Releases: sandboxie-plus/Sandboxie
Release v1.16.9 / 5.71.9
Release Notes
This release of Sandboxie Plus focuses on stability, compatibility, and overall robustness across a wide range of real-world use cases. Several long-standing and high-impact issues have been resolved, particularly affecting popular applications such as web browsers, email clients, and Microsoft Office, resulting in a smoother and more reliable sandboxing experience.
Application compatibility has been significantly improved. Issues affecting recent versions of Thunderbird have been fixed, Firefox no longer triggers AppModel-Runtime errors in the Windows Event Viewer when run inside a sandbox, and Tor Browser is now stable even when operated at the highest security level. Problems specific to portable and sandboxed browser scenarios were also addressed, including a long-standing issue where Chrome Portable tooltips could become stuck.
System-level stability has been strengthened as well. A critical blue-screen crash in the Sandboxie driver under high GPU process creation load on Windows Server 2022 has been resolved, and crashes that prevented Microsoft Word from functioning correctly due to failures in OfficeClickToRun.exe have been fixed. In addition, Sandboxie now handles software lifecycle operations more efficiently, eliminating prolonged delays when uninstalling or removing applications that were installed exclusively within a sandbox.
Overall, this release prioritizes reliability and correctness in high-security and high-load environments, making Sandboxie Plus safer and more dependable for everyday use as well as professional and server-side deployments.
For a full list of changes please review the change log.
You can support the project through donations, any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have issues with an update installation, just uninstall the previous version keeping the sandboxie.ini and reinstall the new build.
Release v1.16.8 / 5.71.8
Release Notes
This update of Sandboxie-Plus enhances usability across the file panel and configuration interface. The file panel now supports an integrated search and filter function, which can be opened using Ctrl + F, allowing users to quickly locate items within large folder views. Additionally, a dedicated user interface option has been introduced for the ProtectAdminOnly=y/n setting, making this security configuration accessible without manual INI edits.
The release also addresses an issue in the 32-bit SbieDll.dll where SbieApi_QueryDrvInfo could trigger an incorrect certificate warning. This problem has been fully resolved to ensure accurate driver state reporting and eliminate unnecessary alerts.
For a full list of changes please review the change log.
You can support the project through donations, any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have issues with an update installation, just uninstall the previous version keeping the sandboxie.ini and reinstall the new build.
Release v1.16.7 / 5.71.7
Release Notes
This release of Sandboxie-Plus introduces a small but useful enhancement and several important refinements. A new checkbox for the “NoRestartOnPCA=y” setting has been added to the box options, giving users direct control without manual editing. The default value for “UseWin32kHooks” has been reverted from “y” back to “n” after it was found to cause compatibility issues with certain applications. Additionally, named syscall invocation under WoW64 has been improved to ensure more robust operation in mixed-architecture scenarios.
A significant focus of this update is stability, with several critical fixes in both user-mode and driver-level components. The “OpenWndStation=y” option now works correctly again when used together with “SandboxieAllGroup=y”.
Most importantly, this update includes fixes that directly affect the driver’s stability. A flaw that could lead to incorrect driver responses during certificate parsing and driver-info queries has been resolved, and a potential handle leak in SbieDll.dll involving SbieApi_DeviceHandle has been fixed as documented in issue #5097. These corrections eliminate scenarios that, under certain conditions, could have contributed to resource exhaustion or triggered system instability, reducing the risk of potential BSODs and improving overall reliability of the sandboxie.
For a full list of changes please review the change log.
You can support the project through donations, any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have issues with an update installation, just uninstall the previous version keeping the sandboxie.ini and reinstall the new build.
Release v1.16.6 / 5.71.6
Release Notes
This release delivers several important fixes and a key compatibility improvement to enhance the overall reliability and user experience of Sandboxie-Plus. A issue affecting Windows 7 users introduced in 1.16.5 has been resolved, ensuring that the program can once again establish a proper connection to the driver on this platform. Compatibility with recent Firefox Nightly builds (version 146) has also been addressed, allowing the browser to run correctly within the sandbox environment. This version also introduces a change to the default configuration: the UseWin32kHooks=y option is now enabled by default for all sandboxed processes. This adjustment significantly improves compatibility with Electron-based applications, reducing issues that some users previously experienced.
Overall, Sandboxie-Plus 1.16.6 / 5.71.6 continues the effort to refine system compatibility, stability, and performance across both legacy and modern Windows systems.
For a full list of changes please review the change log.
You can support the project through donations, any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have issues with an update installation, just uninstall the previous version keeping the sandboxie.ini and reinstall the new build.
