Although technological advancements are increasing exponentially, the importance of saving and storing data safely cannot be stressed enough. Most backup software these days focuses on providing users a hassle-free operation, with as little as possible in terms of actual interaction. MiniTool ShadowMaker Free will help those who require data backup through a basic yet quite capable set of saving and restoring facilities.

Right from the start, users are prompted by a splash screen which allows them to select either their local or remote PC. We believe this is a nice touch, as not all backup apps offer remote backup tools, or at least not in such an accessible way.

For those who prefer to work locally, setting up a backup task is quite simple and one will have a handy manual present in the interface, at all times, just in case some steps aren’t clear enough.

The app’s main working principle revolves around the creation of backup tasks, which can be customized individually, in terms of source, target, content or even recurrence. However, unless users define a specific target image, the app will by default save the entire selected drive.

One of the bonuses provided by the app is the dedicated “Tools” menu, which holds several distinct extra features. What this means, is that one will be able, for instance, to burn media to disc, customize the boot menu or work with mounting virtual images, all from within a single app.

Although not providing innovative backup technologies, MiniTool ShadowMaker Free can be considered a decent tool for those looking to save their data for safe-keeping. Furthermore, its included extra-features bundle makes for a nice and useful addition.