Windows Sandbox is one of the smartest features hidden in Windows 11. Imagine a safe space inside your computer—like a protected room—where you can try out anything you want without worrying about causing trouble. That's exactly what Sandbox does!
🔍 What is Windows Sandbox?
Windows Sandbox works like a "parallel computer" inside your regular computer. Every time you open it, it creates a new, completely clean Windows environment that works just like a real computer.
- Install and try new programs you downloaded
- Open suspicious files or email attachments
- Visiting websites that you are not sure are safe
- Experiment with settings without fear of breaking anything
⚙️ What You Need Before You Start
Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education. The Home edition unfortunately does not support it.
At least 4GB of RAM (ideally 8GB or more)
1GB of free disk space
Relatively modern processor (last 5-7 years)
🚀 How to Enable Windows Sandbox
First you need to enable a specific feature in your computer's basic settings (called BIOS):
- Restart your computer.
- As it lights up, repeatedly press the F2, F10, DEL, or ESC key (varies by computer)
- You will enter a menu with settings - look for the option "Virtualization", "VT-x" or "AMD-V"
- Turn it on (usually says Enabled or On)
- Save changes and reboot.
Now you need to enable Sandbox within Windows:
- Press the keys at the same time Win + R on your keyboard
- A small window will open - write in it: optionalfeatures
- Press Enter
- A list of options will appear - scroll down and find the Hyper-V
- Check all the options you see under Hyper-V
- Keep scrolling and find it. Windows Sandbox - check it out
- Press OK and wait (may take 2-5 minutes)
- When finished, restart the computer
How to enable Windows Sandbox
After rebooting, Sandbox is ready! Try opening it:
- Press the button Start (bottom left)
- Write: Windows Sandbox
- Press Enter
- Wait a few seconds for it to open (10-30 seconds)
💡 How to Use the Sandbox
Want to try out a program you've already downloaded? It's very simple:
- Find the file on your computer
- Click Ctrl + C (copy)
- Click inside the Sandbox window
- Click Ctrl + V (paste)
- The file will appear - now you can safely open it!
You can also download programs directly into the Sandbox:
- Inside the Sandbox, open the browser (Edge)
- Go to the website and download the program
- Install it and try it as much as you want
- Once you're done, simply close the Sandbox.
🎯 When to Use Sandbox
- When you download a new program and want to try it out first
- When you receive emails with attachments that you are not sure about
- When you want to visit a website that looks suspicious
- When you want to try something new without risk
- When you're experimenting with settings you don't know what they do
- The Sandbox opens very quickly (in 10-20 seconds), so don't hesitate to use it whenever you have doubts. It is designed for exactly that - for frequent and easy use!
🎓 summarizing
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