Managing Windows Sandbox

• Running an application in the Windows Sandbox allows it to run in a test environment that should not harm the host OS.
• Using the Windows Sandbox is not automated, requiring manual copying and executing potentially unsafe applications, thus limiting its use to admins and power users.
• The Windows Sandbox can be configured, but configuration may lessen the level of protection.
• Because the feature is new, centralized management is limited but may improve over time.

Windows Sandbox, a feature of Windows 10 version 1903 and later, provides a safe environment for testing applications downloaded from the Internet or from untrusted sources. It uses the Windows 10 Hyper-V feature to create a VM where the potentially unsafe application can execute without impacting the host Windows 10 OS. When the Sandbox instance is closed, the application and temporary environment are deleted. Some parameters of the Sandbox can be configured, although doing so may lessen the protection. Comprehensive centralized management tools are limited, and without centralized management, Windows Sandbox will remain a feature with limited value beyond administrators.