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File Root Path

FileRootPath is a sandbox setting in Sandboxie Ini. It specifies the file-container root for a particular sandbox. It is a storage-location setting, not a rule granting access to host files.

It can be set for a box or supplied through the effective global or enabled-template configuration. An effective FileRootPath takes precedence over the legacy BoxRootFolder, even if FileRootPath came from [GlobalSettings] and BoxRootFolder was set for the box.

See Sandbox Roots and Volume Layout and Sandbox Hierarchy for the contents beneath this root.

Usage:

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   [DefaultBox]
   FileRootPath=C:\Sandbox\MySandbox

Related Sandboxie Control setting: Sandbox menu > Set Container Folder

In SandMan, the global default is at Global Settings > Advanced Config > Sandboxie Config > Sandbox file system root. The New Box wizard offers a container location, and a per-box FileRootPath can be entered in Sandbox Options > Advanced Options > Miscellaneous > Add Option. The Sandboxie Control link above describes the Classic/legacy interface.

Technical Details

The following substitution variables may be useful in this path.

  • Shell Folders variables such as %Personal% which expands to the user's Documents folder
  • The variable %SBIEHOME% which expands to the root of the Sandboxie installation
  • The variable %SystemDrive% which expands to the Windows system drive letter
  • The variable %SANDBOX% which expands to the name of the sandbox
  • The variable %USER% (or %USERNAME%) which expands to the user name
  • The variable %SID% which expands to the user security ID (SID)
  • The variable %SESSION% which expands to the Terminal Services session number

If no effective FileRootPath is available, Sandboxie checks for the deprecated BoxRootFolder. When present, its value is followed by the old-style suffix:

  • BoxRootFolder\Sandbox\<box name>

If neither setting is available, the built-in runtime default is:

  • \??\%SystemDrive%\Sandbox\%USER%\%SANDBOX%

For a typical Windows installation this resolves to a location such as C:\Sandbox\alice\DefaultBox. %BOXNAME% is not a supported root-expansion alias; use %SANDBOX%.

Changing FileRootPath in configuration does not move an existing container. Stop affected sandboxed processes before changing the path, and do not assume existing content will be relocated automatically; changing the path alone can leave the old content behind.