Release v1.16.5 / 5.71.5
Release Notes
Sandboxie-Plus 1.16.5 introduces a range of refinements and fixes aimed at improving both usability and stability across the board. One of the most notable improvements is the enhanced INI Editor, which now offers a much more capable “Edit INI Section” dialog, making configuration editing more intuitive and efficient. Custom box colors are now preserved even when changing the Box Type Preset, ensuring that user-defined visual customization remains consistent. The sandbox border settings have also been expanded with support for alpha transparency, giving users finer control over the appearance of sandbox indicators.
The context menu icons have been refreshed for a cleaner, more modern look, and the default toolbar configuration has been refined for better usability. Under the hood, the Win32 system call handling has seen an experimental improvement: when UseWin32kFilterTable=y is enabled, the driver will now make use of the KeServiceDescriptorTableFilter instead of KeServiceDescriptorTableShadow where appropriate, providing more accurate and secure filtering behavior.
This release also resolves several technical issues. The reliability of the BindAdapter feature has been improved when a VPN or bound adapter becomes disconnected. A long-standing issue involving registry handling was fixed where a WOW6432Node subkey could incorrectly become HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\WOW6432Node. Additionally, a security-related issue was addressed where programs started with their 8.3 filenames were not properly identified as forced or blocked programs.
Overall, version 1.16.5 refines the user experience, enhances customization and system integration, and delivers improved robustness in key areas of the Sandboxie-Plus platform.
Known Issue
- The Driver requires a kernel export not present on Windows 7, this issue will be fixed in 1.16.6
For a full list of changes please review the change log.
You can support the project through donations, any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have issues with an update installation, just uninstall the previous version keeping the sandboxie.ini and reinstall the new build.
Release v1.16.4 / 5.71.4
Release Notes
Sandboxie-Plus 1.16.4 / Classic 5.71.4 has been released on October 2nd, 2025. This version introduces a new protection option that blocks non-administrative instances of the session leader, such as Sandman.exe or Sbiectrl.exe, from accessing encrypted box data. This safeguard is enabled by default, though it can be disabled by setting ProtectAdminOnly=n if required. In addition to this enhancement, the release resolves a critical issue where Sandboxie-Plus 1.16.3 failed to connect to the driver on Windows Preview Build 27943, as tracked in issue #5003. Stability has also been improved with a fix for crashes related to the latest Signal client. Furthermore, the internal checks in Thread_CheckObject_CommonEx have been strengthened to provide more robust handling of encrypted boxes. This update continues the project’s focus on reliability, compatibility with evolving Windows builds, and stronger data protection.
For a full list of changes please review the change log.
You can support the project through donations, any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have issues with an update installation, just uninstall the previous version keeping the sandboxie.ini and reinstall the new build.
Release v1.16.3 / 5.71.3
Release Notes
This release focuses on improved compatibility and stability across modern and legacy Windows builds while polishing the user experience in dark mode and on high-DPI systems. We switched to Qt 6.8.3 with Windows 7 compatibility patches; driver imports were reworked so that binaries built with Visual Studio 2022 can still load correctly on Windows 7. We also validated compatibility with Windows build 27934 and refreshed DynData to reflect those changes.
Several reported issues have been addressed to restore expected behavior for users. The missing tray menu introduced in 1.16.2 has been fixed, and the UAC prompt layout now displays correctly at higher DPI on the secure desktop; Arabic users will find the UAC prompt dialog respects RTL layout. The dark mode help popup that previously showed a light background in 1.16.1 has been corrected. Network options can now be persisted correctly during editing, the installer will remove obsolete files from older 1.16.x installations during cleanup, and the problem that prevented the “restart as admin” window from appearing has been resolved.
For a full list of changes please review the change log.
You can support the project through donations, any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have issues with an update installation, just uninstall the previous version keeping the sandboxie.ini and reinstall the new build.
Release v1.16.2 / 5.71.2
Release Notes
The final release of Sandboxie-Plus version 1.16.2 / 5.71.2 consolidates and builds upon the significant advancements introduced in the recent pre-releases, delivering a more secure, compatible, and modernized sandboxing experience.
This version marks a major step forward in platform modernization. The underlying codebase has been updated to the MSVC 2022 toolset, while the user interface has migrated from Qt 5 to Qt 6. These changes provide better performance, improved security, and access to newer development features. However, they also necessitate the discontinuation of support for Windows 7 and 32-bit systems. Depending on user interest, an Extended Support Release (ESR) for older systems may be considered. If you are interested in such an ESR version please let us know in our forum.
