Changing your Sandboxie Plus container folder allows you to relocate where your sandboxes are stored, offering greater flexibility and control over your system resources. The most direct way to change the root path for your sandboxes is through the Sandboxie Plus application settings.
Why Change Your Sandboxie Plus Folder?
There are several compelling reasons to consider moving your Sandboxie Plus container folder:
- Free Up Space: Your primary drive (often C:) might be running low on space. Moving sandboxes to a different, larger drive can alleviate this.
- Improved Performance: If you have a faster SSD (Solid State Drive) that isn't your primary drive, or if your primary drive is an HDD, moving sandboxes to a dedicated, faster drive can improve performance.
- Better Organization: Consolidate all your sandbox data to a specific drive or partition for easier management and backups.
- Data Isolation: Separate sandbox data from critical system files for enhanced security or disaster recovery planning.
- Network Storage: In some advanced scenarios, users might want to store sandbox data on a network drive, though this requires careful configuration and consideration of performance.
Step-by-Step Guide to Changing the Container Folder
To change the default location where Sandboxie Plus stores your sandboxes, follow these straightforward steps:
- Open Sandboxie Plus: Launch the main Sandboxie Plus application. This is what the reference refers to as "Sandboxie Control."
- Navigate to the Sandbox Menu: In the Sandboxie Plus interface, locate and click on the "Sandbox" menu option in the top toolbar.
- Select "Set Container Folder": From the dropdown menu under "Sandbox," choose the "Set Container Folder..." option.
- Choose the Desired Location: A file browser window will appear. Navigate to the new folder or drive where you wish Sandboxie Plus to store its sandbox containers. Select the folder and click "OK" or "Select Folder."
Once you confirm, Sandboxie Plus will update its configuration to use the new path as the default location for all future sandboxes. Existing sandboxes might need special attention, as detailed below.
Important Considerations Before Changing Your Folder
Before you change the container folder, it's crucial to understand the implications, especially for existing sandboxes:
- Existing Sandboxes: Changing the "Set Container Folder" primarily affects where new sandboxes will be created. If you have existing sandboxes, they will likely remain in their original location.
- To move existing sandboxes: You will need to manually copy the contents of your old sandbox folders (typically found in
C:\Sandbox\%USERNAME%\%SANDBOXNAME%or the previously configured root path) to the new container folder you've set up. After moving, you might need to right-click each sandbox in the Sandboxie Plus UI, go to "Sandbox Options," then "Advanced," and verify or update the "Container Folder" path for that specific sandbox to point to its new location. - Alternatively, recreate: For less critical sandboxes, it might be simpler to delete the old sandboxes after the path change and then create new ones, which will automatically be placed in the new container folder.
- To move existing sandboxes: You will need to manually copy the contents of your old sandbox folders (typically found in
- Permissions: Ensure that the new location you choose has appropriate read/write permissions for your user account and for Sandboxie Plus. Insufficient permissions can prevent sandboxes from being created or functioning correctly.
- Disk Space: Verify that the new drive or partition has sufficient free space to accommodate your current and future sandbox data.
- Backup Your Data: Before making significant changes, it's always recommended to back up any important data stored within your existing sandboxes. You can do this by right-clicking a sandbox, going to "Sandbox Options" > "Recovery," and using the "Quick Recovery" feature or manually copying files out.
Default vs. Custom Folder Locations
Here's a comparison of typical default locations and what a custom location might look like:
| Aspect | Default Location (Windows) | Custom Location Example |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Path | C:\Sandbox\%USERNAME%\%SANDBOXNAME% |
D:\SandboxieData\%SANDBOXNAME% |
| Parent Directory | C:\Sandbox (or a similar path within Users folder) |
D:\SandboxieData |
| Benefit | Standard, automatically set up | More space, better performance, organized data |
Advanced Tips for Managing Sandboxie Folders
- Individual Sandbox Paths: While
Set Container Folderchanges the global default, you can also specify a custom container folder for each individual sandbox. Right-click on a sandbox in Sandboxie Plus > Sandbox Options > Advanced > Container Folder. This allows for granular control, e.g., having some sandboxes on an SSD and others on an HDD. - Creating New Sandboxes: When you create a new sandbox, if the global container folder is set, it will automatically use that path. However, you often have an option during creation to specify a different path directly.
- Symlinks/Junctions (Advanced): For very advanced users, using symbolic links or directory junctions can sometimes help manage folder locations without changing the Sandboxie settings directly, but this is complex and generally not recommended for most users.
By carefully following these steps and considering the implications, you can effectively change your Sandboxie Plus container folder to better suit your system's needs and your workflow.
