What is fair use on Shadow PC?
Fair use is a monthly quota of usage hours for your Shadow PC. It helps balance infrastructure costs across users and differentiate between plans.
Without this quota, some users would consume several hundred hours per month, which wouldn't be sustainable for the service as a whole.
How many hours do I get per plan?
Your monthly fair use quota depends on your plan:
| Plan | Fair use quota |
|---|---|
| Shadow Lite (Neo Lite / Power Lite) | 120 hours/month |
| Shadow (Neo / Power) | 210 hours/month |
| Shadow Pro (Neo Pro / Power Pro / Expert Pro/ Pro Expert) | 210 hours/month + Always On |
How does fair use work?
- The quota is based on Shadow uptime hours (the time your machine is powered on, from start to shutdown).
- Only Shadow starts triggered from your client application count toward the quota. Technical starts performed internally (maintenance, updates) are not counted.
- The quota depends on your plan: each subscription has its own number of hours.
- The counter resets on the 1st of every month at 00:00 UTC (08:00 PM EDT / 07:00 PM CDT / 06:00 PM MDT on the last day of the previous month).
What happens when I reach my quota?
There are two scenarios:
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| The quota is reached during an active session | Your session is not cut off immediately. It continues normally until your Shadow shuts down. |
| The quota is reached and you try to reconnect | The connection is blocked. A message will explain the reason, along with the date your quota will reset. |
You'll be able to use your Shadow normally again as soon as your quota resets, on the 1st of the following month at 00:00 UTC (08:00 PM EDT / 07:00 PM CDT / 06:00 PM MDT on the last day of the previous month).
Does fair use apply to all plans?
Fair use is configured individually depending on your plan. It currently only applies to plans subscribed after July 23rd, 2026; some older plans are not affected.
How can I check what fair use is applied on my account?
You can view the details of your plan's fair use quota, directly from your customer account, by clicking the small "i" icon next to your plan name.
To check the remaining hours on the account page, go to Shadow PC → PCs and view the Monthly Usage column next to your Shadow PC.
FAQ
Will my session end abruptly when I reach my quota?
No. If you're already connected, your current session won't be interrupted right away, it's only on a future connection attempt that access will be blocked until your quota resets.
Can I buy extra hours if my quota runs out?
This isn't currently possible. You'll need to wait for your monthly quota reset.
Meanwhile, you can upgrade from Shadow Lite to Shadow, or Shadow to Shadow pro to reach the higher Fair use quota.
Does my quota roll over to the next month if I don't use it all?
No, there's no rollover: the quota resets to zero each month, with no accumulation of unused hours.
How do I know how many hours I have left?
To check the remaining hours on the account page, go to Shadow PC → PCs and view the Monthly Usage column next to your Shadow PC.
Is there a difference between the Lite, Standard, and Pro quotas?
Yes, Lite offers 120 hours/month, Standard offers 210 hours/month, and Pro offers 210 hours/month plus an Always On paid addon that extends availability beyond the base quota.