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FAQ
A lightweight desktop environment for safely running applications in isolation. When you close the sandbox, everything inside is deleted.
Windows Sandbox is only available in these editions. Windows Home doesn't support it.
No, you need to upgrade to Pro, Enterprise, or Education.
Windows Sandbox provides isolation, but it's not designed for malware analysis. Use dedicated tools like FLARE-VM for serious malware research.
Everything is deleted when you close the sandbox. Only the mapped folder can be modified (if not read-only).
Yes, save them to the mapped folder on the desktop. Everything else is deleted when the sandbox closes.
It always installs first, before any selected package list. Useful for tools you need in every session.
winget search "app name"Or browse: https://github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs/tree/master/manifests
Partially:
- Disable networking to test offline installers
- WinGet features won't work without internet
- Scripts and folder mapping still work
- Empty WSB: ~15 seconds
- Full Offline mode: ~25-30 seconds
- Network-Only mode: ~25-30 seconds
- Full Install (with WinGet): ~45 seconds
Add # CUSTOM OVERRIDE as the first line of any Std-*.ps1 file to protect it from GitHub updates.
Default scripts and package lists (Std-.ps1, Std-.txt) are auto-downloaded from GitHub. Files with # CUSTOM OVERRIDE are skipped.
In the wsb\ folder as .txt files with WinGet package IDs (one per line).
Yes, select and press Delete. They won't re-download unless you restore them in sandboxtest-config.ini.
- Std-* = Downloaded from GitHub, can be customized with CUSTOM OVERRIDE
- Custom = Your own lists, never synced from GitHub
When you select a folder, SandboxStart scans for files matching patterns in wsb\script-mappings.txt and loads the appropriate script.
Yes:
- Create
.ps1file inwsb\folder - Add pattern to
wsb\script-mappings.txt - Use
$SandboxFolderNamevariable in your script
A placeholder variable replaced with the actual folder name at runtime. Always use this instead of hardcoding folder names.
To support international characters (Swedish, Chinese, etc.). Old versions used ASCII which broke non-English folder names.
Windows Sandbox and PowerShell expect Windows-style line endings. Unix (LF) line endings can cause issues.
The GUI doesn't support command-line parameters. It's designed for interactive use.
- Start Menu shortcut tracks script location
- Package list config:
wsb\sandboxtest-config.ini - UI theme preference:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SandboxStart - No other settings are persistent
Yes, edit wsb\sandboxtest-config.ini under the [Extensions] section:
[Extensions]
py=Std-Python
ahk=Std-AHK
au3=Std-AU3
lua=Std-Lua # Add custom mappings
tcl=MyTclTools # Custom extensions appear in file dialogBenefits:
- When you select a file with a matching extension, the corresponding package list auto-selects
- Custom extensions automatically appear in the file dialog filter (before ahk, au3, py, js)
- Delete the SandboxStart folder
- Delete Start Menu shortcut:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\SandboxStart.lnk - Optional: Delete cache:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller_8wekyb3d8bbwe\SandboxTest\
- Check Troubleshooting for issues
- See User Guide for features
- Open an issue on GitHub