diff --git a/examples/mistral/mixtral.yml b/examples/mistral/mixtral.yml
index 7c18e7098c..5ee3da9d65 100644
--- a/examples/mistral/mixtral.yml
+++ b/examples/mistral/mixtral.yml
@@ -16,12 +16,12 @@ output_dir: ./qlora-out
 
 ## You can optionally freeze the entire model and unfreeze a subset of parameters
 unfrozen_parameters:
-#  - lm_head.*
-#  - model.embed_tokens.*
-#  - model.layers.2[0-9]+.block_sparse_moe.gate.*
-#  - model.layers.2[0-9]+.block_sparse_moe.experts.*
-#  - model.layers.3[0-9]+.block_sparse_moe.gate.*
-#  - model.layers.3[0-9]+.block_sparse_moe.experts.*
+#  - ^lm_head.weight$
+#  - ^model.embed_tokens.weight$[:32000]
+#  - model.layers.2[0-9]+.block_sparse_moe.gate
+#  - model.layers.2[0-9]+.block_sparse_moe.experts
+#  - model.layers.3[0-9]+.block_sparse_moe.gate
+#  - model.layers.3[0-9]+.block_sparse_moe.experts
 
 model_config:
   output_router_logits: true
diff --git a/src/axolotl/train.py b/src/axolotl/train.py
index 0b5ef76716..5c4eaf3d51 100644
--- a/src/axolotl/train.py
+++ b/src/axolotl/train.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 from axolotl.common.cli import TrainerCliArgs
 from axolotl.logging_config import configure_logging
 from axolotl.utils.dict import DictDefault
-from axolotl.utils.freeze import freeze_parameters_except
+from axolotl.utils.freeze import freeze_layers_except
 from axolotl.utils.models import load_model, load_tokenizer
 from axolotl.utils.trainer import setup_trainer
 
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ def train(
     safe_serialization = cfg.save_safetensors is True
 
     if cfg.unfrozen_parameters:
-        freeze_parameters_except(model, cfg.unfrozen_parameters)
+        freeze_layers_except(model, cfg.unfrozen_parameters)
 
     trainer = setup_trainer(
         cfg,
diff --git a/src/axolotl/utils/freeze.py b/src/axolotl/utils/freeze.py
index 05beda1caa..64b994f84d 100644
--- a/src/axolotl/utils/freeze.py
+++ b/src/axolotl/utils/freeze.py
@@ -3,13 +3,14 @@
 """
 import logging
 import re
+from typing import Callable, List, Tuple
 
 from axolotl.utils.distributed import is_main_process
 
 LOG = logging.getLogger("axolotl.utils.freeze")
 
 
-def freeze_parameters_except(model, regex_patterns):
+def freeze_layers_except(model, regex_patterns):
     """
     Freezes all layers of the given model except for the layers that match given regex patterns.
     Periods in the patterns are treated as literal periods, not as wildcard characters.
@@ -17,22 +18,209 @@ def freeze_parameters_except(model, regex_patterns):
     Parameters:
     - model (nn.Module): The PyTorch model to be modified.
     - regex_patterns (list of str): List of regex patterns to match layer names to keep unfrozen.
+      Note that you cannot use a dot as a wildcard character in the patterns since it is reserved for separating layer names.
+      Also, to match the entire layer name, the pattern should start with "^" and end with "$", otherwise it will match any part of the layer name.
+      The range pattern part is optional and it is not compiled as a regex pattern which means you must put "$" before the range pattern if you want to match the entire layer name.
+      E.g., ["^model.embed_tokens.weight$[:32000]", "layers.2[0-9]+.block_sparse_moe.gate.[a-z]+$"]
 
     Returns:
     None; the model is modified in place.
     """
-    # Escape periods and compile the regex patterns
-    compiled_patterns = [
-        re.compile(pattern.replace(".", "\\.")) for pattern in regex_patterns
-    ]
+    if isinstance(regex_patterns, str):
+        regex_patterns = [regex_patterns]
 
-    # First, freeze all parameters in the model
-    for param in model.parameters():
-        param.requires_grad = False
+    patterns = [LayerNamePattern(pattern) for pattern in regex_patterns]
 
