For years ImDisk Toolkit was the answer to “which free RAM disk should I use on Windows”. In 2026 its own project page says it is no longer in development and points to a successor. If your RAM disk still runs on ImDisk, here is what is maintained today, what each option does well and how to move your disk over.
- Official successor: AIM Toolkit, free and open source, Windows only.
- Most options, paid: SoftPerfect RAM Disk, from $29 per device.
- Free, keeps files, moves caches for you: Exlade RamDisk for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- ImDisk Toolkit still installs, but gets no more fixes.
Exlade RamDisk is our program. We checked the others on their official pages in October 2026 and list only what we could confirm.
What happened to ImDisk
The ImDisk driver’s README calls it a legacy design not recommended for recent Windows: no new features, only small fixes, and the author now works on Arsenal Image Mounter. ImDisk Toolkit, the installer with the RamDisk window, is a separate SourceForge project: it is marked inactive, mentions compatibility issues and names AIM Toolkit as its successor. Its last build is from February 2025.
Comparison table
| ImDisk Toolkit | AIM Toolkit | SoftPerfect RAM Disk | Exlade RamDisk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developed | no, last build 2025 | yes, update April 2026 | yes, 26.10 (Oct 2026) | yes, 1.3.0 for Windows |
| Windows | 7 and later, 32/64-bit | 7 and later, 64-bit | 64-bit, Intel, AMD and ARM64 | 10 (1607) and 11 on x64, 11 on ARM64 |
| macOS, Linux | no | no | yes | yes |
| Startup disk with saved files | loads a folder or image, saves at shutdown | not listed | image saved at shutdown | saved every 10 min by default, before sleep and shutdown |
| Moving app folders | not listed | not listed | creates empty folders, you point apps to them | templates move TEMP and caches, a link stays |
| Price | free (WTFPL) | free (AGPL) | $29 home, $49 business per device | free for home and work |
“Not listed” means we didn’t find it on the project’s own page, not that it’s impossible.
ImDisk Toolkit
- Free and light, with a simple RamDisk window
- Dynamic memory: the disk takes RAM as it fills up
- Loads a folder or image at start and writes it back at shutdown
- No longer developed, known compatibility issues
- Built on a driver its author no longer recommends for recent Windows
- Windows only
AIM Toolkit
The successor named on the ImDisk Toolkit page: a RAM disk and image mounter built on the Arsenal Image Mounter driver, made to fix ImDisk Toolkit’s problems on recent Windows. See its SourceForge page.
- Free and open source
- Regular releases through 2025 and 2026
- Dynamic RAM disks plus mounting of disk and CD images
- Windows only, 64-bit; ARM64 isn't mentioned
- Image mounting needs .NET Framework 4.8
SoftPerfect RAM Disk
The most complete paid option. It stopped being free for home use years ago; today there is a 30-day trial and per-device licences. Details are in its manual.
- Windows, macOS and Linux, including ARM64
- Dynamic memory, disk images, a command-line tool
- Persistent disks saved to an image at shutdown
- Paid: $29 home, $49 business per device, plus taxes
- On Apple silicon Macs its kernel extension needs Reduced Security set in Recovery
- Caches and TEMP are yours to redirect
Exlade RamDisk
Images: Exlade RamDisk doesn't mount ISO images; Windows 10 and 11 open them by double-click, and AIM Toolkit handles other formats. On Windows it does open VHDX and VHD files as a regular disk without memory ("Open a Virtual Hard Disk…" in the settings or eramdisk image open), and it can load a RAM disk from a VHDX. It needs Windows 10 1607 or later: on Windows 7 and 8, AIM Toolkit is one option.
How to switch from ImDisk to Exlade RamDisk
Copy what you want to keep from the RAM disk to the SSD. If you pointed TEMP or a browser cache at it by hand, point them back. Then uninstall ImDisk Toolkit in Settings, Apps, and restart.
Get it from the download page. The installer adds a driver and a service and asks for admin rights once.
Click "New RAM Disk", pick a template or enter a name and size. The disk takes memory only for what is on it. Close the browser first if you use the Browsers template.
In step 2, under "Where it appears", choose the letter ImDisk used, so scripts and shortcuts keep working. Turn on "Create when Windows starts" and "Keep files", then copy your saved files onto the new disk.
After a day, “Usage History” shows the size that would have been enough. More: is a RAM disk worth it, the browser cache on a RAM disk.
FAQ
Can I keep using ImDisk Toolkit?
If it works, yes, but it gets no fixes and the driver’s author doesn’t recommend it for recent Windows. Plan the move before an update breaks it.
Is SoftPerfect RAM Disk free?
No. After a 30-day trial a licence costs $29 for home or $49 for business per device (SoftPerfect store, October 2026).
Does Exlade RamDisk work on Windows 11 on ARM?
Yes: Windows 10 1607 and later, Windows 11 and Server 2016-2025 on x64, Windows 11 on ARM64.
Will my RAM disk files survive a restart?
With “Keep files” on, yes; a sudden power loss costs only changes since the last save. See startup disks and the release post.
Windows 10 and 11, macOS 15 and later, Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora. No registration and no trial period.
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