Starting with the Windows 10 update released in May 2019, it is possible to use a virtual desktop feature that is not only a security tool, but also a great way of doing things on your computer without them being recorded or remembered, a a bit like the incognito mode of web browsers. This tool is called Sandbox and is intended as an area of the computer within which everything that is done has no influence on the system and is deleted immediately after closing it . The SandBox works like a disposable virtual machine where you can safely run whatever you want; you can even open a virus or malware without worrying about it damaging your PC or stealing data from your computer.
This is a great feature of Windows 10, not only for developers and testers, but for anyone who needs a safe and isolated environment to use when you want to open a website without leaving a trace or to download and use a virtual desktop program which is then canceled immediately after closing.
To use the Sandbox, the PC must support Virtualization, ie the possibility of running virtual PCs. This support should be enabled by default and you can check that it is enabled by opening the task manager (by pressing the CTRL-Shift-Exc keys together), in the Performance tab. Selected CPU, you can read in the lower right if Virtualization is enabled or not. If not, you will need to enable virtualization from your computer's BIOS options.
If you want to use a Sandbox in Windows 10 Home or in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, you need to download external software such as SandBoxie .
After loading, you can close the window, restart your computer and then, when it is back on, search for the Windows Sandbox from the Start menu, listed as if it were a program.
The Sandbox opens as if it were a new installation of Windows 10 and new user folders (such as Destkop, Downloads, Documents, Images, Music and Videos) are also created separate from the normal ones. The files saved within these folders are automatically deleted from the PC when the Sandbox is closed.
From the Sandbox it is not possible to open other folders on the PC if you do not make a configuration first. This configuration is not mandatory and is not really immediate to do because you need to compile an XML text file as explained in this official Microsoft guide.
Very briefly, you need to create a new text file, name it Sandbox.wsb and write it in the configuration. If we wanted to access the document folder of the PC, the real one and not the virtual one, we could write in it:
To launch the Sandbox with the given configuration, double click on the WSB file created.
To move files from the real desktop to the virtual desktop, just copy and paste . Right-click on the file to be brought to the virtual desktop and Copy, go to the SandBox desktop, right-click on it and do Paste (currently it doesn't work dragging the file from a folder to the sandBox window, but it may be that will be possible in the future). The pasted file will be usable on the virtual PC in the way you want and all the changes will have no influence on the file copied from the real PC.
If you install a program inside the Sandbox, it will only be usable from there and its installation will disappear when you close the Sandbox (to maintain it you will need to use a configuration file as seen above).
READ ALSO: Activate Application Guard in Windows 10, the armored and risk-protected browser
This is a great feature of Windows 10, not only for developers and testers, but for anyone who needs a safe and isolated environment to use when you want to open a website without leaving a trace or to download and use a virtual desktop program which is then canceled immediately after closing.
Prerequisites for using the Windows 10 SandBox
The Windows Sandbox is only available for Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise, starting with version 1903 of the May 2019 update.To use the Sandbox, the PC must support Virtualization, ie the possibility of running virtual PCs. This support should be enabled by default and you can check that it is enabled by opening the task manager (by pressing the CTRL-Shift-Exc keys together), in the Performance tab. Selected CPU, you can read in the lower right if Virtualization is enabled or not. If not, you will need to enable virtualization from your computer's BIOS options.
If you want to use a Sandbox in Windows 10 Home or in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, you need to download external software such as SandBoxie .
How to activate the Windows 10 Sandbox
The Sandbox in Windows 10 cannot be used immediately, but must first be activated. To do this, you need to open the Control Panel, go to the Programs section, click on Programs and Features and then press on the link on the right of the window that says " Activating or deactivating Windows features ". In the box that opens, search and select Windows Sandbox and then press OK.After loading, you can close the window, restart your computer and then, when it is back on, search for the Windows Sandbox from the Start menu, listed as if it were a program.
How to use the Windows 10 virtual sandbox desktop
When you open the Windows 10 SandBox, a virtual desktop appears above the real desktop, with its Start menu, the Trash Can icon, Edge to surf the internet and some system tools that can be launched by pressing the search icon from the taskbar.The Sandbox opens as if it were a new installation of Windows 10 and new user folders (such as Destkop, Downloads, Documents, Images, Music and Videos) are also created separate from the normal ones. The files saved within these folders are automatically deleted from the PC when the Sandbox is closed.
From the Sandbox it is not possible to open other folders on the PC if you do not make a configuration first. This configuration is not mandatory and is not really immediate to do because you need to compile an XML text file as explained in this official Microsoft guide.
Very briefly, you need to create a new text file, name it Sandbox.wsb and write it in the configuration. If we wanted to access the document folder of the PC, the real one and not the virtual one, we could write in it:
The part where HostFolder is written indicates the path of the folder to be mapped; Readonly is necessary to prevent changes made in Sandbox mode from being saved in the real folder (otherwise it would become useless).
C: UserspomheyDocuments
false
To launch the Sandbox with the given configuration, double click on the WSB file created.
Copy files and programs from the real PC to the sandbox
Much more easily, however, you can create a copy of the files you want to use on the virtual desktop, in order, for example, to run a file that can be harmful or to install a program on the virtual PC of the Sandbox.To move files from the real desktop to the virtual desktop, just copy and paste . Right-click on the file to be brought to the virtual desktop and Copy, go to the SandBox desktop, right-click on it and do Paste (currently it doesn't work dragging the file from a folder to the sandBox window, but it may be that will be possible in the future). The pasted file will be usable on the virtual PC in the way you want and all the changes will have no influence on the file copied from the real PC.
If you install a program inside the Sandbox, it will only be usable from there and its installation will disappear when you close the Sandbox (to maintain it you will need to use a configuration file as seen above).
READ ALSO: Activate Application Guard in Windows 10, the armored and risk-protected browser
