How to Set Up Sonarr with qBittorrent

This guide walks you through how to set up Sonarr with qBittorrent so the two work together seamlessly, letting Sonarr search for new episodes and hand them straight to qBittorrent for downloading. It suits anyone who already has both applications installed and wants Sonarr to automatically monitor shows, grab releases, and pass them to qBittorrent without manual intervention every time a new episode airs.

What you’ll need

• Sonarr installed and running, accessible through its web interface
• qBittorrent installed on the same machine or on a device reachable over your network
• An indexer already configured in Sonarr (a torrent tracker or indexer source)
• The IP address and port qBittorrent’s Web UI will run on (commonly port 8080, though this can be changed)
• A few minutes of admin access to both applications’ settings

Step 1: Enable the Web UI in qBittorrent

Sonarr cannot talk to qBittorrent unless its Web UI is switched on, since this is the interface Sonarr uses behind the scenes to send commands and check download status.

1. Open qBittorrent and go to Tools, then Options.
2. Select the Web UI tab from the list of settings.
3. Tick the box for Web User Interface (Remote control).
4. Set a Username and Password for the Web UI, or alternatively enable Bypass authentication for clients on localhost if Sonarr and qBittorrent run on the same machine.
5. Note the port number shown here, since you will need it shortly. Port 8080 is the common default, but you can change it if that port is already in use.
6. Click OK to save these settings.

Step 2: Add qBittorrent as a download client in Sonarr

With the Web UI active, the next stage of getting Sonarr set up with qBittorrent is linking the two inside Sonarr’s settings.

1. Open Sonarr’s web interface and go to Settings, then Download Clients.
2. Click the plus icon to add a new client and choose qBittorrent from the list of torrent clients.
3. In the Host field, enter the IP address of the machine running qBittorrent. Use localhost or 127.0.0.1 if both applications are on the same computer, or the local network IP if qBittorrent runs elsewhere.
4. Enter the Port number that matches what you set in qBittorrent’s Web UI settings (for example 8080).
5. Enter the Username and Password you created in qBittorrent, unless you enabled the localhost bypass, in which case these can be left blank.
6. Adjust Category if you want Sonarr’s downloads to be labelled and separated within qBittorrent, which also makes it easier to set up matching save paths later.
7. Click Test. A green tick confirms Sonarr can reach qBittorrent successfully. If it fails, double check the host, port, and credentials before trying again.
8. Click Save once the test passes.

Step 3: Confirm downloads are being sent and picked up

Once the connection is saved, it’s worth checking that everything is actually working end to end rather than assuming it will.

1. In Sonarr, search for or add a TV series you want monitored, and either wait for an automatic search or trigger a manual one.
2. Check Sonarr’s Activity or Queue tab to see whether a release has been grabbed and sent to qBittorrent.
3. Open qBittorrent and confirm the torrent appears in its list, ideally under the category you configured.
4. Watch the torrent’s status. If it shows as downloading with active peers, everything is working correctly. If it says stalled, this usually means there are currently no active seeders for that particular release rather than a fault in your setup.
5. Once the download finishes, Sonarr should detect the completed file, import it, and rename it according to your naming settings.

Tips and troubleshooting

• If Sonarr reports it is unable to connect to qBittorrent, recheck that the Web UI is enabled and that the port in Sonarr matches qBittorrent exactly, since a mismatch here is the most common cause of connection failures.
• If you left the username and password blank in Sonarr but did not enable the localhost bypass in qBittorrent, the connection will fail. Either fill in matching credentials on both sides or enable the bypass, but not a mix of the two.
• A torrent stuck on stalled almost always points to a lack of seeders on that release rather than a misconfiguration. Try a different release, or check the tracker status in qBittorrent to see if trackers are reachable.
• If downloads grab successfully but never get imported into your library, check Sonarr’s completed download handling settings and make sure the download path qBittorrent uses is visible to Sonarr, particularly important if the two run in separate Docker containers or on separate machines.
• Keep both applications updated, since new releases of Sonarr occasionally change how download client authentication or categories behave.
• Once files are downloading and importing reliably, it’s a good time to look at naming your files correctly for media servers so your library stays tidy in Plex, Kodi, or Jellyfin.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Sonarr say it can’t connect to qBittorrent?

This almost always comes down to the Web UI not being enabled in qBittorrent, or a mismatch between the host, port, username, or password entered in Sonarr and what’s actually configured in qBittorrent. Confirm the Web UI is switched on under Tools, then Options, then Web UI, and that the port matches exactly on both ends.

Do I need a username and password for qBittorrent?

Not necessarily. If Sonarr and qBittorrent run on the same machine, you can enable Bypass authentication for clients on localhost within qBittorrent’s Web UI settings and leave the credentials blank in Sonarr. If they run on separate machines or you prefer added security, set a username and password in qBittorrent and enter the same details in Sonarr.

Why is my download stalled in qBittorrent?

A stalled torrent usually means there are no active seeders currently sharing that particular file, rather than a problem with your Sonarr or qBittorrent setup. Try letting it sit for a while, check the tracker status, or search for an alternative release with more active seeders.

Can Sonarr automatically rename and sort downloaded episodes?

Yes. Once a download completes, Sonarr can automatically import and rename it based on the naming format you configure in its media management settings. If you use a media server, pairing this with a consistent naming approach or setting up watch folders for auto-tagging can further streamline how your library gets organised.

For more detail on advanced configuration options, quality profiles, and troubleshooting specific error messages, the official Sonarr documentation and the Sonarr project page are the most reliable references to check against.