Where Does rTorrent Store Config and Session?
rTorrent reads ~/.rtorrent.rc on startup, with session state, watch folders, and downloads wherever that file points.
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rTorrent configuration is a single rc file with outsized influence. It sets the session directory, download roots, watch folders, DHT and encryption behavior, and the SCGI port that frontends like ruTorrent use. Everything operational flows from it.
The session directory is the critical path: it holds fastresume state for every torrent. Point it somewhere volatile and restarts trigger full rechecks. Watch folders plus schedule lines turn drops into downloads, which is the standard seedbox pattern.
Where rTorrent stores this, by platform
~/.rtorrent.rc
Session dir, download roots, watch schedules, and SCGI port in one file. Keep the session folder local and backed up; it is the only state that matters.
~/.rtorrent.rc
Same rc-file setup on macOS builds. The session and watch folders follow the same rules; only the default download root tends to differ.
Frequently asked questions
Torrents vanish or recheck on restart. What moved?
Check the session and directory lines in .rtorrent.rc. Session state (fastresume data) must live on a local disk; network folders corrupt it. Downloads and watch folders can point anywhere the daemon can write.
How do I auto-load torrents from a folder?
Add schedule lines pairing a watch folder with a target directory and optional start flag. New .torrent files dropped in load into the session automatically on the next schedule tick.
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