VolSave

Disk imaging for Windows

Back up entire disks. Restore them exactly.

VolSave images Windows disks and volumes while Windows runs, verifies every image and restores it sector by sector – until Windows boots again.

Download VolSave Discover VolSave Pro

Free and open source (GPL-3.0). Windows 10/11 and Windows PE, no installation.

Disk
Image
  • Used blocks
  • Free space, skipped
  • Image, compressed with zstd
VolSave reads only the used blocks of a volume and compresses them, so the image is much smaller than the disk.

Everything an image needs.

No agent, no service, no cloud. One EXE file that backs up, verifies and restores.

  • While Windows runs

    Backups go through the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). Windows keeps running and the image stays consistent.

  • The whole disk

    Partition table, boot code and every partition in one image – for BIOS/MBR and UEFI/GPT.

  • Only used blocks

    Free space is skipped and the rest is compressed with zstd. What Windows excludes through FilesNotToBackup stays out.

  • Differential images

    After a full backup, store only the changes. No long chains: each differential image needs only its full backup.

  • Verify, don't hope

    verify checks an image at any time. restore --verify reads the target back after restoring and compares it.

  • Runs in Windows PE

    Works without installation in Windows PE. There VolSave reads volumes directly, since the installed Windows is not running.

Command line

Made for scripts.

Every command runs from cmd, PowerShell or Task Scheduler. VolSave writes a log next to each image and reports the result through a clear exit code.

  • Exit codes: 0 = OK, 1 = error, 2 = OK with warnings
  • A log next to the image, with every VSS call on request
  • Existing images are only replaced with --overwrite
  • Restore a single partition from a disk image

Free or Pro.

The command line is free and stays free. VolSave Pro adds a graphical interface for everyone who prefers to click.

VolSave Command line · GPL-3.0 VolSave Pro Graphical interface · License
Back up volumes and whole disks Yes Yeswith license
Verify and restore images Yes Yesalso without license
Graphical interface No Yes
Command line for scripts Yes Yesvolsave-pro-cli
Windows 10/11 and Windows PE Yes Yesruns without a graphics driver
Differential images Yes Plannedin the interface
Encrypted images No Planned
Network targets (SMB, FTP, SFTP) No Planned
Scheduling and retention No Planned

Tested on real hardware.

  • Windows 10 and 11Whole disks cloned and booted
  • BIOS/MBR and UEFI/GPTBoth boot modes restored
  • VMs and hardwareAlso from Windows PE, back onto the same NVMe SSD

Status: VolSave is in early development, but in use. Check your images with verify before you rely on them.

Ready for your first image?

One EXE file, no installation. Run it as administrator and type volsave --help.

Download VolSave Frequently asked questions