Magnet Link Decoder

Decode magnet URI parameters into readable fields.

Overview

The magnet link decoder takes a magnet:?... URI and breaks it down into readable fields: display name, exact topic (the info-hash), tracker list, web seeds, and any acceptable-source URLs. It is the fastest way to confirm what a magnet link actually references before pasting it into a client.

Power users vetting links before downloading, archivists tracking torrents in spreadsheets, and developers building torrent-aware applications reach for this when a raw URI is opaque and a quick sanity check is needed. Long-tail searches that lead here include "decode magnet link online", "extract info hash from magnet", and "read magnet URI parameters".

How it works

A magnet URI follows the form magnet:?key1=value1&key2=value2&..., defined in a draft IETF spec and widely supported by BitTorrent clients. Each key is a short code:

xt (exact topic) is the info-hash, typically urn:btih:<hash> for BitTorrent.
dn (display name) is a human label, URL-encoded.
tr (tracker) lists tracker URLs; may appear multiple times.
ws (web seed) gives an HTTP(S) location for the content.
as (acceptable source) is a direct fallback URL.
xs (exact source) names a peer source.

The decoder URL-decodes each value, splits multi-valued keys (most notably tr), and normalises info-hashes to lowercase hex. BitTorrent v2 hashes (urn:btmh:) are recognised alongside the legacy v1 form.

Examples

Extract every tracker URL from a magnet link for inclusion in a client's tracker list.
Confirm the info-hash matches an expected value before importing.
Recover the original display name from a magnet that was shared without context.
Spot an unusual web-seed URL that suggests a particular distribution method.

FAQ

Does it download the torrent?
No. The decoder parses the URI only — it does not connect to trackers, peers, or web seeds.

What is urn:btih versus urn:btmh?
btih is the legacy BitTorrent v1 info-hash (SHA-1). btmh is the v2 multihash format (typically SHA-256). Modern clients support both.

Why are some fields URL-encoded?
Magnet URIs encode values using standard URL encoding so that names containing spaces or special characters do not break the query string. The decoder unescapes them automatically.

Can it convert back to a magnet URI?
The decoder is one-way. To re-encode after editing, paste the fields into a magnet URI builder or your torrent client's "create magnet" feature.

What if the link is invalid?
A missing xt is reported as a warning but the other fields are still surfaced. Anything that does not start with magnet:? is rejected up front.

Try Magnet Link Decoder