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To turn on Windows Sandbox in Windows 11, enable the optional Windows feature, restart if prompted, then open Windows Sandbox from Start. It is available only on supported Windows editions and hardware; Windows Home is not supported. Sandbox opens a clean, temporary desktop, but its default networking and clipboard settings matter when you test an unknown file.
Check whether your PC supports Windows Sandbox
Microsoft supports Windows Sandbox on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, Pro Education, Pro SE, and Education. It is not supported on Windows Home. Review Microsoft’s installation requirements and Windows Sandbox overview if you are unsure which edition or hardware your PC has.
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- Processor: AMD64, or Arm64 on Windows 11 version 22H2 and later.
- Virtualization: Hardware virtualization must be enabled in BIOS/UEFI. If Windows is running inside a virtual machine, nested virtualization must be enabled by the VM host.
- Memory: At least 4 GB RAM; Microsoft recommends 8 GB.
- Storage: At least 1 GB of free disk space; an SSD is recommended.
- CPU cores: At least two cores; Microsoft recommends four cores with hyper-threading.
Windows Sandbox is an included Windows feature on eligible editions, not a separate product you need to install. If it is missing from the Windows Features list, check the edition, architecture, virtualization settings, and capacity requirements above.
Turn on the Windows Sandbox feature
- Open taskbar search and type Turn Windows Features on or off.
- In the Windows Features window, select Windows Sandbox, then choose OK.
- Restart Windows if it prompts you to do so.
- After the restart, search for Windows Sandbox in Start and open the app.
Administrators can enable the same optional feature from an elevated PowerShell window with Microsoft’s documented command:
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Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName "Containers-DisposableClientVM" -All -Online
When Sandbox opens, it presents a separate Windows desktop for your test. It is isolated from the host, but default settings still allow some interaction, so review them before opening an untrusted download.
Set up a safer first test environment
By default, Windows Sandbox enables networking and clipboard redirection. Networking uses the Hyper-V default switch, and Microsoft cautions that it can expose untrusted applications to your internal network. Clipboard redirection also allows copying and pasting between the host and Sandbox. Microsoft explains the available controls in its Windows Sandbox configuration guide.
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For an unknown downloaded file that does not need internet access, a more cautious setup is to disable networking and map the host Downloads folder as read-only. Microsoft provides this pattern in its sample configuration files. A read-only mapping lets Sandbox access the files without granting it permission to modify them on the host.
Custom settings are specified in a Windows Sandbox configuration file with the .wsb extension. Use Microsoft’s sample as the starting point rather than editing XML by guesswork. The file can control networking and mapped folders, among other settings; incorrect or invalid configuration can prevent Sandbox from starting.
Understand what persists—and what gets deleted
Windows Sandbox is disposable. Closing the Sandbox window deletes the software, files, and state created in that session; the next launch starts a fresh instance. Copy anything you need to keep out of Sandbox before closing it, and avoid assuming that a downloaded installer or test result will still be there later.
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On Windows 11 version 22H2 and later, a restart initiated from within Sandbox preserves its data through that restart. This can help when testing an installer that requires a reboot. It does not make the environment permanent: closing Sandbox still deletes the session.
Troubleshoot a missing feature or failed launch
- Windows Sandbox does not appear in Windows Features: Confirm that your Windows edition is supported, then check processor architecture, virtualization, and the memory, storage, and CPU requirements.
- The PC is itself a virtual machine: Ask the VM host administrator to verify that nested virtualization is enabled.
- The error says no hypervisor was found: Windows Sandbox requires the Hyper-V hypervisor. Check Microsoft’s troubleshooting guidance for hypervisor-related checks.
- A feature-registration error appears: Verify that the Windows Sandbox optional feature is enabled.
- Sandbox will not start with a custom configuration: Check the
.wsbfile for invalid or incorrect settings, or try launching without that configuration.
Windows 11 version 24H2: the newer Sandbox app
Starting with Windows 11 version 24H2, an updated Windows Sandbox app is available through Microsoft Store. Microsoft’s version guidance lists Windows 11 version 24H2 with KB10D or later, an already installed Sandbox feature, and internet access for Microsoft Store and Windows Update as prerequisites for the newer app experience. These requirements concern the updated app; the Windows Sandbox feature itself must still be enabled on a supported edition.
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