diff --git a/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-private.h b/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-private.h
index 57dbd0ad0..64741e416 100644
--- a/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-private.h
+++ b/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-private.h
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ struct _MetaWindowActorClass
   void (*set_frozen) (MetaWindowActor *actor,
                       gboolean         frozen);
   void (*update_regions) (MetaWindowActor *actor);
+  gboolean (*can_freeze_commits) (MetaWindowActor *actor);
 };
 
 typedef enum
@@ -96,4 +97,6 @@ gboolean meta_window_actor_is_opaque (MetaWindowActor *self);
 
 void meta_window_actor_update_regions (MetaWindowActor *self);
 
+gboolean meta_window_actor_can_freeze_commits (MetaWindowActor *self);
+
 #endif /* META_WINDOW_ACTOR_PRIVATE_H */
diff --git a/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-wayland.c b/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-wayland.c
index cab6bbc84..7c3be5690 100644
--- a/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-wayland.c
+++ b/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-wayland.c
@@ -146,6 +146,12 @@ meta_window_actor_wayland_update_regions (MetaWindowActor *actor)
 {
 }
 
+static gboolean
+meta_window_actor_wayland_can_freeze_commits (MetaWindowActor *actor)
+{
+  return FALSE;
+}
+
 static void
 meta_window_actor_wayland_class_init (MetaWindowActorWaylandClass *klass)
 {
@@ -159,6 +165,7 @@ meta_window_actor_wayland_class_init (MetaWindowActorWaylandClass *klass)
   window_actor_class->queue_destroy = meta_window_actor_wayland_queue_destroy;
   window_actor_class->set_frozen = meta_window_actor_wayland_set_frozen;
   window_actor_class->update_regions = meta_window_actor_wayland_update_regions;
+  window_actor_class->can_freeze_commits = meta_window_actor_wayland_can_freeze_commits;
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-x11.c b/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-x11.c
index 566aac4ec..676487716 100644
--- a/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-x11.c
+++ b/src/compositor/meta-window-actor-x11.c
@@ -1458,6 +1458,14 @@ meta_window_actor_x11_update_regions (MetaWindowActor *actor)
   update_regions (META_WINDOW_ACTOR_X11 (actor));
 }
 
+static gboolean
+meta_window_actor_x11_can_freeze_commits (MetaWindowActor *actor)
+{
+  ClutterActor *clutter_actor = CLUTTER_ACTOR (actor);
+
+  return clutter_actor_is_mapped (clutter_actor);
+}
+
 static void
 meta_window_actor_x11_set_property (GObject      *object,
                                     guint         prop_id,
@@ -1632,6 +1640,7 @@ meta_window_actor_x11_class_init (MetaWindowActorX11Class *klass)
   window_actor_class->queue_destroy = meta_window_actor_x11_queue_destroy;
   window_actor_class->set_frozen = meta_window_actor_x11_set_frozen;
   window_actor_class->update_regions = meta_window_actor_x11_update_regions;
+  window_actor_class->can_freeze_commits = meta_window_actor_x11_can_freeze_commits;
 
   actor_class->paint = meta_window_actor_x11_paint;
   actor_class->get_paint_volume = meta_window_actor_x11_get_paint_volume;
diff --git a/src/compositor/meta-window-actor.c b/src/compositor/meta-window-actor.c
index 1273ff422..d4fc9a43a 100644
--- a/src/compositor/meta-window-actor.c
+++ b/src/compositor/meta-window-actor.c
@@ -257,6 +257,14 @@ meta_window_actor_update_regions (MetaWindowActor *self)
   META_WINDOW_ACTOR_GET_CLASS (self)->update_regions (self);
 }
 
+gboolean
+meta_window_actor_can_freeze_commits (MetaWindowActor *self)
+{
+  g_return_val_if_fail (META_IS_WINDOW_ACTOR (self), FALSE);
+
+  return META_WINDOW_ACTOR_GET_CLASS (self)->can_freeze_commits (self);
+}
+
 static void
 meta_window_actor_set_frozen (MetaWindowActor *self,
                               gboolean         frozen)