Windows 10: Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in Windows 10

How to: Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in Windows 10

How to Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in Windows 10


Starting with Windows 10 build 18305, Microsoft introduced Windows Sandbox.

Windows Sandbox is a new lightweight desktop environment tailored for safely running applications in isolation.

How many times have you downloaded an executable file, but were afraid to run it? Have you ever been in a situation which required a clean installation of Windows, but didnt want to set up a virtual machine?

At Microsoft, they regularly encounter these situations, so they developed Windows Sandbox: an isolated desktop environment where you can run untrusted software without the fear of lasting impact to your device. Any software installed in Windows Sandbox stays only in the sandbox and cannot affect your host. Once Windows Sandbox is closed, all the software with all of its files and state are permanently deleted.

When Windows Sandbox is enabled a read-only 8 GB PortableBaseLayer system partition without a drive letter is automatically created and should not be deleted. The PortableBaseLayer partition is automatically removed when Windows Sandbox is disabled.

Windows Sandbox has the following properties:

• Part of Windows – everything required for this feature ships with Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise. No need to download a VHD!
• Pristine – every time Windows Sandbox runs, it’s as clean as a brand-new installation of Windows
• Disposable – nothing persists on the device; everything is discarded after you close the application
• Secure – uses hardware-based virtualization for kernel isolation, which relies on the Microsoft Hypervisor to run a separate kernel which isolates Windows Sandbox from the host
• Efficient – uses integrated kernel scheduler, smart memory management, and virtual GPU

Prerequisites for using the feature

• Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise build 18305 or higher
  How to Enable Windows Sandbox Feature in Windows 10 Home Edition
  
  
• AMD64 architecture (64-bit)
• Virtualization capabilities enabled in BIOS
• At least 4GB of RAM (8GB recommended)
• At least 1 GB of free disk space (SSD recommended)
• At least 2 CPU cores (4 cores with hyperthreading recommended)

Known issues

• When Windows Sandbox is first installed and on every servicing event a setup process will run and trigger significant CPU and disk activity for a minute or so.
• Opening the Start menu in Windows Sandbox takes some time and some Start Menu apps will not run.
• The time zone is not synchronized between Windows Sandbox and the host.
• Windows Sandbox does not support installers which require reboot.
• The Microsoft Store is not supported in Windows Sandbox.
• Windows Sandbox does not support high dpi displays very well.
• Windows Sandbox does not fully support multi-monitor configurations.

Using Windows Sandbox

1. To start Windows Sandbox (if enabled), open the Start menu, enter Windows Sandbox and then select it.
2. When prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.
3. Copy (Ctrl+C) an executable file from the host.
4. Paste (Ctrl+V) the executable file in the window of Windows Sandbox (on the Windows desktop).
5. Run the executable in the Windows Sandbox; if it is an installer go ahead and install it.
6. Run the application in the Windows Sandbox and use it as you normally do.
7. When you’re done experimenting, you can simply close the Windows Sandbox application, and click/tap on OK to confirm. All sandbox content will be discarded and permanently deleted.

See also:

• Windows Sandbox - Microsoft Tech Community - 301849
• Windows Sandbox - Config Files - Microsoft Tech Community - 354902

Starting with Windows 10 build 18342:

• Microsoft fixed an issue where Windows Sandbox would not start on localized builds.
• Microsoft have done some work to improve error reporting in Windows Sandbox. Now the error dialog includes the error code and a link to the Feedback Hub.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where Windows Sandbox was unexpectedly throwing an error due to referencing a deleted file under Windows.old.
• Windows Sandbox now captures hotkeys in full screen.
• Windows Sandbox now supports configuration files! These files allow users to configure some aspects of the sandbox, such as vGPU, networking and shared folders. A blog post to explain this new feature will be available here.

Starting with Windows 10 build 18353:

• Microsoft enabled microphone in Windows Sandbox, which among other things with improve several accessibility scenarios.
• Microsoft added functionality to configure the audio input device via the Windows Sandbox config file.
• Microsoft fixed an issue in which the Windows Sandbox time zone was not synchronized with the host.
• Microsoft enabled the Shift + Alt + PrintScreen key sequence in Windows Sandbox which activates the ease of access dialog for enabling high contrast mode.
• Microsoft enabled the ctrl + alt + break key sequence in Windows Sandbox which allows entering/exiting fullscreen mode.

