A .torrent file holds no actual content - it is only a description of the files being shared and where to find peers. But that description is remarkably revealing: the complete file listing is stored in plain text, so anyone who has the .torrent can read exactly what it points to without downloading anything, along with the trackers, the creation date and the software that made it.
Scan a BitTorrent fileThe disclosure is the file list. File X-Ray decodes the torrent's bencoded structure and shows every file path it shares, the number of files and their total size. These names are plain text and describe the content precisely even though the content itself is not present, so a torrent for private material announces exactly what it is by name alone. Any path that looks sensitive is flagged separately.
The trackers say which network you are on. A torrent announces to one or more tracker servers, listed in its announce and announce-list fields, and those servers identify the community or network the file is being shared through. When the info dictionary sets the private flag, peer discovery is restricted to the tracker - which normally means a closed, invite-only community with registered accounts, tying the file to a specific membership.
The creator leaves a fingerprint too. The creation date records when the torrent was made, and the "created by" field names the BitTorrent client and version that generated it, which fingerprints software on the creator's machine. An optional free-text comment and the torrent's own name round out what the file admits about its origin.
This is a selection. The full field manual documents the fields read from each format.
No. A .torrent holds no content - it is a metainfo description of the files and the trackers used to find peers. But it does list every file it shares by name, size and folder path in plain text, so it reveals precisely what it points to without any download.
The complete file listing, the total size, the tracker servers it announces to, whether it is a private torrent, when it was created, and the client and version that made it. Together these describe the content and hint at the community and software behind it.
It restricts peer discovery to the torrent's own tracker rather than public DHT and peer exchange. In practice a private torrent belongs to a closed, invite-only tracker with registered accounts, so it narrows the file to a specific membership.
Yes. The file paths are stored in plain text and are readable by anyone who obtains the .torrent, even though the actual files are not there. File X-Ray flags names that look sensitive so you can see what a torrent gives away before you share it.
Drop the .torrent into File X-Ray. It decodes the bencoded metainfo entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded - and shows the file listing, trackers, creation date and client.
File X-Ray reads BitTorrent files entirely in your browser - the file never leaves your device. For this format you can also download a clean copy with the metadata removed. Scan a file now.