Windows 10 New sandbox Feature allow safely test unknown applications in isolation

Meet new Windows Sandbox feature, How it works

Windows Sandbox a new virtualization feature Microsoft will integrate in Upcoming Windows 10 1903 that allows users and administrators to run unknown apps on the isolated, temporary, desktop environment” that protects the underlying host from harm and will vanish when it is closed. Windows Sandbox will be part of Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise.

Windows 10 new sandbox feature

Windows 10 new sandbox feature creates a temporary desktop environment where you can run the suspicious apps without worrying about the actual desktop. The feature works like a virtual machine, but it’s just a 100MB lightweight installation of Windows 10 enough to install and run untrusted classic programs isolated from the main installation.

Windows Sandbox has the following properties:

  • Part of Windows – everything required for this feature ships with Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise. No need to download a VHD!
  • Pristine – every time Windows Sandbox runs, it’s as clean as a brand-new installation of Windows.
  • Disposable – nothing persists on the device; everything is discarded after you close the application.
  • Secure – uses hardware-based virtualization for kernel isolation, which relies on Microsoft’s hypervisor to run a separate kernel which isolates Windows Sandbox from the host.
  • Efficient – uses integrated kernel scheduler, smart memory management, and virtual GPU.

Windows Sandbox requirements

Windows Sandbox has the following prerequisites:

  • Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise build 18305 or later.
  • AMD64 architecture.
  • At least 4 Gigabytes of RAM, 1 Gigabyte of free disk space, and 2 CPU cores (recommended 8 Gigabytes or more of RAM, SSD, and 4 cores with hyperthreading).
  • Enable Intel Virtualization Technology (also known as Intel VT) or AMD-V depending on the brand of the processor.
  • If you use a virtual machine, you need to run the PowerShell cmdlet: Set-VMProcessor -VMName <VMName> -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions $true

Microsoft notes that all privacy settings but the host diagnostic data setting are set to their default values in the sandboxed environment.

How to enable Windows Sandbox

  • On start menu search type: turn windows features on or off and choose the top result
  • This will open Windows Features where you can turn different features on or off.
  • Scroll down the list and check the “Windows Sandbox” option and click OK.
  • Then simply follow the on-screen wizard to finish installing it – a restart will be required.

enable Windows Sandbox feature

Using Windows Sandbox

  • Once installed, you can simply run Windows Sandbox from the Start menu with elevated privileges.
  • Copy the executable file you want to run to the Windows Sandbox and run it like you normally would.
  • You may close the Windows Sandbox window at any time to close the session.
  • Any changes are discarded and sandbox content is deleted in the process.

Windows Sandbox

This feature is very useful, to Run the software that you want to check out so that it can’t harm the underlying operating system or steal data.

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