You may need to forward ports in your router when you use LimeWire. The purpose of forwarding ports is to make a direct connection from the internet to LimeWire.
By default routers do not allow incoming network requests. A port forward can overcome this limitation.
Remember to Do These Things Before You Forward a Port
Make sure that you know these things before forwarding a port:
- The IP address of your router.
- Your download client's IP address.
- The list of the TCP and UDP ports that you need to forward.
Use a VPN Instead
Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.
We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.
When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:
- Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
- Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
- Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
- Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
- Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.
This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.
Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.
Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.
Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.
Find the IP Address of Your Router
We have free Router Detector software to help you find your router's IP address. It is part of our Network Utilities suite of tools and is free for you to use it.
Otherwise, you can follow our guide Find Your Router IP Address.
How To Set Up Port Forwarding for LimeWire
The easiest way to forward your ports is to use our Network Utilities software. Since Network Utilities allows you to both forward and un-forward ports easily you can keep your network security maximized, and then forward ports only when you need them.
You can also choose to set up port forwards manually. The normal process for forwarding a port is:
- Log in to your router.
- Find the port forwarding section in your router.
- Type your download client's IP address into the correct box in your router.
- Put the TCP and UDP ports for LimeWire in the corresponding boxes in your router.
You probably will need to reboot your router for the changes to take effect.
You can choose your router from our list to see exactly how to forward ports for LimeWire:
List of Routers - Customized for LimeWire
Forwarding Ports for LimeWire
The incoming ports that need to be forwarded for LimeWire are:
LimeWire - PC
- TCP: User configured
- UDP: User configured
That's all it takes to forward your ports for LimeWire.
Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.
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