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How to Create a Custom Windows Sandbox Configuration File (.wsb)

Create a Windows Sandbox configuration file in plain-text XML, save it as .wsb, and open it to launch a session with your chosen settings.
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Create a Windows Sandbox configuration by writing XML with a <Configuration> root, adding the settings you want, and saving the file with a .wsb extension. Open the saved file to launch Sandbox with those settings. The examples below cover the file format, common options, and safety trade-offs.

Create and open a .wsb file

  1. Open Notepad or another plain-text editor.

  2. Start with the required XML root element:

    <Configuration>
    </Configuration>
  3. Add supported settings between the opening and closing tags. The available settings include networking, vGPU, mapped folders, startup commands, audio and video input, printer and clipboard redirection, protected client, and memory. The window size is not configurable in the current reference. See Microsoft’s Windows Sandbox configuration reference for the supported values and XML syntax.

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  4. Save the file with a descriptive name and the .wsb extension, such as MyConfigFile.wsb. In Notepad, surround the filename with double quotation marks in the Save As filename field so that Notepad retains the extension.

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  5. Double-click the saved .wsb file to start Windows Sandbox with that configuration.

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Choose settings for the task

Networking

Networking is enabled by default. The sandbox connects through a virtual network interface and a virtual switch on the host. Set <Networking>Disable</Networking> when the task does not require network access, especially when testing untrusted software. Leaving networking enabled can expose untrusted apps to the internal network; disabling it reduces that exposure, though it does not make every file or activity safe. Microsoft’s configuration reference and security guidance describe these trade-offs.

Virtual GPU

The configuration reference accepts Enable, Disable, or Default for vGPU and says the current default is enabled. Disabling it switches the sandbox to software rendering (WARP), which can be slower. Microsoft also cautions that enabling virtualized GPU can potentially increase the attack surface. Choose based on whether the workload needs graphics acceleration and the security trade-off you can accept.

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Mapped folders

A mapped folder gives software inside the sandbox access to a real host folder. The host folder must already exist, and its path must be absolute. If you omit <SandboxFolder>, the mapped folder appears on the container user’s desktop. <ReadOnly> accepts true or false and defaults to false; writes made through a writable mapping persist after the sandbox closes. Keep mappings narrow and use read-only access whenever possible, because sandboxed apps can compromise mapped data and writable access can affect the host.

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Example mapping syntax:

<MappedFolders>
  <MappedFolder>
    <HostFolder>C:UsersPublicDownloads</HostFolder>
    <SandboxFolder>C:temp</SandboxFolder>
    <ReadOnly>true</ReadOnly>
  </MappedFolder>
</MappedFolders>

Environment variables in mapped paths are supported beginning with Windows 11 version 23H2. Relative host paths are not supported. See the configuration reference for the mapping details.

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Startup command

<LogonCommand> runs after the sandbox signs in, under the container user account. Use <Command> for a simple command. For multi-step setup, put the steps in a script, map that script into the sandbox, and invoke it with the logon command. Mapped folders are available before the logon command runs.

Example: open Downloads read-only with networking disabled

This Microsoft example disables networking and vGPU, maps the Public Downloads folder read-only to C:temp, and opens that destination in Explorer:

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<Configuration>
  <VGpu>Disable</VGpu>
  <Networking>Disable</Networking>
  <MappedFolders>
    <MappedFolder>
      <HostFolder>C:UsersPublicDownloads</HostFolder>
      <SandboxFolder>C:temp</SandboxFolder>
      <ReadOnly>true</ReadOnly>
    </MappedFolder>
  </MappedFolders>
  <LogonCommand>
    <Command>explorer.exe C:temp</Command>
  </LogonCommand>
</Configuration>

The example is a configuration pattern, not a guarantee that files opened in the sandbox are harmless. Keep the shared folder limited to the files needed for the task. Source: Microsoft’s .wsb examples.

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Check Windows support and organization policy

Microsoft’s configuration and sample references cover Windows 10 and Windows 11, but individual settings can have narrower support. Environment variables in mapped paths require Windows 11 version 23H2 or later. Microsoft’s policy documentation lists mapped-folder controls for Windows 11 version 24H2 and later on Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions; it also lists networking and vGPU policies for specified Windows 10 and Windows 11 releases. A valid XML file therefore does not guarantee that every setting is available on a particular device: organization policy may restrict it. Check the Windows Sandbox policy reference and your organization’s rules.

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Use the command line for automation

For a reusable configuration, opening a .wsb file is the straightforward workflow. Microsoft’s command-line documentation also describes starting a sandbox with inline configuration using wsb start --config "<Configuration>...</Configuration>", as well as commands to list sandbox sessions and execute commands in a session. See Windows Sandbox command-line usage for the documented commands.

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