The update further refines usability and functionality. A new INI key validation feature, complete with per-key tooltips, has been integrated into the INI section editor, making advanced configuration safer and more accessible. SandMan now also supports an optional Windows 11-style visual theme, enhancing UI consistency on modern systems.
A major new feature allows administrators to redirect all files marked with the "Mark of the Web" into a designated sandbox, improving security by isolating potentially unsafe downloads. Forced process rules now support wildcards, and virtual sandboxes can be created without being written into the main configuration file, ideal for temporary or dynamically managed setups.
Under the hood, the DNS filter logic has been hardened to prevent unresolved domains from bypassing filtering, addressing a potential security flaw.
Additional improvements to system object handling now cover EventPair, KeyedEvent, and Timer types, enhancing compatibility with more applications.
The UAC subsystem can now invoke Sandboxie's own prompt, capable of simulating administrative rights without actual elevation, for more secure testing scenarios.
This release also addresses a range of bugs. Issues with incomplete shortcut paths, broken network adapter isolation, misinterpreted backslash-prefixed file paths, and language mismatches during installation have been resolved. The UAC prompt layout has been visually refined, and a long-standing fullscreen issue with Firefox’s taskbar behavior has been fixed. Moreover, Firefox compatibility has been improved for both stable and Nightly builds, resolving recent hook-related failures. An important security issue involving sandbox key leaks during encrypted volume password changes has also been mitigated by backporting hardened logic from MajorPrivacy.
Together, these changes offer a more future-proof, stable, and secure experience for Sandboxie-Plus users.
For a full list of changes please review the change log.
You can support the project through donations, any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have issues with an update installation, just uninstall the previous version keeping the sandboxie.ini and reinstall the new build.
Release v1.16.1 / 5.71.1
Release Notes
With this release, Sandboxie’s core has been modernized to ensure long-term stability and compatibility with today’s development platforms. We’ve upgraded our build environment to the MSVC 2022 toolset—an unavoidable change now that support for the 2019 runner has been discontinued—and migrated our UI framework from Qt 5 to Qt 6. Together, these updates bring improved compiler optimizations and access to the latest Qt features, but in doing so they require us to discontinue support for Windows 7 and 32-bit operating systems. We understand this may impact some users; if there is sufficient demand, we will explore providing a periodic Extended Support Release (ESR) that maintains compatibility with Windows 7.
On the fixes side, this build addresses several noteworthy issues reported in recent weeks: shortcuts now correctly include the full directory path, resolving the incomplete-link problem; binding to a network adapter once again enforces isolation even if the adapter is disabled; file-path resolution no longer fails on paths beginning with a backslash; the UI language bindings have been corrected to honor the installer’s Language ID; the UAC prompt layout has been polished for consistency; and the “Run Un-Sandboxed” option will no longer be ignored when Mark-of-the-Web enforcement is enabled. We appreciate all feedback and bug reports, and hope you enjoy this more robust and future-proof release of Sandboxie.
For a full list of changes please review the change log.
You can support the project through donations, any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have issues with an update installation, just uninstall the previous version keeping the sandboxie.ini and reinstall the new build.
Release v1.16.0 / 5.71.0
Release Notes
This release introduces several important improvements to Sandboxie-Plus, further enhancing compatibility, usability, and control for advanced users. A new option has been added to copy the Hardware ID directly from the support page for convenience. More significantly, a powerful new feature allows administrators to automatically redirect all files marked with "Mark of the Web" into a specified sandbox using the MarkOfTheWebBox=BoxName setting. Wildcard support has also been introduced for forced process rules, and a new option now allows for the creation of virtual sandboxes that do not require persistence in the main configuration file.
The Trace Log page now properly adapts text scaling in the 'Type' dropdown, ensuring clarity on high-DPI displays. Several system object types, such as EventPair, KeyedEvent, and Timer, have received improved virtualization and filtering support. A new UAC handling option (UseSandboxieUAC=y) enables Sandboxie’s own prompt, which includes the ability to simulate administrator rights without actually elevating privileges.
Under the hood, the DNS Filter logic has been refactored to address issues where domains that did not resolve could bypass filtering—this resolves potential security leaks and improves consistency. Support for compiler security features like /GS and /CETCOMPAT has been expanded to more components, and INI configuration handling has been modernized to allow importing sandbox configurations from external files and support for virtual config sections within the driver.
Finally, a number of bugs have been resolved, including a persistent taskbar issue in Firefox when entering fullscreen mode, glitches in content deletion UI, unexpected Sandboxie Plus shutdowns, and context menu execution behavior on Windows 11. Display issues and inconsistencies in the Move Sandbox menu have also been addressed, offering a more stable and refined user experience overall.
For a full list of changes please review the change log.