Enable or Disable vGPU Sharing for Windows Sandbox in Windows 10

How to Enable or Disable Virtualized GPU (vGPU) Sharing for Windows Sandbox in Windows 10

Windows Sandbox is an isolated, temporary, desktop environment where you can run untrusted software without the fear of lasting impact to your PC. Starting in Windows 10 build 20161, it is possible to enable or disable Virtualized GPU (vGPU) sharing for Windows Sandbox.

Any software installed in Windows Sandbox stays only in the sandbox and cannot affect your host. Once Windows Sandbox is closed, all the software with all its files and state are permanently deleted.

Windows Sandbox has the following properties:

• Part of Windows – everything required for this feature ships with Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise. No need to download a VHD!
• Pristine – every time Windows Sandbox runs, it’s as clean as a brand-new installation of Windows
• Disposable – nothing persists on the device; everything is discarded after you close the application
• Secure – uses hardware-based virtualization for kernel isolation, which relies on the Microsoft’s hypervisor to run a separate kernel which isolates Windows Sandbox from the host
• Efficient – uses integrated kernel scheduler, smart memory management, and virtual GPU

Starting in Windows 10 build 20161, there are a number of Group Policy options that you can use to fine-tune the Windows Sandbox feature. Windows 10 offers you at least two methods to configure them. You can use a Local Group Policy Editor option, or a Group Policy Registry tweak. The first method can be used in editions of Windows 10 that come with the Local Group Policy Editor app. If you are running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions, then the Local Group Policy Editor app is available in the OS out of the box. Alternatively, a Registry tweak can be used for the same.

If you enable this policy setting, virtualized GPU will become available inside the Sandbox. If you disable or not configure this policy setting, vGPU won't be available, making apps in Sandbox using software rendering, which is usually slower than vGPU. However, enabling virtualized GPU is a security risk, as it increases the chance of a successful sandbox attack.

To Enable or Disable vGPU Sharing for Windows Sandbox in Windows 10,

1. Open the Local Group Policy editor app,.
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Sandbox on the left.
3. On the right, find the policy setting Allow vGPU sharing for Windows Sandbox.
4. To enable vGPU sharing for Windows Sandbox, set the policy to Enabled.
5. To disable vGPU for Windows Sandbox, set the policy to either Disabled or Not configured.
6. Click on Apply and OK.

You are done.

Enable or Disable Printer Sharing with Windows Sandbox in Registry

1. Open Registry Editor.
2. Go to the following Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Sandbox.
   See how to jump to the desired Registry key with one click.
3. If you do not have such a key, then just create it.
4. Here, create a new 32-bit DWORD value AllowVGPU. Note: Even if you are running 64-bit Windows, you still need to use a 32-bit DWORD as the value type.
5. Set it to 1 to enable the vGPU sharing for Windows Sandbox.
6. Delete the value to disable the vGPU sharing feature.
7. To make the changes done by the Registry tweak take effect, you may need to restart Windows 10.

Ready-to-use Registry Files

To save your time, you can download the following Registry Files, including the undo tweak

Download Registry Files

More on Windows Sandbox

• How to enable Windows Sandbox (and what is it)
• Windows Sandbox Introduces Simple Config Files in Windows 10
• Enable Windows 10 Sandbox with PowerShell and Dism
• Enable Windows Sandbox in Windows 10 Home
• InPrivate Desktop is a Sandbox Feature in Windows 10

More on Group Policy

• How To See Applied Group Policies in Windows 10
• All Ways To Open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10
• Apply Group Policy to All Users Except Administrator in Windows 10
• Apply Group Policy to a Specific User in Windows 10
• Reset All Local Group Policy Settings at once in Windows 10
• Enable Gpedit.msc (Group Policy) in Windows 10 Home