How to Enable Networking in Windows 11 Sandbox

This article explains how to turn networking on or off in the Sandbox on Windows 11.

Security Warning: Enabling networking reduces the isolation benefits of the Sandbox. Your Sandbox will no longer be completely separate from your main computer or the internet.

Why: You may need to download files or test websites inside your Sandbox. By default, Windows blocks this to keep your computer safe.

What happens when done: Your Sandbox will be able to connect to the internet or your local network, just like your main computer.

How to turn on or off networking with Sandbox in Windows 11

Note: The Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows 11 Home. If you are using the Home version, please use the Registry or .wsb file methods below.

By default, networking is turned off to keep your computer secure. If you need to access the internet, you can change this.

First, open Local Group Policy Editor by clicking the Start Menu and searching for “Edit group policy.”

In the left folder tree, go to:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Sandbox

Find the setting named “Allow networking in Windows Sandbox” and double-click it.

Select your preference:

• Not Configured: The default setting (Networking is off).
• Enabled: Allows the Sandbox to connect to the network.
• Disabled: Explicitly turns off all networking.

Using a .wsb file to enable networking

You can create a custom shortcut to launch the Sandbox with networking enabled. Open Notepad and paste the following code:

<Configuration>
  <Networking>Enable</Networking>
</Configuration>

Save the file with a .wsb extension (for example: MySandbox.wsb). Double-clicking this file will launch the Sandbox with networking turned on.

Enable or disable networking with Sandbox via Windows Registry

If you cannot use the Group Policy Editor, use the Windows Registry instead.

Open the Windows Registry and go to this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Sandbox

If you do not see a folder named “Sandbox,” right-click the “Windows” folder, select New, then Key, and name it “Sandbox.”

Right-click in the empty space on the right, select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it AllowNetworking.

Double-click AllowNetworking and change the “Value data” to 1 to turn networking on. Change it to 0 to turn it off.

That should do it!

Reference: Microsoft.com