Unified Write Filter (UWF) Installation Guide by CMD

A walk through the steps of how to install and use UWF via Command Prompt.

Unified Write Filter (UWF) is a feature in Windows designed to protect your storage media by redirecting write operations to a virtual overlay. This is particularly useful for embedded systems and other devices where you need to maintain the integrity of the original media.

Steps:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.


2. Install Unified Write Filter (UWF) Feature.
   
   • Run the following command to install the UWF feature:

   dism /online /enable-feature /featureName:Client-UnifiedWriteFilter /all{codeBox}

   • Wait for the installation to complete. You should see a message indicating that the operation completed successfully.


3. Verify the Installation.
   
   • To verify that UWF is installed, you can use the following command:

   dism /Online /Get-FeatureInfo /FeatureName:Client-UnifiedWriteFilter{codeBox}

   • This command will provide information about the UWF feature, confirming its installation status.


4. Now you can configure and use UWF by the following commands:

• To enable UWF, execute the following then reboot the system:

uwfmgr filter enable{codeBox}

• To disable UWF, execute the following then reboot the system:

uwfmgr filter disable{codeBox}

• To protect a volume (e.g., C:), use:

uwfmgr volume protect C:{codeBox}

• To remove protection from a volume (e.g., C:), run:

uwfmgr volume unprotect C:{codeBox}

• Optionally, If you prefer to use disk overlay instead of RAM overlay, run:

uwfmgr overlay set-type Disk{codeBox}

• To set overlay size limit (e.g., 20480 MB), run:

uwfmgr overlay set-size 20480{codeBox}

• To set the limit where the system warns you that UWF overlay has reached half of the overlay capacity.

uwfmgr overlay set-warningthreshold 10240{codeBox}

• To set the limit where the system takes an action by rebooting if the UWF overlay size reaches it.

uwfmgr overlay set-criticalthreshold 20480{codeBox}

• To check UWF status and configuration

uwfmgr get-config{codeBox}

Conclusion

Unified Write Filter is a powerful feature for protecting your system's integrity by redirecting write operations. By following the steps outlined above, you can easily install, configure, and manage UWF using Command Prompt. This ensures that your system remains secure and unaltered, making it ideal for use in environments where stability and security are paramount.

Note: UWF is only available for the following editions of Windows 10 & Windows 11

• Windows Enterprise
• Windows Education
• Windows IoT Enterprise{alertInfo}