qBittorrent official forums

Hi, I'm getting a socks5 proxy error when trying to download - i'm using nordvpn socks5 setup
The error is 'SOCKS5 proxy error. Address: [IP redacted just in case]. Message: "End of file".' - but obviously with an IP.
Also getting the error on the torrent saying permission denied..

Any ideas?

I'd try contacting NordVPN, it's not a qBittorrent fault I'm afraid.

Hi there,

The "SOCKS5 proxy error – End of file" usually means the proxy connection was unexpectedly closed. This can happen if your SOCKS5 proxy credentials (from your NordVPN dashboard) are incorrect or missing, or if the proxy settings (host: socks.nordhold.net, port: 1080) aren’t configured properly in your torrent client.

Also, make sure your client is set to route both tracker and peer connections through the proxy, and that no local IP binding is causing conflicts. If you're getting a “permission denied” error on the torrent itself, that’s typically a local issue — check that the download location exists, you have write permissions, and nothing (like antivirus or another program) is locking the file.

Lastly, try running your torrent client as administrator and temporarily disabling any firewall or antivirus to test.

Let me know your torrent client and settings if the issue continues — happy to help further.

Hi,

This is an interesting thread and I would like to add my experience.

1) I just joined NordVPN yesterday as my previous provider (BTGuard) seemed to have failed. No need to get into why, except they had been a great Proxy for many years. As such I prefer the SOCKS5 connectivity without having a VPN over everything.

2) Looking at my Execution Log, I also see the error that the OP saw: " 5/10/2025 6:04 AM - SOCKS5 proxy error. Address: 87.xx.xx.xx:1080. Message: "End of file".

3) The good news is that the OP and I have our SOCKS5 client set up correctly. No VPN on the machine, SOCKS5 only, and we can see the IP address is being changed.

4) HOWEVER... an error message is an error message. so I spent time on NordVPN's text support this morning and they were nice, supportive and confirmed that the torrent client is working... but gave no reason for the "end of file" error. In short: no idea why, and likely at that level we will ever know.

BUT... the good news is it IS working.

HOWEVER... When you select a torrent, the trackers come back and say: "Permission Denied". And that LOOKS like SOCKS5 isn't working. Especially if you see that error message. But that is a red herring.

That "Permission Denied" message is because many trackers intentionally block NordVPN IP addresses. Likely because there are a LOT of people that use NordVPN.

The way to resolve that is to go to https://github.com/ngosang/trackerslist ... rs_all.txt and copy the contents ("Copy Raw File") of the file and append it to your torrent tracker list. Suddenly you have OTHER trackers that do not block NordVPN and the download goes quickly.

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So, in summary:
A) NordVPN SOCKS5 works, but there is no one that can fix an error that really isn't an error.
B) Trackers block NordVPN, but there is a workaround.
C) NordVPN's support team said: "See what works for you best" ... which is not great when you just want an answer.

Honestly, I don't know if I like all that and I am still in my 30-day cancel timeframe.

From what I can tell, there is a different way to secure your torrent client (see: https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-pr ... t-nordvpn/ ) that does not use SOCKS5 and instead uses the NordVPN client on the machine securing ALL communications (you have to connect the app to the VPN via the client and then bind qBittorrent to the VPN) ... however the result of that is it messes up google.com (my preferred search engine) so that also has its challenges.

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I hope that helps... I feel like a blind man in a box in a closed room trying to find a solution... but all that above still beats unprotected torrenting.

If anyone out there knows a better easier cheaper way, I'm open to hear it,

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postscript: shit. I didn't see that this was "Docker" specific sub-forum. I don't docker (yet). Still, I believe that what I wrote is all valid.)