How to Completely Disable ‘Windows Sandbox’ (Virtualization) in Windows 11

Windows Sandbox is an excellent, lightweight virtualization feature built directly into Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. It allows users to spin up an isolated, temporary desktop environment to safely execute untrusted software, open suspicious email attachments, or test beta applications without risking the host operating system. Once you close the Sandbox, everything inside it is permanently deleted. However, because it relies on hardware virtualization (Hyper-V technology), it can cause conflicts with third-party virtualization software like VMware Workstation or VirtualBox. If you use alternative hypervisors or simply want to reclaim the disk space and system resources, you should remove the feature.

This guide explains how to completely disable and uninstall the Windows Sandbox feature in Windows 11 using the Windows Features applet.

Disable Windows Sandbox via Windows Features

Windows Sandbox is an optional system component, meaning it cannot be uninstalled like a normal application via the Settings app. You must use the legacy “Turn Windows features on or off” control panel.

1. Click on the Start button or press the Windows key to open the Search bar.
2. Type Windows Features into the search box.
3. Click on the result that says Turn Windows features on or off. (You may be prompted by User Account Control (UAC) to grant administrator permissions; click Yes).
4. The “Windows Features” dialogue box will appear, displaying a long, scrollable list of optional OS components.
5. Scroll down the list alphabetically until you locate the folder named Windows Sandbox.
6. Click the checkbox next to Windows Sandbox to clear it (ensure the box is completely empty, not filled with a square).
7. Click the OK button at the bottom of the window.

Apply the Changes and Restart

Once you click OK, Windows will take a few moments to search for the required files and apply the changes. This process is actively uninstalling the Sandbox image and removing its virtualization hooks from the operating system.

When the process is complete, a prompt will appear stating that Windows needs to reboot your PC to finish applying the changes. Click the Restart now button. Upon rebooting, the Windows Sandbox application will be completely removed from your Start Menu, and its associated hypervisor background services will no longer conflict with your third-party virtualization tools.