     # Unfreeze layers that match the regex patterns
     for name, param in model.named_parameters():
-        if any(pattern.match(name) for pattern in compiled_patterns):
-            if is_main_process():
-                LOG.debug(f"unfreezing {name}")
+        param.requires_grad = False
+        unfrozen_ranges = []
+        for pattern in patterns:
+            if not pattern.match(name):
+                continue
+
             param.requires_grad = True
+
+            if pattern.range is not None:
+                unfrozen_ranges.append(pattern.range)
+
+        merged_unfrozen_ranges = _merge_ranges(unfrozen_ranges, len(param))
+
+        if param.requires_grad and is_main_process():
+            unfrozen_ranges = (
+                f" with ranges {merged_unfrozen_ranges}"
+                if merged_unfrozen_ranges
+                else ""
+            )
+            LOG.debug(f"Unfrozen {name}{unfrozen_ranges}")
+
+        if not merged_unfrozen_ranges:
+            continue
+
+        # The range list we need is actually the inverted of the merged ranges
+        ranges_to_freeze = _invert_ranges(merged_unfrozen_ranges, len(param))
+
+        param.register_hook(_create_freeze_parameters_hook(ranges_to_freeze))
+
+    if is_main_process() and all(
+        not param.requires_grad for param in model.parameters()
+    ):
+        LOG.warning("All parameters are frozen. Model will not be trained.")
+
+
+def _invert_ranges(
+    given_ranges: List[Tuple[int, int]], layer_size: int
+) -> List[Tuple[int, int]]:
+    """
+    Inverts a list of ranges to obtain the ranges not covered by the given ranges.
+
+    Parameters:
+    - given_ranges (List[Tuple[int, int]]): List of ranges to invert. Each range is represented as a tuple of start (inclusive) and end (exclusive) indices.
+    - layer_size (int): The length of the layer. E.g., len(model.layer.weight)
+    Returns:
+    - List[Tuple[int, int]]: List of inverted ranges, where each range is represented as a tuple of start (inclusive) and end (exclusive) indices.
+    """
+    if not given_ranges:
+        return [(0, layer_size)]
+
+    inverted_ranges = []
+    current_start = 0
+
+    for start, end in sorted(given_ranges):
+        if start > current_start:
+            inverted_ranges.append((current_start, start))
+        current_start = max(current_start, end)
+
+    # Handle the case where the last given range does not reach the end of the total_size
+    if current_start < layer_size:
+        inverted_ranges.append((current_start, layer_size))
+
+    return inverted_ranges
+
+
+def _merge_ranges(
+    given_ranges: List[Tuple[int, int | None]], layer_size: int
+) -> List[Tuple[int, int]]:
+    """
+    Merges overlapping ranges and sorts the given ranges.
+
+    This function takes a list of ranges and merges any overlapping ranges. The ranges are represented
+    as tuples, where the first element is the start index (inclusive) and the second element is the end
+    index (exclusive). The end index can be None, indicating that the range extends to the end of the
+    sequence.
+
+    Parameters:
+    - given_ranges (List[Tuple[int, int | None]]): List of ranges to merge.
+    - layer_size (int): The length of the layer. E.g., len(model.layer.weight)
+
+    Returns:
+    - List[Tuple[int, int]]: List of merged ranges, as start (inclusive) and end (exclusive) indices.
+    """
+    # End of each range can be determined now since we have the total size
+    processed_ranges = [
+        (start, end if end is not None else layer_size) for start, end in given_ranges
+    ]
+
+    # No need to merge if there's only one or no ranges
+    if len(processed_ranges) <= 1:
+        return processed_ranges
+
+    sorted_ranges = sorted(processed_ranges)
+
+    merged_ranges = [sorted_ranges[0]]
+    for start, end in sorted_ranges[1:]:
+        prev_start, prev_end = merged_ranges[-1]
+        if start <= prev_end:
+            merged_ranges[-1] = (prev_start, max(prev_end, end))
+        else:
+            merged_ranges.append((start, end))
+
+    return merged_ranges
+
+
+def _create_freeze_parameters_hook(ranges_to_freeze: List[Tuple[int, int]]) -> Callable:
+    """
+    Create a hook to freeze parameters in specified ranges by setting their gradients to zero.
+
+    This function takes a list of tuples representing the ranges of indices to freeze. Each tuple should contain
+    two integers representing the start and end indices of the range.
+
+    Parameters:
+    - ranges_to_freeze (List[Tuple[int, int]]): Ranges of indices to freeze.
+
+    Returns:
+    - Callable: A hook function to be used with `register_hook` on parameters.
+
+    Example usage:
+    ```
+    ranges_to_freeze = [(0, 10), (20, 30)]
+    hook = _create_freeze_parameters_hook(ranges_to_freeze)
+    model.register_hook(hook)
+    ```
+    """
+
+    def freeze_parameters_hook(gradients):
+        for start, end in ranges_to_freeze:
+            gradients[start:end].zero_()
+
+    return freeze_parameters_hook
+
+
+class LayerNamePattern:
+    """
+    Represents a regex pattern for layer names, potentially including a parameter index range.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, pattern: str):
+        """
+        Initializes a new instance of the LayerNamePattern class.
+
+        Parameters:
+        - pattern (str): The regex pattern for layer names, potentially including a parameter index range.
+        """
+        self.raw_pattern = pattern
+        name_pattern, self.range = self._parse_pattern(pattern)
+        self.name_regex = re.compile(name_pattern.replace(".", "\\."))
+
+    def match(self, name: str) -> bool:
+        """
+        Checks if the given layer name matches the regex pattern.
+
+        Parameters:
+        - name (str): The layer name to check.
+
+        Returns:
+        - bool: True if the layer name matches the pattern, False otherwise.
+        """
+        return self.name_regex.match(name) is not None
+
+    def _parse_pattern(self, pattern: str) -> Tuple[str, Tuple[int, int | None] | None]:
+        """
+        Extracts the range pattern from the given pattern.
+
+        Parameters:
+        - pattern (str): The pattern to extract the range from.
+
+        Returns:
+        - Tuple[str, Tuple[int, int | None] | None]: A tuple containing the regex pattern to match the layer name without the range pattern and the range of layer indices to match, if specified.
+        """
+        match = re.match(r"^(.+)\[([0-9]*)(?::([0-9]*))?\]$", pattern)
