Gilisoft RAMDisk

What is included in GiliSoft RAMDisk?

RAM Drive Creation – Map system memory to a usable Windows drive.
File System Choice – Format the drive as FAT, FAT32, or NTFS.
Image Save Restore – Auto-save contents and reload them after restart.
Network Sharing – Share the RAM drive across local network computers.
Performance Metric – Auto-saves disk images every 1 to 60 minutes.
Important – Windows only; no macOS version is offered.

What are the main benefits of GiliSoft RAMDisk?

GiliSoft RAMDisk turns part of your system memory into a virtual Windows drive that reads and writes far faster than an SSD or hard disk. It is built for temporary, disposable data such as browser cache, build output, and render scratch files, not for permanent storage.

Faster Temp Access – Speeds up cache-heavy and scratch-file workloads.
Less SSD Wear – Keeps disposable writes off your system drive.
Data Persistence – Saved disk images let work survive reboots.
Shutdown Privacy – Volatile contents vanish when auto-save stays off.
Silent Operation – No added heat, noise, or mechanical wear.
Simple Setup – Assign size, drive letter, and file system.

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What does GiliSoft RAMDisk do?

GiliSoft RAMDisk maps a portion of your system memory into a virtual drive that Windows treats like any other disk, complete with its own drive letter. You set the size and choose FAT, FAT32, or NTFS as the file system. Because reads and writes happen in RAM instead of on an SSD or hard disk, repeat-access tasks like browser cache and temporary folders respond noticeably faster. The drive is meant for short-lived data you can afford to lose or recreate, not for files you need to keep.

Will I lose data on the RAM disk when the PC shuts down?

By default a RAM disk is volatile, so its contents disappear on shutdown, restart, or power loss unless you enable image saving. GiliSoft RAMDisk can save the drive to an image file on shutdown, on sleep or hibernation, or at fixed intervals between 1 and 60 minutes, then reload it at the next startup. It also keeps a secondary backup of that image and offers to repair it if the system crashed mid-session. If privacy matters more than retention, leaving auto-save off means the data is gone once power is cut, with nothing left on the physical disk to recover.

Which tasks is GiliSoft RAMDisk best for?

It is best for disposable, write-heavy data that is accessed constantly during a session, such as browser cache, compiler and build output, extraction folders, and media preview or render scratch files. Pointing a browser cache or a build directory at the RAM drive removes that churn from your SSD while speeding up the repeated reads and writes those tasks generate. It is not designed to hold documents, projects, or archives you need to retain, since that data belongs on permanent storage. Matching it to the right temporary workloads is what separates a useful setup from one that simply consumes memory.

Can the RAM disk be shared with other computers?

Yes. A drive created with GiliSoft RAMDisk can be shared over a local network so other computers read from and write to it like a normal shared drive. This helps on a test bench or small office where several machines need very fast access to the same temporary working files. Remember that the shared data is still volatile, so anything that must survive a reboot of the host machine should also be written to a persistent location.

Does GiliSoft RAMDisk run on macOS?

No. GiliSoft RAMDisk is a Windows-only utility, and no macOS edition is offered, so Mac users cannot run it natively. It is built around the Windows drive-letter model and is kept current for modern Windows systems, with the most recent releases in the 7.3 line. If you work across both platforms, plan to use it only on the Windows machines in your setup.

How large can the RAM disk be?

The maximum size is limited by the physical RAM installed in your PC, because the drive lives entirely in memory. The practical limit is lower than your total RAM, since Windows and your active applications still need enough free memory to run smoothly. A common approach is to size the drive to fit only the specific cache or scratch data you want to accelerate, rather than reserving as much memory as possible. That keeps the rest of the system responsive while still giving those temporary tasks a fast workspace.

Frequently asked questions about GiliSoft RAMDisk

Is there a free trial of GiliSoft RAMDisk?

Yes. GiliSoft offers a free trial with limited functionality so you can test how a RAM drive behaves on your system before buying. It lets you confirm that your target tasks, such as browser cache or build folders, actually benefit from memory-backed storage.

Does GiliSoft RAMDisk work on older Windows versions?

Yes. It supports current Windows releases as well as older 64-bit systems such as Windows 7, which helps keep memory-rich legacy machines productive. The same workflow of choosing a size, drive letter, and file system applies regardless of the Windows version.