How To Enable Windows Sandbox | Test Apps Safely in Minutes

Windows Sandbox is a free, built-in Windows 10/11 Pro and Enterprise feature that creates an isolated desktop for running untrusted applications without risking your main system.

Downloading a suspicious email attachment or wanting to try an unfamiliar piece of software usually means holding your breath. Windows Sandbox removes that gamble. It spins up a clean, temporary Windows environment where you can run anything, close the window, and walk away knowing your real system was never touched. The feature is already on your machine if you are running a supported edition—no download, no license fee. Here is how to enable Windows Sandbox in under five minutes.

What Your PC Needs For Windows Sandbox

Before the option even appears in the settings list, your hardware and operating system have to clear a few requirements. Missing any one of them is the most common reason the feature stays hidden.

Your PC must be running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (build 18305 or later) or any supported edition of Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. Windows 11 Home and Windows 10 Home do not include Sandbox—the feature is simply absent from those editions. The hardware demands are straightforward: a 64-bit CPU (AMD64 architecture) with virtualization technology (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) enabled in the BIOS or UEFI. At least 4 GB of RAM and 1 GB of free disk space are recommended, though the environment itself is lightweight.

If your Task Manager shows “Virtualization: Enabled” under the CPU section, you are set on that front. If it shows disabled, you will need to enter your BIOS or UEFI setup to turn it on before Sandbox will work.

Enabling Windows Sandbox: Three Methods That Work

Once the requirements above are satisfied, enabling the feature takes only a few clicks or one PowerShell command. All three methods below accomplish the same thing—pick the one you are most comfortable with.

Method 1: Windows Features UI (Recommended)

This is the most straightforward route and works identically on Windows 10 and 11.

1. Press Win + R, type optionalfeatures, and press Enter.
2. In the “Windows Features” window that opens, scroll down the list until you see Windows Sandbox.
3. Check the box next to Windows Sandbox.
4. Click OK and wait while Windows applies the change.
5. Restart your PC when prompted.

After the restart, typing “Windows Sandbox” into the Start Menu search bar should show the app ready to launch.

Method 2: PowerShell (Administrator)

For anyone who prefers the command line or needs to enable Sandbox on multiple machines, PowerShell is faster.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click the Start button and select “Windows Terminal (Admin)” or “PowerShell (Admin)”).
2. Paste or type the following command and press Enter:
   Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName "Containers-DisposableClientVM" -All -Online
3. When the command completes, restart your computer.

The feature name “Containers-DisposableClientVM” is the internal identifier for Windows Sandbox. The -All flag installs any required dependencies automatically.

Method 3: Control Panel

This method works identically to the Windows Features UI but begins from the classic Control Panel.

1. Open Control Panel and navigate to Programs > Programs and Features.
2. Click Turn Windows features on or off in the left sidebar.
3. Check Windows Sandbox, click OK, and restart when prompted.

All three methods deliver the same result. The UI route is the least error-prone for most people, but the PowerShell command is the fastest if you are comfortable with a terminal.

How To Launch Windows Sandbox After Setup

After the restart, open the Start Menu, type Windows Sandbox, and click the app icon that appears. A full-screen window opens with a clean copy of Windows 10 or 11 inside it. You can drag files from your host desktop into the Sandbox window, install software, browse the web, or run portable executables. When you close the Sandbox, Windows prompts you to confirm—click OK and everything inside is permanently erased. The success cue is a fully booted Windows desktop inside the Sandbox window, ready for whatever you drop into it.

Why Can’t I Find Windows Sandbox In The List?

If you opened the Windows Features dialog and Windows Sandbox was nowhere on the list, one of three things is wrong.

Home edition. Windows 10 and 11 Home do not include Sandbox at all. There is no hidden toggle to flip. The only way around this is a clean install of a Pro or Enterprise edition. An unofficial third-party package exists to force Sandbox onto Home editions, but it is unsupported by Microsoft and not recommended for a production machine.

Virtualization is disabled. Even if your CPU supports virtualization, it can be turned off in the BIOS. Open Task Manager, click the Performance tab, and select CPU. If “Virtualization” at the bottom reads “Disabled,” reboot and enable it in your BIOS or UEFI settings (usually under Advanced > CPU Configuration).

Nested virtualization. If you are running Windows inside a virtual machine (Hyper-V, VMware, Azure), the host must enable nested virtualization. On a Hyper-V host, run the following PowerShell command on the host machine:
Set-VMProcessor -VMName "YourVMName" -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions $true

Using Windows Sandbox: What To Know Before You Start

Sandbox is not a persistent virtual machine. Every file you create, every app you install, and every change you make disappears the moment you close it. That impermanence is the whole point—it keeps your real system clean. Networking is enabled by default, which means the Sandbox can reach the internet. If you need to test something offline, you can disable networking by creating a .wsb configuration file with the line <Networking>Disable</Networking> and launching Sandbox with that file.

There is no separate setup beyond what is outlined above. No subscription, no trial, no hidden cost. If your edition supports it, it is a free, first-party feature that Microsoft provides as part of the operating system. The only real limit is the same one that governs any isolated environment: anything you want to keep must be saved to the host before closing the Sandbox window.