Windows 11 Sandbox, also known as Windows Sandbox, is a security feature that Microsoft debuted in Windows 10 2019 Spring and has maintained since then. If you don’t know this, say it allows users to create an isolated environment on the system test / run software high risk with overall safety or browse websites which can be dangerous without affecting the system where it is performed.

To do this, Windows Sandbox creates a temporary work environment by installing a super-scaled-down version of Windows that is approximately 100 MB in size and has a separate kernel isolated from the computer on which it runs. In addition to security, Microsoft cites its efficiency and availability as benefits because it is designed to be one-off. In other words, once we finish launching the applications and close this tool, the entire generated environment will be deleted.

A good way to check the dangers of unknown applications or visit these questionable security websites through a much simpler feature than using virtual machines, because you don’t have to download ISO images or use hypervisors or third-party applications.

Sandbox Windows 11

This feature maintains the minimum requirements set for Windows 10, although you already know that it has generally increased in Windows 11 with TPM, DirectX 12 and more. To install this environment, you need:

• Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education. (Windows Sandbox is not currently supported on home versions.)
• PC with AMD64 architecture.
• At least two CPU cores (four hyperthreading cores recommended).
• At least 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended).
• At least 1 GB of free disk space (SSD recommended).
• Virtualization options enabled in the BIOS.

Check your virtualization options

Like any other virtual machine, the Windows 11 sandbox requires that the computer’s CPU be virtualized. For AMD processors, the virtualization feature is called “AMD-V” and is enabled by default on supported models, which are usually all recent years. If you use Intel processors, their virtualization technology is called “Intel VT” and is usually not enabled by default. Activation is done in the BIOS / UEFI, as we saw in this tutorial article.

Installation

There are several ways to install Windows Sandbox. One is to access other Windows features where you can see this sandbox. For this:

• Find “Windows Features”:

• Check the “Windows Sandbox” box:

Another way to activate Windows 11 quarantine is through the advanced Powershell console in administrator mode by entering a command Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName “Containers-DisposableClientVM” -All -Online

Either way, you’ll need to restart your computer and you’ll see it installed on the Start menu. It is performed like any other type of application. You will see a truncated installation of Windows 11, where you can install the necessary applications, browse the websites you want, or copy and paste suspicious files from the host computer.

As we said above, this minimum version is completely isolated from the main system and when it is closed any type of file, configuration or task will be deleted that you did Each time you run it again, you get a new instance of this sandbox.

Like any other operating system, it can be customized with simple configuration files that provide a minimal set of customization parameters for the sandbox, control parameters such as virtualized GPUs, networking, boot commands, audio and video inputs, printer redirection, and more.

What we use Windows Sandbox for

The tool has a variety of uses, mainly for browsing potentially dangerous websites and testing unknown applications. Some examples:

Check the application. It is not difficult to come across unknown and unreliable applications. They can be useful but also dangerous or even contain malware. Windows Sandbox allows you to do almost anything a standard computer can do, including running an antivirus to check for these applications.

Web navigation. The global Internet is littered with obnoxious sites, including those that spread malware, spam, or have phishing schemes. If you want to access a suspicious website without compromising your computer, this isolated environment allows it. In case of infection or risk, it is simply a matter of closing the session.

testing software. It is also possible to test any type of software that, while not dangerous, we do not know or are unsure whether we want to keep in the future. This environment provides an ideal test environment because the application can be installed and run without leaving any traces in the main operating system or taking up resources, memory, storage, or the Windows registry.

File check. One of the most commonly used ways to distribute malware comes from attachments. For example, in an email. If you want to view e-mail messages and these types of files, this tone can help you. Same with a macro document or any type of file you want to run. Even if it contains malware, once the environment is closed, the computer will be completely clean from it.

Very useful for the features listed in this Windows 11 sandbox. And if you’re using Windows 10, starting in the spring of 2019, you can install and use it the same way.