shadowcopy

What it is and what it does

shadowcopy is a Windows-only utility that copies files locked by running processes by creating temporary shadow copies via the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). It wraps WMI calls to instantiate a shadow copy, extract the target file, and clean up afterward. The package is minimal and single-purpose: it provides one main function that handles the entire workflow internally.

The tool is useful when you need to back up or duplicate files that are actively in use—such as database files, log files, or application data—without stopping the process that holds them. It requires administrator privileges to function and only works on Windows systems.

Use it for:

• Back up active database files without stopping the database service.
• Copy log files or application state while a process is still writing to them.
• Automate file duplication tasks in Windows environments where file locking is a barrier.
• Retrieve locked system or configuration files for analysis or archival.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Copy files locked by other processes on Windows by leveraging the Volume Shadow Copy Service, requiring admin access to create and delete shadow copies.

Yes, if you are on Windows and need to copy locked files and can accept the maintenance risk. The package is abandoned and has not been updated since July 2023, so it will not receive bug fixes or compatibility updates. It has no known vulnerabilities and low install friction, but you should verify it works with your Python version and Windows build before relying on it in production.

Install

shadowcopy on PyPI

pip install shadowcopy

uv add shadowcopy

poetry add shadowcopy

Installing shadowcopy

Before you install

Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (wmi). However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2023-07-08 with no updates since. No maintenance activity or response to issues should be expected.

License in practice

MIT License permits use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it legally straightforward to adopt.

Quickstart

pip install shadowcopy

from shadowcopy import shadow_copy

shadow_copy("source.txt", "destination.txt")

Requires Windows OS, admin privileges, and the wmi package (installed as a dependency).

Verify before relying

• Whether the package handles edge cases like network paths, special file attributes, or large files reliably.
• Current compatibility with modern Windows versions and Python 3.11+.
• Whether wmi dependency installation works smoothly on all Windows configurations.

Package facts

Evidence: shadowcopy-0.0.4-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

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