This wikiHow teaches you how to find and download movies for free on your computer. To download movies for free, you will need to have uTorrent installed on your computer. Note that downloading any movie that actually has to be purchased is piracy, and it is illegal in most countries.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Downloading Public Movies for Free
Step 1. Understand what types of films can be obtained legally and for free
Most of the films that can be downloaded legally and for free are B films (low-cost commercial films), cult classic films (special films for certain fans), and films with high production costs, but which do not sell well in the market. Downloading movies that are still playing in theaters or recently released for free is against the law.
Step 2. Visit the Public Domain Torrents site
Use a browser to visit https://www.publicdomaintorrents.info. This is the only site that legally offers torrent files for old movies.
Step 3. Select a category
Click a movie category on the left side of the page (for example Horror).
Step 4. Select the desired movie
Browse the provided movies until you find the movie you want, then click on the movie. The page for the movie will open.
Step 5. Scroll down and click on the download link
At the bottom of the page, there are links to different types of files. In general, you should click on the link Click for Divx (this link is usually at the top). Your computer will start downloading the desired torrent.
It will only take you a few seconds to download the torrent file
Step 6. Run uTorrent
The icon is a white "μ" symbol on a green background.
Install uTorrent first before continuing if you haven't already installed it on your computer
Step 7. Click File
It's in the upper-left corner of the uTorrent window (or on the screen if you're on a Mac). A drop-down menu will be displayed.
Step 8. Click on Add Torrent option… in the drop-down menu files.
This will open a window pop-up.
Step 9. Select the desired torrent
Do this by clicking on the torrent you just downloaded. First you have to click on the torrent location (for example in the "Downloads" folder) which is on the left side.
In Windows, locate the folder by scrolling up and down the left side of the window
Step 10. Click Open in the lower right corner
A window with details of your torrent will open.
Step 11. Choose a place to save the movie
Click … located to the right of the " Save In " section at the top left of the window, then click the folder where you want to save the movie (for example Desktop).
Step 12. Click Select Folder which is in the lower right corner
This action will change the save location of the movie to be downloaded to the selected folder.
Step 13. Click OK
This option is in the lower right corner. The desired movie file will start downloading.
Step 14. Wait for the movie to download
This can take a few minutes to several hours depending on the size of the film, Internet speed, and the number of people seeding the torrent at this point.
Step 15. Convert the movie file if necessary
Movies downloaded from Divx links usually have AVI format so you can't play them on some media players (media players). Convert the movie to an MP4 file so you can play it on almost any platform.
You don't need to convert the movie if you already have a video player that can be used to play AVI files (such as VLC Media Player)
Step 16. Play the movie
Double-click the movie file to play it on your computer's video player. Sit back and relax and enjoy the movie.
Step 17. Try using other free movie sources
Although it's not as easy as downloading, you can legally watch movies online using the following sites:
- Crackle - Visit the site at https://www.crackle.com/. Crackle offers many modern B films, as well as a number of cult classics and documentaries.
- The Internet Archive - Visit the website at https://archive.org/index.php. You can watch old movies and documentaries in this place.
- Culture Unplugged Studios - Visit the website at https://www.cultureunplugged.com/. CUS contains full version documentaries with long duration.
- SnagFilms - Visit the site at https://www.snagfilms.com/. SnagFilms has many films ranging from documentaries to films that took part in the Sundance film festival.
- Popcorn Flix - Visit the site at https://popcornflix.com/. You can find free movies here. Most movies have been converted to play on portable devices.
- You can download movies on these sites using a browser extension or an online download service.
Method 2 of 2: Downloading Feature Films
Step 1. Open a web browser
You can download a movie that isn't actually free by downloading a torrent for it from a file-sharing site. This is against most Internet Service Providers, and could get you into legal trouble.
Step 2. Find the torrent file for the movie you want
The easiest way to do this is to type in the name and year of the film, followed by the torrent download into Google or another search engine.
- For example: if you want to search for torrents for The Blair Witch Project, type blair witch project 1999 torrent download.
- If you want to find it on a specific file-sharing site, type in the name of the movie followed by the name of the site (such as blair witch the pirate bay).
Step 3. Review the search results
Look for a link that matches the title and year of the movie you want to download.
Pirate Bay is a file sharing site that many people use
Step 4. Select one of the links
Click the link that corresponds to the file you want to download. The download page for the torrent will open.
Step 5. Make sure you download the actual file
Many file-sharing sites display prominent ads with a disguised design, but you can usually tell if a torrent file is good or not by looking at the comments. If most of the comments are positive, the torrent is probably worth downloading. If the comments are negative, avoid the site.
You can also get an idea of the quality of the torrent based on the comments provided
Step 6. Click the “Download” button
The button could be something like " Download ", an arrow pointing down, or a link that says something like " Click here to download [torrent name]". So, check the torrent page for the download button.
- Many torrent sites redirect you to another page that requires you to click another "Download" button.
- Maybe you will be redirected to an advertisement page. If that's the case, click the " Back " button in your browser, or look for the button Skip Ad which appears after five seconds.
Step 7. Wait for the torrent to finish downloading
You may have to open several ad pages before the torrent file starts to download. It actually only takes you a few seconds to download the torrent file to your computer.
Step 8. Run uTorrent
The icon is a white "μ" symbol on a green background.
Install uTorrent first before continuing if you haven't already installed it on your computer
Step 9. Click File
It's in the upper-left corner of the uTorrent window (or on the screen if you're on a Mac). A drop-down menu will be displayed.
Step 10. Click on Add Torrent option… in the drop-down menu files.
This will open a pop-up window.
Step 11. Select the desired torrent
Do this by clicking on the torrent you just downloaded. First you have to click on the torrent location (for example in the "Downloads" folder) which is on the left side.
In Windows, locate the folder by scrolling up and down the left side of the window
Step 12. Click Open in the lower right corner
A window with details of your torrent will open.
Step 13. Choose a place to save the movie
Click … It's to the right of the " Save In " section at the top left of the window, then click the folder where you want to save the movie (for example Desktop).
Step 14. Click Select Folder which is in the lower right corner
This action will change the save location of the movie to be downloaded to the selected folder.
Step 15. Click OK
This option is in the lower right corner. The desired movie will start downloading.
Step 16. Wait for the movie to download
This can take a few minutes to several hours depending on the size of the film, Internet speed, and the number of people seeding the torrent at this point.
Step 17. Convert the movie file if necessary
Most file-sharing sites offer video files in MP4 format so you can play them on almost any media player. However, if you downloaded it in AVI or MOV format, convert the file to MP4 format so you can play it.
You don't need to convert the movie if you already have VLC Media Player. VLC can play almost any type of video
Step 18. Play the movie
Double-click the movie file to play it on your computer's video player. Sit back and relax and enjoy the movie.
Tips
You can download YouTube and Vimeo movies using online video conversion services. While most popular movies are not uploaded to YouTube/Vimeo, you may find indie movies or movies that have not been removed by YouTube/Vimeo
Warning
- When downloading torrents from untrustworthy third-party sources, check the reviews provided. If no comments are given or the comments are bad, the torrent may contain malware or a virus.
- Downloading licensed films illegally and without permission can have serious consequences, including large fines or even imprisonment. We recommend that you only download movies that you can legally obtain.
