# Freeze a release candidate

Review the prepared template's independent reference cases and freeze an immutable candidate for a reviewer.

Source: https://help.smartfact.ai/labels/guides/freeze-release

Audience: Author

## Freeze a release candidate

1. **Open the template release review**

   Open the template release review.

   This chapter starts with the original prepared template. Review its independent reference cases and intended change before freezing a candidate. Once a reviewer publishes it, new labels from this release print through PrintStation.

2. **Record the expectation review**

   Record the expectation review.

   Record which expectations were checked. A frozen candidate pins the exact template, dependencies and station context.

3. **Confirm the reviewed reference cases**

   Confirm the reviewed reference cases.

   Confirm the business expectations independently before verification. Do not derive expected results from the candidate output.

4. **Freeze the release candidate**

   Freeze the release candidate.

   The candidate is immutable. New edits must create another candidate; the frozen one cannot silently change.

[Watch or practise this chapter](https://help.smartfact.ai/labels/demo?guide=freeze-release&chapter=freeze-release&audience=office)