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Win4Workgroups's avatar
Win4Workgroups
Copper Contributor
Jan 09, 2026

Windows Sandbox

I had to reinstall my computer after the NVMe drive failed and was replaced. The current version of Windows is Windows 11 Business, version 25H2 (OS build 26200.7462). I enabled Windows Sandbox. However, it fails to run with the error: “Windows Sandbox failed to initialize. The media is write-protected (0x80070013)”. I previously had this Windows optional feature enabled without any issues. I have disabled BitLocker, turned off some core isolation features, disabled other Microsoft Defender anti-virus features and in addition followed some recommended steps in Microsoft Support documentation. However, the issue persists. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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3 Replies

  • Win4Workgroups's avatar
    Win4Workgroups
    Copper Contributor
    Jan 11, 2026

    Hi AladinH​,

    Thanks so much for the feedback. The permissions for SYSTEM and Administrators on the Containers folder are set to Full Control on the 25H2. Since this is a fresh install using the Windows 11 Installation Media, I don't have the option to reinstall 24H2 (please see the screenshot below from Microsoft's Software Download page). Is the 24H2 version available for download from anywhere else?

     

  • AladinH's avatar
    AladinH
    Iron Contributor
    Jan 11, 2026

    Hi Win4Workgroups​,

    This error is a known regression in Windows 11 Insider builds (25H2 / 26200+), where Windows Sandbox fails because its container base image is mounted read-only, producing 0x80070013. You can verify this isn’t a simple ACL issue by checking permissions on C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Containers (SYSTEM and Administrators should have Full Control); resetting ownership with takeown / icacls may help in rare cases, but on affected builds it often does not resolve the problem because the issue is at the OS level.

    The only consistently verified fix is to return to a stable Windows release (24H2 or earlier). If the system was upgraded recently, this can be done via Settings > System > Recovery > Go back. Otherwise, leaving the Insider channel and performing an in-place repair install or clean install of 24H2 restores Sandbox functionality immediately. On stable builds, Windows Sandbox works as expected without additional configuration.

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