Updated 19 October 2026.
The letters in qBittorrent’s Flags column describe a connection to another peer. They show transfer states, how a peer was found and some connection features. They are different from the country icons beside IP addresses.
Where to find the flags
Select a torrent and open its Peers tab. Look for the Flags column; if it is hidden, check the column menu. One peer can show several letters together, and those letters can change while the torrent runs.
Uppercase and lowercase matter. The project’s official flag reference distinguishes the following states.
| Flag | Meaning in plain language |
|---|---|
| D / d | D: receiving data; d: interested in receiving, but the peer has not opened that transfer. |
| U / u | U: sending data; u: the peer is interested, but your client is holding that transfer. |
| O | A peer is being given a trial upload opportunity. |
| S | The peer is marked as unresponsive to data requests, called snubbed. |
| I | The other peer initiated the connection. |
| K / ? | One side allows a transfer, but the receiving side is not interested. |
| X / H / L | Peer discovery through peer exchange, DHT, or local discovery/local addressing. |
| P | The connection uses the μTP transport protocol. |
| E / e | Protocol encryption for the connection’s traffic or its handshake, respectively. |
Why a lowercase d is not automatically an error
BitTorrent divides transfers among peers. A connection can be interested in data without sending it at that moment. The BitTorrent protocol specification calls the transfer-control state choking. It is normal scheduling behavior, rather than proof that someone has blocked you personally.
Read the whole torrent’s progress alongside the peer row. A waiting connection is less significant if other peers are transferring useful pieces. Conversely, a long list of peers does not help if none has the pieces you still need.
What to check when nothing downloads
- Confirm that the torrent is not paused or held in the queue.
- Check whether complete seeds or the missing pieces are available.
- Review download limits, free storage and tracker messages.
- Compare with a known working, legitimately distributed torrent.
Our guide to qBittorrent downloads with no seeds covers the availability problem in more detail. Avoid changing several network settings merely to make a letter disappear.
What flags cannot tell you
An encrypted connection is not a malware scan or a guarantee of anonymity. Likewise, a country icon does not verify the identity of the person operating a peer. Judge the source and the files separately from these connection indicators.
FAQs
Why does a peer show several letters?
Each letter describes a different property of the same connection.
Does lowercase d mean the download is broken?
No. It can be a normal waiting state. Check overall progress and piece availability.
Does E mean the downloaded file is safe?
No. It describes protocol encryption, not the contents of a file.
Are the country flags the same as the Flags column?
No. Country icons are location estimates; the letter codes describe peer connections.