ShadowFreeze is a modern reboot-to-restore utility that locks any disk partition — including the Windows system drive — into a known-good state. While frozen, all writes are redirected to a temporary shadow layer so the original volume remains untouched. A simple reboot (or an on-demand unfreeze) discards every change and restores the baseline instantly.
Built as a Windows kernel filter driver, ShadowFreeze supports NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, and ReFS on both 512-byte and native 4Kn sectors. It runs on x64 and ARM64 editions of Windows 10 and 11, and ships with a graphical interface, a command-line tool, an Explorer “Commit to disk” context menu, and an offline recovery utility for WinRE environments.
In This Post
Why It Stands Out
Freeze the System Drive for Kiosk Mode
- Launch ShadowFreeze GUI as administrator. 2. Select the system partition (C:) and enable “Freeze system partitions (C:, EFI, Recovery)”. 3. Set a password under Driver Lock to prevent unauthorized unfreeze. 4. Click Apply Freeze. 5. Reboot to verify the system returns to the frozen state.
Explanation: Creates a tamper-proof baseline for public-access PCs, ensuring every reboot wipes user changes and malware persistence.
Preserve User Profiles on a Frozen Data Drive
- Freeze the data partition (e.g., D:) via the GUI. 2. Open the Exclusions tab and add the user profile folder (e.g., D:Users). 3. Optionally add registry keys under HKLMSoftwareYourApp. 4. Commit the exclusion list. 5. Reboot — the OS drive reverts, but user data on D: persists.
Explanation: Allows shared or lab machines to retain personal files and app settings while keeping the OS pristine.
Automate Freeze/Unfreeze via Command Line
- Open an elevated PowerShell prompt. 2. Run ShadowFreezeCLI.exe freeze C: to freeze the system drive. 3. Run ShadowFreezeCLI.exe unfreeze C: to thaw on demand. 4. Schedule these commands with Task Scheduler for automated lab reset cycles.
Explanation: Enables scripted, unattended control for CI/CD pipelines, test labs, or scheduled kiosk resets without GUI interaction.
Download ShadowFreeze
File size: 3.7 MB
OS support: Windows
Windows
Tech Specs
| Software Name | ShadowFreeze |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.0.5 |
| License | Freeware |
| File Size | 3.7 MB |
| OS Support | Windows |
| Language | English |
| Developer | ShadowFreeze Team |
| Homepage | https://shadowfreeze.com |
| Changelogurl | https://shadowfreeze.com/release-notes |
| Last Updated | September 14, 2026 |
Key Features
- Partition & System Freeze: Freeze any partition — data disks, removable drives, or the entire Windows system volume (C:, EFI, and recovery partitions together) — so every write is discarded on reboot.
- Persistent Freeze Across Reboots: The frozen state survives restarts and even hibernation, making it ideal for kiosks, labs, shared PCs, and malware analysis sandboxes.
- Selective Commit & Exclusions: Commit individual files or folders permanently, mark registry keys or paths as exclusions so they persist across reboots, or commit an entire frozen session to disk.
- Encrypted Shadow Store: The copy-on-write shadow can be encrypted with AES-256-XTS, and driver access can be locked behind an administrator token and password for tamper resistance.
- Multi-Architecture Support: Runs natively on both x64 and ARM64 Windows 10/11, handling 512-byte and 4Kn sector sizes across NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, and ReFS filesystems.
- GUI, CLI & Explorer Integration: Manage freezes via a graphical interface, automate with a command-line tool, and right-click files in Explorer to commit them directly to the frozen volume.
- Offline WinRE Recovery Tool: Includes a recovery utility that runs inside the Windows Recovery Environment to unfreeze or repair a system that cannot boot normally.
Installation Guide
Installation Steps
- Click the download button above to get the installer for your operating system
- Locate the downloaded file and double-click to run the installer
- Follow the on-screen installation wizard to complete setup
Compatibility: Compatible with Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11 on x64 and ARM64 architectures.
FAQ
Is ShadowFreeze free to use?
u003cpu003eYes, ShadowFreeze is distributed as freeware with no licensing cost for personal or commercial use.u003c/pu003e
Does ShadowFreeze work on Windows 11 ARM devices?
u003cpu003eYes, ShadowFreeze runs natively on both x64 and ARM64 builds of Windows 10 and 11.u003c/pu003e
Can I keep specific files while the system is frozen?
u003cpu003eYes, you can commit individual files or folders permanently, or configure exclusion lists for paths and registry keys that survive a reboot.u003c/pu003e
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