Starting with Windows 10 build 18936, running Windows Sandbox no longer requires Administrator privilege.

This tutorial will show you how to use and enable or disable the Windows Sandbox feature for all users in Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise.

You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable and use Windows Sandbox.



Contents

• Option One: Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in Windows Features
• Option Two: Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in PowerShell
• Option Three: Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in Command Prompt

EXAMPLE: Windows Sandbox









OPTION ONE [/i] Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in Windows Features
1 If you are enabling Windows Sandbox, you will need to make sure Virtualization is enabled in your Task Manager. (see screenshots below)

You may need to reference your motherboard's or PC's manual for exactly how to enable the Virtualization UEFI/BIOS setting for it.






2 Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Programs and Features icon.

3 Click/tap on the Turn Windows features on or off link on the left side. (see screenshot below)

This will open the C:\Windows\System32\OptionalFeatures.exe file.




4 Check (enable) or uncheck (disable - default) Windows Sandbox, and click/tap on OK when finished. (see screenshot below)



5 When ready, click/tap on Restart now to restart the computer to apply. (see screenshot below)








OPTION TWO [/i] Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in PowerShell
1 If you are enabling Windows Sandbox, you will need to make sure Virtualization is enabled in your Task Manager. (see screenshots below)

You may need to reference your motherboard's or PC's manual for exactly how to enable the Virtualization UEFI/BIOS setting for it.







2 Open an elevated PowerShell.

3 Copy and paste the command below you want to use into the elevated PowerShell, and press Enter. (see screenshots below)
(enable Windows Sandbox)
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature –FeatureName "Containers-DisposableClientVM" -All -Online

OR

(disable Windows Sandbox - default)
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature –FeatureName "Containers-DisposableClientVM" -Online
4 When prompted to restart the computer, type Y, and press Enter when ready to do so.












OPTION THREE [/i] Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in Command Prompt
1 If you are enabling Windows Sandbox, you will need to make sure Virtualization is enabled in your Task Manager. (see screenshots below)

You may need to reference your motherboard's or PC's manual for exactly how to enable the Virtualization UEFI/BIOS setting for it.







2 Open an elevated Command Prompt.

3 Copy and paste the command below you want to use into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshots below)
(enable Windows Sandbox)
Dism /online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:"Containers-DisposableClientVM" -All

OR

(disable Windows Sandbox - default)
Dism /online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"Containers-DisposableClientVM"
4 When prompted to restart the computer, type Y when ready to do so.








That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Enable Windows Sandbox Feature in Windows 10 Home Edition
• How to Turn On or Off Core Isolation Memory Integrity in Windows 10
• How to configure Windows Sandbox with custom theme and preinstalled software in Windows 10

:)

 

Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in Windows 10  


I got this error when booting the first time. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

Enable or Disable Windows Sandbox in Windows 10  

There are still issues with Sandbox. Take a look at the Known issues, here
I'm afraid you have to wait for a fix from Microsoft. *Sad

Welcome to TenForums*Smile

 

windows sandbox Not working

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



There is a possibility that the feature is corrupted or not set up properly. I would advise you to disable Windows Sandbox first and then enable it. Please follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Open Control Panel.
   
2. Then click on all Control Panel Items.
   
3. Then click on Programs and features.
   
4. Then on the left hand side, click on Turn Windows features on or off.
   
5. Then uncheck the option: Windows Sandbox.
   
6. Then restart your computer.
   
7. After restart, please enable it and check if the sandbox is working.
   

Also make sure that you meet all the requirements for Windows Sandbox.

Regards,

 

Windows Sandbox

Hi lenigma,

I am Sumit, an Independent Advisor and a 2-Year Windows Insider MVP here to help.

There is not much documentation about this provided by Microsoft. As a first step, disable Windows Sandbox, restart, and try enabling again. Technically, each instance of Windows Sandbox is a fresh start so there should be no cache which you can clear

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/123777-enab...

Content on the above blog is written by a Microsoft MVP so it is safe. However, do watch out for the ads.

 

No Internet after enable Windows Sandbox

I'm running latest version of Windows 10 with Windows Security. When I enable Windows Sandbox my Internet connection vanish. So, I do not have Internet on my computer and no Internet in Sandbox what is obvious. I have tried to unable it and enable it again
like suggested somewhere on the forum, search Internet for solutions but no victory.