What is Windows Sandbox and How to Enable it on Windows 10
What is Windows Sandbox:
Windows Sandbox is a safe new way to run untrusted .exe files Microsoft is trying to address the fear of running an unknown .exe on your PC. While some power users set up virtual machines to check unknown apps, Microsoft has developed a simple way for anyone running Windows 10 to launch apps in an isolated desktop environment. Windows Sandbox is a new feature coming to Windows 10 next year that creates a temporary desktop environment to isolate a particular app to that sandbox.
It’s designed to be secure and disposable, so once you’ve finished running the app in this mode the entire sandbox will be deleted. You don’t need to set up a virtual machine, but it will require virtualization capabilities enabled in the BIOS. Microsoft is making Windows Sandbox available as part of Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise, and it’s clearly aimed at businesses primarily or power users.
It’s a clever new feature that means every time Windows Sandbox is enabled it simply creates a new lightweight (100MB) installation of Windows to run an app. Microsoft is using its own hypervisor to create a separate kernel that’s isolated from the host PC. On Windows 10, “Windows Sandbox” is a lightweight isolated environment available starting with the April 2019 Update to test untrusted applications without affecting your device.
Sandbox works just like a virtual machine using the Microsoft’s hypervisor and hardware virtualization to run a separate kernel that isolates a Windows Sandbox session from the host. Basically, it’s a tiny installation of Windows 10 (around 100MB in size) enough to install and run untrusted classic applications isolated from the main installation.
According to the company, Windows Sandbox is also very efficient as it uses integrated kernel scheduler, smart memory management, and virtual graphics, and it’s disposable. Once you finish using the app, the sandbox gets deleted, which means that every time you start the feature, you’ll start with a clean install of Windows 10.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to enable Windows Sandbox available with the Windows 10 April 2019 Update.
How to enable Windows Sandbox on Windows 10
To enable “Windows Sandbox” to run untrusted applications, use these steps: 1-Open Start. 2-Search for Turn Windows features on or off and click the top result to open the experience.
3-Check the Windows Sandbox option.
4-Enable Windows Sandbox on Windows 10 version 1903 5-Enable Windows Sandbox on Windows 10 version 1903 6-Click the OK button.
7-Click the Restart now button.
NOTE: Once you’ve completed the steps, you can start Windows Sandbox from the Start menu. This feature is only available for Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise starting with version 1903 (build 18305) on devices with processors and motherboards that support virtualization. If you don’t see this feature, you’re likely not running the supported version of Windows 10 or hardware virtualization isn’t supported or not enabled.
If hardware virtualization isn’t enabled, check your motherboard manufacturer to find the instructions on how to enable the feature.