When I introduced SceneShift v2.0, my aim was to create a streamlined, keyboard-friendly tool that would simply help you take control of your running processes. The community’s enthusiasm blew me away—it was thrilling to see SceneShift earn a 5/5 rating on MajorGeeks and get featured on Neowin and Deskmodder. Clearly, SceneShift struck a chord with users who wanted a faster, simpler way to manage their apps.
But as more people started using SceneShift, I listened closely to your feedback. Surprisingly, the top request wasn’t about speeding up process termination—it was about finding a way to save your running apps for later.
That’s why I’m excited to announce SceneShift v2.1.0—a major update that shifts my focus from just “killing processes” to true “workspace management.”
The Problem with “Killing”
Shutting down background apps to free up CPU for gaming or creative work often leads to lost browser tabs, disconnected Discord servers, and unsaved progress. I realized that for many of you—especially gamers and developers—the real goal isn’t to close apps entirely, but simply to reclaim your system’s resources without losing your session.
Enter Suspend & Resume
The star of v2.1 is the brand new Suspend/Resume feature.
- Press
Sto Suspend: Instantly freeze any app you select. The process remains in memory, but it stops using CPU—so you can pause apps without losing your place. - Press
Uto Resume: Jump right back in—your apps will pick up exactly where you left off.
Behind the scenes, SceneShift uses the native Windows API (NtSuspendProcess) to instantly pause processes. It’s a game-changer for gamers: you can suspend your browser and chat apps right before a match for maximum performance, then hit U to bring everything back—no need to reload tabs or reconnect chats.
Safety First: The Windows Safelist
Of course, with great power comes great responsibility. To help keep your system stable, v2.1 introduces a Windows Process Safelist.
SceneShift now automatically protects more than 20 essential Windows processes by default (like explorer.exe, dwm.exe, and winlogon.exe). You can press W to manage this list, giving you peace of mind that a batch operation won’t accidentally crash your display manager or system services.
Quality of Life Improvements
I’ve also made a bunch of quality-of-life improvements to make SceneShift feel smoother and more professional:
- Visual Clarity: Each mode—Kill, Suspend, and Launch—now has its own distinct color scheme, so it’s easier than ever to see what you’re about to do.
- Smarter Error Messages: No more confusing error codes! Instead, you’ll see clear messages like “Access Denied (run as Admin)”, so you know exactly what’s going on.
- Theme Updates: All five built-in themes now support the new suspended app states, so your workspace always looks cohesive.