How to Enable Windows Sandbox in Windows

Windows Sandbox is a lightweight virtualization tool built into Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise including later versions like Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise. It allows you to create a temporary isolated desktop environment that runs a clean version of Windows. This Windows 10 virtual machine proves valuable for testing new software running untrusted applications or browsing suspicious websites in a controlled setting without affecting your main system.

Here is a comprehensive guide on how to enable Windows Sandbox in Windows. For this tutorial, I am using Windows 10 operating system version 22H2. The sandbox was introduced by Microsoft starting Windows 10 version 1903.

Prerequisites for Windows Sandbox

Before enable Windows sandbox Windows 10 make sure your system meets the following requirements:

1. Operating System: You must be running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise or Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise Edition.
2. Architecture: Your device should support a 64-bit processor.
3. Virtualization: Hardware virtualization must be enabled in the BIOS/UEFI settings.
4. CPU Requirements: At least two CPU cores quad-core or more are recommended.
5. Memory: Minimum of 4GB RAM.
6. Storage: At least 1GB of free disk space.

Verify Virtualization

Ensure enable virtualization Windows 10 system. To check Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager. Go to the “Performance” tab then check if “Virtualization” is enabled under the CPU performance graph.

If it’s not enabled, reboot your machine and enter BIOS/UEFI settings to enable hardware virtualization.

Methods to Enable Windows Sandbox

Following are the two methods to enable Windows sandbox in Windows 10 a command line method and the graphical user interface method.

Enable Windows Sandbox via Windows Features

Open the Control Panel then navigate to “Programs” and then click on “Programs and Features.” On the left side, click on the link “Turn Windows features on or off.”

Or you can simply open the start menu and search for “Turn Windows features on or off.

In the Windows Features window, scroll down and check “Windows Sandbox”. You may also see other options like Hyper – V virtualization. Click “OK” to apply changes, and wait for the installation process to complete. You might need to restart your computer when the installation is completed.

Enable Windows Sandbox via Windows PowerShell

For how to run Windows Sandbox search for “PowerShell” in the Start menu, then right-click and choose “Run as administrator”.

Run the following command in the PowerShell window:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName "Containers-DisposableClientVM" -All -Online

After running the command, you will be prompted to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Start Windows Sandbox

Windows Sandbox will be available in your Start menu. You can now launch it for a fresh isolated Windows environment.

A new window will open with a clean, disposable instance of Windows.

Now, any software can be installed inside the sandbox without affecting your main operating system. Once the sandbox is closed, all data inside it will be erased.

Tips for Using Windows Sandbox

Following are some important tips for using a safe testing environment Windows 10 operating system:

• When testing software download it directly within the sandbox browser instead of transferring files from your host system.
• The clipboard is shared between your host OS and the sandbox environment but consider security risks before copying sensitive data.
• For network isolation settings or other advanced configurations, use a sandbox configuration file with a .wsb file extension to customize the environment.

Conclusion

Windows Sandbox is a useful feature for safely running applications in isolation from your main environment. By following these steps, users can take advantage of a secure space for testing or browsing purposes without worrying about long-term impacts on their system’s health. Always ensure your system meets the requirements before attempting to enable and use Windows Sandbox.

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