Disable networking and clipboard sharing in Windows Sandbox

Affected products and symptoms

Product

Windows Sandbox

Versions and conditions

Windows 11 (confirm the edition and hardware requirements for the feature)

Error codes and identifiers

WSB

Symptoms

• Disable networking and clipboard sharing in Windows Sandbox.
• The same condition can persist after a retry or restart.

Causes and conditions

Windows Sandbox enables networking and clipboard sharing by default, creating unnecessary paths between untrusted code and other resources.

Before you start

• Save open documents and allow time for a Windows restart if required.
• Run administrative actions only on a personally managed PC or with administrator approval.
• Save the diagnostic command output so the before and after states can be compared.

Step-by-step instructions

1. 01

   Close the current Sandbox session

   #

   Review any output you need, then close the current Sandbox. A configuration file cannot be applied to an already-running session. Start with harmless test data and do not share confidential files or a working business environment.

2. 02

   Check the state with notepad.exe

   #

   Turn on file-name extensions and prepare an empty folder for the configuration file.

   Command or pathCopy

   notepad.exe

3. 03

   Repair through the supported path

   #

   Create a .wsb file containing a Configuration root element with Networking and ClipboardRedirection set to Disable, save it, and launch that file.

   Configuration file content (not a terminal command)Copy

   <Configuration><Networking>Disable</Networking><ClipboardRedirection>Disable</ClipboardRedirection></Configuration>

4. 04

   Save and open a .wsb file

   #

   The XML in step 3 is configuration text to paste into Notepad, not a terminal command. Choose Save as, set the file type to All files, and save it as isolated.wsb. Show file extensions in File Explorer, confirm it is not .wsb.txt, and double-click the file.

5. 05

   Verify under the same conditions

   #

   In the newly opened Sandbox, confirm that the browser cannot connect to an external site. Copy a harmless short string on the host and confirm that it cannot be pasted into Notepad in Sandbox. ipconfig output alone does not verify that clipboard redirection is disabled.

Check the result

• The feature starts, connects, or completes without the original error.
• The verification command reports the expected enabled, healthy, or connected state.
• The result remains correct after a Windows restart and no new matching critical event appears.

If the problem continues

• If the same code persists, provide the full message, Windows build, command output, and occurrence time to the PC administrator or Microsoft Support.
• If hardware requirements, organization policy, or server settings are responsible, ask the owner to make the change instead of bypassing it on the client.

Scope of this guide

Troubleshooting guide — Restore the feature so it starts, connects, or completes normally and passes the same verification after a Windows restart.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources and dates

• Use and configure Windows Sandbox ↗

Source publication or resolution date: Not specified. Sources checked: 2026-09-05. The check date is not the date the problem first occurred. Interface labels can vary between versions and display languages.

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