Sandbox

Access this feature from: Protection ▸ Sandbox

Sandbox allows you to run applications in a virtual, safe environment, completely isolated from the rest of your PC's system. This feature is useful when you want to run suspicious or untrusted applications without risk.

Note: Sandbox is only available in paid versions of Avast Antivirus.

Run applications in Sandbox

We recommend you run an application in Sandbox directly from Windows by right-clicking the application's icon and selecting Run in Sandbox from the context menu.

To run an application from the Sandbox screen:

  1. Click Run App in Sandbox.
  2. Locate the file (.exe) of the application you want to run, and click Open.
    The application opens in a virtualized window indicated by colored borders and the label, "Avast Sandbox".
  3. Click Close App on the Sandbox feature screen to end the virtualized session for a particular application, or close the sandboxed application.

Note: adjust visual options and context menu integration in Sandbox settings. Read more...

Specify automatic Sandbox applications

Right-click an application icon in Windows and select Always run in Sandbox from the context menu to add it to your virtualized apps list. Then, you can simply double-click the application's icon in Windows each time you want to run it in Sandbox.

To further manage which applications should always run in Sandbox:

  1. Click the Settings (gear icon) in the top-right corner of the Sandbox feature screen.
  2. Click +Add App.
  3. Select an app to always run in Sandbox. Optionally, click Select App Path and navigate to the app location, then click Open to confirm.
  4. To add another application to the list, click +Add App. To remove an application, hover the cursor over the relevant row and click the trash icon that appears.

Your virtualized apps list is visible under the +Add App button on the Sandbox settings screen. Applications in this list will always run in Sandbox when they are opened from File Explorer or your Desktop.

Save files from sandboxed applications

All files acquired during a Sandbox session are deleted when you close the sandboxed application. If you want downloaded files to be saved outside sandbox, you can enable it via Sandbox settings.

  1. Click the the Settings (gear icon) in the top-right corner of the Sandbox feature screen.
  2. Ensure Save trusted downloaded files outside the sandbox is enabled.

Files downloaded from applications running in Sandbox will be scanned by Avast and saved automically once determined safe.

Manage Sandbox settings

Configure your preferences for Sandbox by clicking the Settings (gear icon) in the top-right corner of the Sandbox feature screen. Alternatively, go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Protection ▸ Sandbox. Read more...