Most of us have downloaded something that made us hesitate before double-clicking on the file. Maybe it was a utility from GitHub, a driver mirror you do not fully trust, or an installer that Windows Defender flagged as “unknown.” In those moments, the usual options are not great. You can either roll the dice, run it on your main PC, and hope for the best, or you can skip it entirely.
Windows gives you a third option, and it is one most Windows users overlook.Windows Sandbox lets you run untrusted software inside a disposable Windows desktop that disappears the moment you close it. There is no cleanup, no lingering files, and no direct risk to your real system if something goes wrong. Before getting into how to use it, it helps to understand what Sandbox actually is and why it works the way it does.
Windows Sandbox is a built-in feature that allows you to spin up a clean, isolated copy of Windows inside a window. It looks and behaves like a normal desktop, but it’s completely separated from your actual system. Anything you install, download, or change inside Sandbox stays there and nowhere else. When you close the window, the entire environment is wiped and the next launch starts fresh. Think of it as a temporary Windows PC that exists only long enough to answer the question, “Is this safe to use?”
This makes Sandbox ideal for short, disposable tasks like testing unknown installers, opening files you are unsure about, or poking around software before deciding whether it belongs on your real machine. It is not meant for long-term testing or daily use, and it doesn’t save anything between sessions. It’s also worth noting that Sandbox isn’t available on every edition of Windows.
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