How to Enable and Set Up Windows Sandbox

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When you how to Enable and Set Up Windows Sandbox, they stay “sandboxed” and run on their own, separate from the host machine. So anything that happens in the sandbox stays in the sandbox, and your host machine is safe at all times.

Sandbox works just like a virtual machine. It uses Microsoft’s hypervisor and hardware virtualization to run a separate kernel that keeps a Windows Sandbox session from affecting the host.

Basically, it’s a small installation of Windows 10 (around 100MB) that lets you install and run untrusted classic apps separately from the main installation. So, before you close the sandbox, you should copy all of the data and software you’ll need later from the sandbox to the host machine.

3 Ways to Enable Windows Sandbox

Using PowerShell

1. Press Win + X to open the WinX menu.
2. Click on Windows Terminal (Admin) to open the Windows Terminal with administrative privilege. Since PowerShell is assigned as the default profile upon launch, you can execute your PowerShell cmdlets straight away in Windows Terminal.
3. In the Windows Terminal window, copy and paste the following command and press Enter:Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName “Containers-DisposableClientVM” -All
4. If no error occurs, Windows will install the required files to enable Windows Sandbox.
5. Once done, press Y and hit Enter to restart your PC.
6. After the restart, you can launch Windows Sandbox from Windows Search.

Using Command Prompt

1. Press Win + R to open Run.
2. Type cmd in the Run dialog. Press and hold Ctrl + Shift and click OK to open Command Prompt as administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter: dism /online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName: “Containers-DisposableClientVM” -All
4. Wait for the process to complete. Once done, press Y and Enter to restart your PC.

Using the Windows Features Dialog

1. Press Win + R to open Run.
2. Type appwiz.cpl and click OK to open Control Panel.
3. In the left panel, click on Turn Windows features on or off.
4. In the Turn Windows features on or off dialog, scroll down and locate Windows Sandbox.
5. Check the Windows Sandbox option and click OK.
6. Windows will search for the files and install the required dependencies to run Windows Sandbox scenarios. Once the changes are applied, close the Windows features dialog and restart your computer
7. After the restart, press Win + S to open Windows search.
8. Type sandbox and click on Windows Sandbox from the search result to launch the virtualization tool.

Set Up Windows Sandbox

1. Open the Start menu and enter optionalfeatures.exe, then hit Enter.
2. Scroll down until you find the Windows Sandbox option, then check the box next to it
3. Click OK and wait for the components to install. Restart your computer when prompted.
4. Windows Sandbox should now show up as an app in your Start menu

What is Windows Sandbox?

The Windows Sandbox feature was added to Windows 10 in version 1903 and has been there ever since. It’s only available in the Pro and Enterprise editions, though, so your PC might not be able to use it. But software like Sandboxie that isn’t part of Windows can do the same thing.

Windows Sandbox uses the same virtualization technology that Hyper-V virtual machines (VMs) use to create a separate environment for testing software. This can be done by downloading a piece of software that could be dangerous or by testing your own software that you’re making, which could mess up your system.

Windows Sandbox, on the other hand, doesn’t need you to provide an ISO file, a virtual hard disc, or anything else. Everything is set up automatically.

FAQ

How do you set up a sandbox?

1. From Setup, enter Sandboxes in the Quick Find box, then select Sandboxes.
2. Click New Sandbox.
3. Enter a name (10 characters or fewer) and description for the sandbox. …
4. Select the type of sandbox you want. …
5. Select the data to include in your Partial Copy or Full sandbox.

Can you configure Windows sandbox?

Setting up Windows Sandbox is very easy. The only thing you need to do is make sure your PC can handle it. What you have to do is: Open the Start menu, type optionalfeatures.exe, and then press the Enter key. Scroll down until you see the Windows Sandbox option, then click the box next to it.

Should I use Windows sandbox?

Malware can’t get into your computer if you use a sandbox. If you ran ransomware in a sandbox, it would probably encrypt the files in the sandbox, but it wouldn’t affect your main operating system.