below:

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
   
2. Click on the top right corner of the browser.
   
3. Click on “Extensions” followed by “Get extensions for Microsoft Edge.”
   
4. Find the Magnet Linker extension, then click on “Get.”
   
5. You will receive a prompt containing information on the permissions required for the extension. Once you have reviewed this, click “Add Extension.”
   
6. You will receive a prompt letting you know that the extension has been added.
   

Once the Magnet Linker extension is enabled on Edge, you will receive a prompt offering to open the magnet link with your preferred BitTorrent platform.

Edit the Registry in Edge

If you are still having difficulty downloading magnet links after setting up your Magnet Linker in Edge, you must create the file association manually.

This is how to go about doing that:

1. Press Win+R to go to the Registry.
2. Enter “regedit” into the dialogue box.
   
3. Go to the location: ComputerHKEY_CLASSES_ROOTMagnetshellopencommand
   
4. On the right pane under Data, you should see the directory for your BitTorrent app.
   
5. If the information under Data doesn’t match the BitTorrent directory, click “Modify” and enter the correct directory for your BitTorrent platform.
6. Your browser should now be able to download your magnet links.

Magnet Links Not Working in Firefox

If you use a Firefox browser, you might encounter instances where you have to reset the association between your BitTorrent client and your browser.

To do this:

1. Enter “about:config” in your Firefox address bar.
   
2. Search for “network.protocol-handler.expose.magnet”.
   
3. Click “Toggle” to set the value to “False.”
   
4. Open the magnet link on your browser using your preferred BitTorrent platform.

You should now be able to download magnet links from your Firefox browser.

Magnet Link Not Working on uTorrent

Your Bittorent client, like uTorrent, might occasionally have a problem associating with the magnet links of your browser. You may receive a prompt asking you if you would like to switch applications or one that the file cannot be opened by any application on your device.

To troubleshoot this problem, you will have to manually set the association between your browser and the BitTorrent platform of your choice.

Magnet Link Not Working on qBittorent

With qBittorent, the magnet link might not work because of your firewall and antivirus software. This software might be blocking qBittorent and permission to allow it to work properly. Firewall and antivirus software steps may vary, but in general, you’ll want to go to the settings menu and ensure that the permissions are checked for the app.

Getting Magnet Links to Work

Magnet links are an easy, safe and secure way to share content. There might be a few issues here and there when you first try downloading magnet links on a new browser. However, the problems are usually relatively standard and therefore straightforward to troubleshoot.

Have you been having trouble getting magnet links to work? Let us know in the comments below!