How to enable Windows Sandbox on Windows 10

If you need to test an app, but you’re not sure if it’s untrusted, Windows Sandbox is a feature designed for this kind of task. Here are the steps to enable Windows Sandbox on Windows 10.

On Windows 10, Windows Sandbox offers a lightweight desktop environment to safely run applications in isolation. Software installed inside the Windows Sandbox environment remains “sandboxed” and runs separately from the host machine.

Technically, Windows 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.

What’s more, Windows Sandbox is also quite efficient as it uses integrated kernel scheduler, virtual graphics, and smart memory management and it’s disposable. Once you finish using the app, the sandbox gets removed, which means that every time you run the feature, you’ll start with a clean install of Windows 10.

In this post, you’ll learn the steps to enable and get started using the Windows Sandbox feature available with the Windows 10 May 2019 Update.

How to enable Windows Sandbox on Windows 10

Note: You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to turn on and use Windows Sandbox.

To begin, make sure that the virtualization option is enabled in your UEFI/BIOS Settings. Here are the steps to enable this option:

1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del shortcut

2. Go to the Performance tab and then see if the Virtualization option is enabled on the current page.

3. Once confirmed, follow the below procedure to turn on Windows Sandbox on Windows 10.

If virtualization is disabled, you’ll need to start your device in its BIOS or UEFI firmware and enable the feature. This process usually requires pressing the ESC, Delete key, or one of the function keys (F1, F2, F3, F10, or F12) as soon as you start your computer. However, these settings will vary by computer model, and even by manufacturer.

Read more: How to enter UEFI (BIOS) on Windows 10 PCs

1. Click on Start, and search for Turn Windows features on or off and select the top result to open the experience.

2. Find and tick the Windows Sandbox option.

3. Click OK to save changes.

4. Restart your computer.

After restarting your computer, you can launch Windows Sandbox from the Start menu.

System requirements for Windows Sandbox

If you want to use Windows Sandbox without any problem, your computer should meet the minimum hardware requirements.

  • Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise Insider build 18305 or later
  • AMD64 architecture
  • Virtualization capabilities enabled in BIOS
  • At least 4GB of RAM (8GB recommended)
  • At least 1 GB of free disk space (SSD recommended)
  • At least 2 CPU cores (4 cores with hyperthreading recommended)

Hope something helps you.