How to Remove Sponsored Ads from uTorrent

uTorrent displays sponsored advertisements in the free version of its torrent application. These ads help keep uTorrent free, but can bog down slower computers. While you may know that you can pay to upgrade uTorrent to an ad-free version, you may not realize that ads can easily be disabled in your preferences. Learn how to disable ads in uTorrent by adjusting some settings, as well as how to upgrade to the uTorrent Ad-Free.

EditSteps

EditDisabling Ads in uTorrent Preferences

1. Open the uTorrent application. While the free version of uTorrent displays ads by default, you can disable these ads in the Preferences menu.
   
   • uTorrent ads ensure that the developer can provide a free version of the program without losing money. If you like uTorrent and want to thank the developers, you may consider paying $4.95 USD to upgrade to the ad-free version.^[1]
2. Click "Options" and then select "Preferences" from the menu bar.
   
3. Select "Advanced” from the list on the left side of the Preferences window. “Advanced” is at the bottom of the list.
   
4. Click to highlight gui.show_plus_upsell in the long list of Advanced Options. You can find this option in one of two ways:
   
   • Type gui.show_plus_upsell into the Filter box and select it from the search results.^[2]
   • Scroll down the list until you find it. The list is in alphabetical order, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.
5. Select “False” beneath the Advanced Options box. When you clicked “gui.show_plus_upsell”, two radio buttons labeled with “True” and “False” appeared beneath the Advanced Options box. Clicking the button next to “False” will disable the ad at the bottom left corner of uTorrent.
   
6. Click to highlight offers.sponsored_torrent_offer_enabled in the Advanced Options list, then click “False.” Just like the previous option, scroll down until you find it or use the Filter box. Switching this option to false disables the banner ad at the top of the torrent list.
   
7. Set additional Advanced Options to “False.” Now you will need to locate and select all of the options listed below and set their values to “False.” Some may already be set to False, but check to be sure.
   
   • offers.left_rail_offer_enabled
   • offers.sponsored_torrent_offer_enabled
   • gui.show_notorrents_node
   • offers.content_offer_autoexec
   • bt.enable_pulse
8. Click "OK" to save your changes.
   
   • Note that if you did not find one (or more) of the above options in Advanced Options, don’t panic—uTorrent sometimes changes the names of these options. Return to the Advanced Options screen and type “offer” into the “Filter” box. Now, change all of those currently set to “True” to “False”.^[3]
9. Click “File” and then “Exit” to close uTorrent. To make sure all of your changes take effect, restart uTorrent.
   
10. Open uTorrent and enjoy your ad-free experience.
    

EditUpgrading to uTorrent Ad-Free

1. Open the uTorrent application. uTorrent displays sponsored advertisements so that it can provide a free application without losing money. You can upgrade to uTorrent Ad-Free to both remove the ads and support the developer.
   
2. Click “Options” in the top menu and select “Get uTorrent Pro.” There are two upgrade options—Ad-Free and Pro. Both versions provide an ad-free user experience but have some notable differences:
   
   • The Ad-Free upgrade costs $4.95 USD and is billed annually.
   • The Pro version costs $19.95 USD and also includes malware protection, technical support, file conversion tools, and the ability to stream torrents instantly.^[4]
3. Click “Upgrade to Ad-Free.” This will open a payment processing website in your default web browser.
   
   • If you don’t see “Upgrade to Ad-Free” and you are using a Mac, try clicking the small X on the ad in the bottom left corner of the application.^[5]
   • If you want to upgrade to uTorrent Pro, click “Upgrade to Pro” instead.
4. Enter your payment details into the provided blanks.^[6]
   
   • To pay with a credit card, enter the information from your card next to “Credit Card.”
   • If you prefer PayPal, click “PayPal.” You’ll be prompted to log in and pay with your PayPal account as soon as you’re done on this page.
5. Verify that your information is correct and click the “Buy Now” button. If you’re using a Mac, uTorrent will automatically upgrade to the Ad-Free version. If you’re using Windows, exit uTorrent and then continue with this method.
   
6. (Windows) Click “Bundle Installer” to download the Ad-Free version of uTorrent.^[7] Now you’ll be downloading an installer file to your computer. The file will end with “.exe” and be saved to your default download location.
   
7. Double-click the .exe file to install uTorrent Ad-Free. Once the installer has downloaded to your computer, double-click it to run the installation. Follow the prompts to replace the free version of uTorrent with your new paid, ad-free experience.
   

EditVideo

EditTips

• Be careful when modifying the advanced options in uTorrent, as modifying the wrong options can result in problems with the application.
• You cannot use the Windows uTorrent Pro license on the Ad-Free version for Mac.
• If you use private torrent sites that are known to be strict about torrent clients they allow, consider disabling "Automatically Install Updates" Preferences > General. If uTorrent automatically updates to a version that isn’t yet allowed by your private torrent site, you will not be able to download anything new until the new version has been added.

EditSources and Citations

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