Where Does Windows Sandbox Keep Its Files?
Windows Sandbox working files under ProgramData Containers, and why nothing you do inside survives a close.
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Windows Sandbox builds its disposable desktop from files under ProgramData's Containers folder. BaseImages holds the pristine OS layers as .vhdx virtual disks, while Sandboxes holds per run working folders with GUID names. Closing the sandbox throws the working state away.
The multi gigabyte size alarms people auditing disk usage. Most of it is the shared base image, not your data, and deleting it by hand breaks Sandbox and anything else using Windows Containers. Your own .wsb config files live wherever you saved them, far away from this runtime directory.
Where Windows Sandbox stores this, by platform
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Containers
GUID subfolder names differ per install, so navigate rather than memorizing. BaseImages holds the shared layers, Sandboxes holds the throwaway run state. Never delete this tree manually. Disable the Sandbox feature properly if you want the space back.
Frequently asked questions
how do i share files with windows sandbox
Add a MappedFolder section to your .wsb config file pointing at the host folder. The folder appears inside the sandbox on next launch. Files you want to keep must be copied back out before closing.
where is my sandbox config file
Wherever you saved it. Windows keeps no central library of .wsb files, so search your Documents or Desktop for *.wsb if you lost track. The sandbox runtime files under ProgramData are not your configs.
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