Enable Printer Sharing in Windows Sandbox

How to turn on or off printer sharing with Sandbox in 🪟 Windows 11

To turn on printer sharing, you change the Windows Sandbox policy so the isolated desktop can see the printers installed on your main computer. By default, Windows Sandbox blocks access to local hardware for security reasons. Once you change the setting, you can print straight from the sandbox to any printer on the host. You don’t have to copy files out of the sandbox first.

Two things to check before you start. First, Windows Sandbox only runs on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education, and it must already be turned on under Windows Features. Second, the printer must already be installed and working on the host PC. The sandbox only passes along what the host already has.

In the screenshot below, the sandbox is isolated and you can’t print from it. To print, you have to enable printer sharing between the host and the sandboxed environment.

Here’s how to do that. Sign in with an administrator account first, because both methods change system-wide policy.

1. Click the Start Menu button.
2. Type Edit group policy in the search box.

This opens Local Group Policy Editor, as highlighted below. If the search finds nothing, your edition is probably Windows 11 Home, which has no Group Policy Editor. Skip down to the registry method.

3. Under Best match, click Edit group policy.

The Local Group Policy Editor window opens, with a tree on the left and settings on the right.

4. In the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, expand the tree to the Windows Sandbox folder. The path is Computer Configuration › Administrative Templates › Windows Components › Windows Sandbox
5. Click the Windows Sandbox folder to select it.

The policies for Windows Sandbox now appear in the details pane on the right.

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Sandbox

6. In the Windows Sandbox details pane on the right, find the Allow printer sharing with Windows Sandbox setting.
7. Double-click it.

A window with the same name opens. If you can't find the setting, your Windows 11 build may be older or Windows Sandbox may not be present. Check that the Sandbox feature is installed.

8. In the Allow printer sharing with Windows Sandbox window, choose Not Configured, Enabled, or Disabled.

Here is what each choice does:

• Not Configured (default) - no policy is set, so Windows Sandbox keeps its built-in behavior and does not share printers. Pick this to undo your change later.
• Enabled  - host printers will be shared into Windows Sandbox. Choose this to print from the sandbox.
• Disabled - Sandbox will not view printers from the host. This enforces the block explicitly.

9. Click Apply, then click OK.
10. Close any Windows Sandbox window that is open, then start Sandbox again.

The policy is read when Sandbox starts, so an already running session won't pick it up. A full Windows restart is not needed. In the new session, open a document, press Ctrl+P, and your host printers should be in the list. Remember that the sandbox deletes everything when you close it, but the policy stays on the host.

Enable or disable printer sharing with Sandbox via Windows Registry

You can also enable printer sharing in the Registry Editor if your version of Windows lacks the Group Policy Editor. Open the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Sandbox to create or modify the printer redirection value. This applies the same policy change directly in the registry.

Be careful here, because a wrong edit can cause problems. Before you start, back up the registry in the Registry Editor with File › Export, or create a restore point.

1. Open the Windows Registry. Approve the User Account Control prompt if one appears.
2. In the left pane, navigate to the folder path (like a file folder) shown below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Sandbox

The last key in the path may not exist on your PC, because it is only created when someone sets a policy. If you don't see it, create it:

3. Right-click the last key in the path that does exist.
4. Choose New › Key.
5. Name the new key WindowsSandbox and press Enter.

The new key now appears in the left pane. Click it to select it.

6. In the right pane of that key, right-click an empty area.
7. Choose New › DWORD (32-bit) Value.
8. Name the new value AllowPrinterRedirection.

The value appears in the list with a default data of 0.

9. Double-click AllowPrinterRedirection.
10. Set the Value data to 1 to turn on sharing.
11. Click OK.

Close any open Windows Sandbox window and start it again so it reads the new value. No full restart is needed.

To disable sharing again, set the Value data to 0 or delete the value. Either one puts the sandbox back to its default behavior, where it can't see host printers.

That should do it! If the printer still doesn't show up in the sandbox, confirm that the host can print a test page. Then confirm the policy value is set and that you started a fresh Sandbox session after changing it.

Reference:

Microsoft.com

Conclusion:

• Enabling printer sharing between the host and the sandbox environment in Windows 11 lets you print from the isolated sandbox.
• You configure it in the Local Group Policy Editor or in the Windows Registry. Either way, restart Sandbox for the change to take effect.
• Once enabled, the sandbox and the host work together for printing, which makes testing files and software in Sandbox more practical. You can switch it off at any time by setting the policy to Not Configured or Disabled.