Abstract: A method and system for optimizing private network file transfers in a public peer-to-peer network. The network includes a plurality of nodes wherein at least two of the nodes are part of the private network. The method and system include receiving a search request from a first node for a file, and in response, determining that the file is stored on a second node. It is then determined whether the first and second nodes are part of the same private network, and if so, the second node is used to transfer the file to the first node over the private network, instead of the public network.