The objective of cryopreservation is to minimize damage to biological materials, including tissues, mammalian cells, bacteria, fungi, plant cells, and viruses, during low temperature freezing and storage. When performed correctly and accounting for cell and tissue specific criteria, cryopreservation can provide a continuous source of tissues and genetically stable living cells for a variety of purposes, including research and biomedical processes. This article will describe the workflow, methods and equipment used for freezing, storage and thawing samples.