How to Use the Windows 10 Sandbox

We get down and dirty with the nitty gritty

A raft of new features was added to Windows 10 with Microsoft’s May 2019 update, but the Windows Sandbox was one of the most important. It’s designed to give Windows users a separate testing environment to try out new or untrusted software as an alternative to using a virtual machine.

The Windows 10 sandbox requires a PC or laptop with the system resources capable of running virtual machines, including (at minimum) a dual-core processor, 4GB RAM and 1GB of disk space. You’ll also need toenable virtualizationin your system UEFI or BIOS settings before you begin.

What Is The Windows 10 Sandbox?

Windows 10 version 1903 includes the Windows Sandbox, but if you’re running Windows 10 Home, you won’t be able to use this feature. It’s only available for users with Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education.

Rather than install Windows in its own virtual machine using software like Virtualbox, the Sandbox gives you a completely independent, isolated, and temporary Windows 10 environment.

Every time you start the Windows 10 Sandbox, a new Windows 10 desktop appears. It’s optimized for speed and security, with a much smaller footprint than you’d find with a typical Windows 10 virtual machine.

There’s no interaction between the Sandbox and your standard Windows 10 installation, making it a safe place to test software or open suspicious files without putting your own installation at risk.

When you close the Sandbox, everything within is completely wiped. If the Sandbox is compromised, all you have to do is close it and reopen it to start again.

Potential Windows 10 Sandbox Conflicts

A word of warning for users of Virtualbox or other virtual machine software. With the Sandbox enabled, you won’t be able to use or run other virtual machines, whether the Windows Sandbox is running or not.

This is because the underlying methods that Windows Sandbox uses conflicts with other virtualization software. While walkarounds have been posted on theVirtualbox forum, these aren’t official and they aren’t guaranteed to work.

This conflict won’t affect everyone, but it is something to think about, especially if you run Linux or other operating systems in a virtual machine.

If that’s the case, you may need to look atrunning Linux on Windows 10using the Windows Subsystem for Linux instead. The Windows Sandbox will be an otherwise useful replacement if you currently run other Windows virtual machines.

Checking Virtualization Is Enabled

The first thing you need to do is ensure that virtualization is enabled on your PC to allow Windows 10 Sandbox to work.

You can quickly double-check if virtualization is enabled by accessing the “Performance” tab in Windows Task Manager.

If it isn’t, double-check your BIOS or UEFI settings, confirm virtualization is enabled, and then reboot.

Setting Up The Windows 10 Sandbox

Once virtualization is enabled, you’re ready to activate the Windows Sandbox. As a reminder, this won’t be possible if you’re running Windows 10 Home. You’ll need to switch to a higher version of Windows before you can proceed.

Windows allows you to enable or disable various Windows features from the Windows Features menu. This used to be accessible from the Control Panel, but the Control Panel is outdated and largely hidden in modern Windows 10 versions.

This may take a few minutes to complete, as Windows will complete the configuration and installation process before and after the reboot.

Creating a Windows Sandbox Configuration File

It’s possible to configure the Windows 10 Sandbox before launch by creating a configuration file using the XML file format.

It’s important to stress, however, that youdon’t need to do this. Windows Sandbox will work without any extra configuration required.

Configuring the Sandbox can offer some advantages, however. A custom configuration file allows you to enable a virtualized GPU for better graphics performance, for instance.

If you plan on using the Sandbox regularly, you can create a shared folder between it and your host Windows 10 installation to easily share common files (like installation files).

You can also disable networking on your Windows Sandbox to isolate it completely. AWindows development postoffers more guidance on how to create your Windows Sandbox configuration file.

Starting The Windows Sandbox

Once your PC has rebooted, you should be ready to start using the Windows Sandbox.

When you’re using the Windows 10 Sandbox, you’re free to use it like any Windows 10 installation. You can open the Microsoft Edge browser to access the internet and download software, or access Windows features and other pre-installed apps.

When you’re finished, closing it will wipe it completely, ready for you to use again in the future.

Ben Stockton is a freelance technology writer based in the United Kingdom. In a past life, Ben was a college lecturer in the UK, training teens and adults. Since leaving the classroom, Ben has taken his teaching experience and applied it to writing tech how-to guides and tutorials, specialising in Linux, Windows, and Android. He has a degree in History and a postgraduate qualification in Computing.Read Ben’s Full Bio

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How to Use the Windows 10 Sandbox#

What Is The Windows 10 Sandbox?#

Potential Windows 10 Sandbox Conflicts#

Checking Virtualization Is Enabled#

Setting Up The Windows 10 Sandbox#

Creating a Windows Sandbox Configuration File#

Starting The Windows Sandbox#

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