How to Enable Windows 10 Sandbox [Tutorial]
28How to Enable Windows 10 Sandbox [Tutorial]
The May 2019 Update of Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system—version 1903—delivers a range of fixes along with a few new features in this semi-annual release. The star feature arguably is the Windows Sandbox that allows for users to access a containerized version of Windows 10 to aid in testing software installs and deployments without compromising a production system or spin up a virtual machine each time you wish to test something out.
The aim of the lightweight desktop environment is to isolate applications in a safe sandbox, which serves to isolate the apps from the live Windows host, without causing a lasting impact. In fact, the sandboxed environment is quick and temporary, booting up in a matter of seconds and once closed, all changes including file, app, and system states are permanently deleted without any of the left-over cruft found in VMs or production systems that must be purged manually.
In short, Windows Sandbox is half app, half virtual machine. It lets you quickly spin up a virtual clean OS imaged from your system’s current state so that you can test programs or files in a secure environment that’s isolated from your main system. When you close the sandbox, it destroys that state. Nothing can get from the sandbox to your main installation of Windows, and nothing remains after closing it.
Windows Sandbox is a new feature available beginning with the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903) designed to run untrusted applications inside a lightweight isolated environment running independently from your main installation.
Technically, Windows Sandbox is a virtual machine created on demand using Microsoft's hypervisor using the same OS image as the one on your machine. However, it's a very lightweight environment of around 100MB, which has been optimized to boot and run faster, its focus is on security, and it works more efficiently using integrated kernel scheduler, virtual graphics, and smart memory management.
Although you can create a virtual machine to accomplish a similar experience, there are some key benefits with Windows Sandbox. For instance, you don't need to spend additional steps creating or downloading a virtual machine. Every time you launch the feature, it runs a new clean installation of Windows 10. When you finish testing an application and close Windows Sandbox, everything gets deleted automatically. Also, using virtualization isolates anything occurring inside the environment from your main installation offering maximum security to test untrusted applications.
From Microsoft:
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’s hypervisor to run a separate kernel
which isolates Windows Sandbox from the host
Efficient – uses integrated kernel scheduler, smart memory management, and virtual GPU
This tutorial will apply for computers, laptops, desktops,and tablets running the Windows 10 operating system (Home, Professional, Enterprise, Education) from all supported hardware manufactures, like Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Toshiba,Lenovo, and Samsung).