When we use the computer on a regular basis, we may have to access websites that give us little confidence or we must install applications that we do not know and in which we do not trust that they may have some type of virus or hosted malware. To avoid possible scares there are programs called Sandbox, or test box. These softwares allow us to run any program within an isolated and secure environment within Windows. Within these programs, we can choose Sandboxie , which we are going to talk about today.
Sandboxie, our particular test box
Sandboxie is software to run programs that we think may be harmful to our computers, to install and run them within the program itself. Its function is to create a virtual space in which everything can be run with confidence . From here it shows us all the processes and threads of a program so that we can check whether it can be harmful without causing any kind of damage to our computer.
It can be extremely useful if we are users who download a large amount of software and do not want the system registry to be littered with garbage. It will also help us to carry out different tests and experiments of programs that we believe may be unstable and we wish to test them beforehand in a safe environment. In this way, it will serve us to make tests and analyze them in detail how they behave without compromising our main operating system.
We can also use it to open our mail. On many occasions, we read our email, many of the emails that are SPAM can have embedded malware that can compromise the security of our computer. Therefore, if we read the mail through the application executed in Sandboxie, we can check and open all the mails and SPAM without fear of being infected. In the event that the email contains a malicious file, all the damage would remain within Sandboxie and would not harm our operating system.
The programs that should be run within Sandboxie are all those that we do not trust. These can be all those that do not come from official pages. For example, those that are related to internet downloads, as well as files downloaded by Torrent or legal P2P programs that we believe may be compromised for some reason.
Run applications safely
Its installation and configuration is done in a very simple way with an installation wizard that has the program that also offers a tutorial through which it explains how the program works. In addition, it creates a direct access to our web browser so that we can run it in isolation.
To create a new sandbox we must go to the top of the “Sandbox” tab and then “Create New Sandbox” and assign a new name to it. We can create as many sandboxes as we want and thus differentiate them by name.
Now we will click on the sandbox created with the right button and we will pass the cursor over the first option “Execute Isolated in a Sandbox” . We will open a drop-down menu with different execution options, such as a web browser, email or Windows Explorer. Each application that runs in Sandbox mode is underlined with a color so that we know that this application is being run by Sandboxie and not by Windows directly.
This application has a way to end all applications or one of the specific applications. It also has a function to run programs that do not allow to run more than once as a video game. In this way, it allows us to have multiple instances of the game open with multiple accounts simultaneously within the computer.
Has Windows Explorer integration and immediate file recovery
Sandboxie has full integration with Windows Explorer . We can configure it from its Configuration menu at the top. From here we can configure the Sandboxie control both when starting Windows or when starting an isolated program in a Sandbox. It also allows us to add shortcuts to the desktop and different options to add action buttons to the Windows context menu.
It has a function called immediate recovery . From it we can copy files to our main system without fear, since all the changes and programs that we install will not persist and will be eliminated once we finish the program. Right-clicking on a process listed within Sandboxie allows us to modify the way it behaves. This function is only effective for that specific moment and there are other global options that save our settings persistently.
It has an exclusive section to control the restrictions and accesses of each program . It also has a wide capacity for customization. Of course, they require extensive knowledge of how these types of permissions work so as not to compromise the security and stability of the applications.
How to download Sandboxie
Sandboxie is a free and free project that we can download for free from its official page . It is compatible with all versions of Windows from XP to Windows 10 and has a version for 32-bit and 64-bit systems . How could it be otherwise, your installation is free of additional third-party software. The latest version available is 5.33.3 , being its last release on March 4, 2020. This speaks volumes about its update support thanks to the extensive developer community it owns.
To download the program is to fill in some information such as the name or a valid email address. Although this information is not collected to be used for commercial purposes. For home users we must enter in the Job role section: “Home users / Student / Faculty”. In the Company section we will put “N / A”. Once done we will proceed to download the file.
Alternatives to Sandboxie
If you are looking for software that allows programs to run in an isolated environment to test them safely, we suggest some of the following alternatives to Sandboxie:
Windows Sandbox
It is a function of Windows 10 that is responsible for creating a desktop environment, designed so that we can install and run applications that could be dangerously safe in an isolated environment. This function is not activated by default and for this we must access the function Activate or deactivate Windows features and then check the box Isolated space in Windows. Once activated we can use Windows Sandbox.
Shade Sandbox
It is one of the most popular and well-known sandbox applications, from which we can test different programs from an isolated and secure environment. This application is aimed at less expert users since they have a very easy to use interface and configuration. We just have to find the icon of the program that we want to isolate, click and drag it to run it in an isolated and safe way. Shade Sandbox is a free tool that we can download from its official website .