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Copy Always

CopyAlways is a sandbox setting in Sandboxie Ini, available since Sandboxie Plus 0.6.5. It specifies host-file path patterns that must be migrated with their contents when a sandboxed program needs a sandbox copy.

Usage:

CopyAlways=[program,]pattern

[DefaultBox]
CopyAlways=C:\Data\Reference\*.db
CopyAlways=reporter.exe,*\Reports\*.csv

Each CopyAlways entry is one rule, and the setting may be repeated. The optional prefix before the comma limits a rule to that program; see Program Name Prefix. Paths use the same pattern form as OpenFilePath. Matching is case-insensitive and is performed against the host (true) file path. * matches any sequence of characters, including path separators, and ? matches one character.

When a program prefix is used, current setting metadata requires the drive or device portion of a path to be represented by a wildcard, for example *\Reports\*.csv. Do not use a fixed drive path such as C:\Reports\*.csv or rely on an expandable variable that becomes a full path in a program-specific rule.

Normally, Sandboxie migrates an existing host file only when a sandboxed program requests an operation that needs a sandbox copy. If the file matches CopyAlways, Sandboxie selects a full-content migration before considering CopyLimitKb. The configured size threshold and the large-file prompt are therefore bypassed for the matching migration; CopyLimitSilent has no effect on it.

If CopyAlways is absent or no entry matches, Sandboxie uses another matching migration rule or its normal size-based decision. When rules overlap, DontCopy takes priority over CopyAlways, and CopyAlways takes priority over CopyEmpty. CopyNewer is separate: it triggers a refresh of an existing sandbox copy. CopyAlways does not itself trigger that refresh, but a matching rule can select full-content migration inside it before the normal size limit and prompt.

Please note the following limitations:

  • The rule is consulted for an existing regular host file only when its contents would otherwise be migrated. It does not itself trigger a refresh of an existing sandbox copy and does not govern new files, directories, or create/overwrite operations that do not copy host contents.
  • The rule overrides the migration-size decision, but it cannot guarantee that inaccessible host contents can be read. The rule does not bypass host-file access restrictions. If Sandboxie cannot access the source file as required for migration, the migration may fail or proceed without copying its contents.
  • The host file is not modified; subsequent writes are made to the sandbox copy.

Copy rules can be managed in SandMan under Sandbox Options > General Options > File Migration. Choose Always copy for this rule type.

Related Sandboxie Ini settings: DontCopy, CopyEmpty, CopyNewer, CopyLimitKb, CopyLimitSilent. See also File Migration Settings.