+        if not match:
+            return pattern, None
+
+        base_pattern, start_part, end_part = match.groups()
+
+        if end_part is None and start_part.isdecimal():
+            index = int(start_part)
+            return base_pattern, (index, index + 1)
+
+        # [:end] or [start:] or [start:end]
+        start = int(start_part) if start_part else 0
+        end = int(end_part) if end_part else None
+
+        if end is not None and start >= end:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Invalid range in layer name pattern: {pattern}."
+                "End of range must be greater than start."
+            )
+        return base_pattern, (start, end)
diff --git a/tests/test_freeze.py b/tests/test_freeze.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..49d30ba5fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_freeze.py
@@ -0,0 +1,285 @@
+"""
+This module contains unit tests for the `freeze_layers_except` function.
+
+The `freeze_layers_except` function is used to freeze layers in a model, except for the specified layers.
+The unit tests in this module verify the behavior of the `freeze_layers_except` function in different scenarios.
+"""
+
+import unittest
+
+import torch
+from torch import nn
+
+from axolotl.utils.freeze import freeze_layers_except
+
+ZERO = [0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
+ONE_TO_TEN = [1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0]
+
+
+class TestFreezeLayersExcept(unittest.TestCase):
+    """
+    A test case class for the `freeze_layers_except` function.
+    """
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.model = _TestModel()
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_with_dots_in_name(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, ["features.layer"])
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_without_dots_in_name(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, ["classifier"])
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_regex_patterns(self):
+        # The second pattern cannot match because only characters 'a' to 'c' are allowed after the word 'class', whereas it should be matching the character 'i'.
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, [r"^features.[a-z]+.weight$", r"class[a-c]+"])
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+    def test_all_layers_frozen(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, [])
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be frozen.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+    def test_all_layers_unfrozen(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, ["features.layer", "classifier"])
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be trainable.",
+        )
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_with_range_pattern_start_end(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, ["features.layer[1:5]"])
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+        self._assert_gradient_output(
+            [
+                ZERO,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+            ]
+        )
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_with_range_pattern_single_index(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, ["features.layer[5]"])
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+        self._assert_gradient_output(
+            [ZERO, ZERO, ZERO, ZERO, ZERO, ONE_TO_TEN, ZERO, ZERO, ZERO, ZERO]
+        )
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_with_range_pattern_start_omitted(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, ["features.layer[:5]"])
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+        self._assert_gradient_output(
+            [
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+            ]
+        )
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_with_range_pattern_end_omitted(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, ["features.layer[4:]"])
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+        self._assert_gradient_output(
+            [
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+            ]
+        )
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_with_range_pattern_merge_included(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, ["features.layer[4:]", "features.layer[5:6]"])
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+        self._assert_gradient_output(
+            [
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+            ]
+        )
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_with_range_pattern_merge_intersect(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(self.model, ["features.layer[4:7]", "features.layer[6:8]"])
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+        self._assert_gradient_output(
+            [
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+            ]
+        )
+
+    def test_freeze_layers_with_range_pattern_merge_separate(self):
+        freeze_layers_except(
+            self.model,
+            ["features.layer[1:2]", "features.layer[3:4]", "features.layer[5:6]"],
+        )
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.features.layer should be trainable.",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.model.classifier.weight.requires_grad,
+            "model.classifier should be frozen.",
+        )
+
+        self._assert_gradient_output(
+            [
+                ZERO,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ZERO,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ZERO,
+                ONE_TO_TEN,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+                ZERO,
+            ]
+        )
+
+    def _assert_gradient_output(self, expected):
+        input_tensor = torch.tensor([ONE_TO_TEN], dtype=torch.float32)
+
+        self.model.features.layer.weight.grad = None  # Reset gradients
+        output = self.model.features.layer(input_tensor)
+        loss = output.sum()
+        loss.backward()
+
+        expected_grads = torch.tensor(expected)
+        torch.testing.assert_close(
+            self.model.features.layer.weight.grad, expected_grads
+        )
+
+
+class _SubLayerModule(nn.Module):
+    def __init__(self):
+        super().__init__()
+        self.layer = nn.Linear(10, 10)
+
+
+class _TestModel(nn.Module):
+    def __init__(self):
+        super().__init__()
+        self.features = _SubLayerModule()
+        self.classifier = nn.Linear(10, 2)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()