Windows 10 InPrivate Desktop: New sandbox feature in development

Is there soon a private mode for Windows programs analogous to private tabs in the browser? The new sandbox feature InPrivate Desktop gives hope.

Microsoft seems to be working on a new feature for Windows 10 that allows programs to run in a closed environment. The function called “InPrivate Desktop” plays in the name to the InPrivate tabs of the Edge Browser. No private browser data such as history, temporary files or cookies are stored on the PC. Similarly, InPrivate Desktop programs can now be tested without risk for the main system.

The only hints on InPrivate Desktop so far were in the Windows 10 Insider Feedback Hub. As the security blog BleepingComputer reports, a temporary thread to it has been removed in the meantime. The description was: “InPrivate Desktop (Preview) provides admins a way to launch a throwaway sandbox for secure, one-time execution of untrusted software. This is basically an in-box, speedy VM that is recycled when you close the app!”

The information from BleepingComputer says InPrivate Desktop for Windows 10 Enterprise should be developed. The target group should be administrators in companies. Whether other Windows 10 users will also be able to use the function is still unclear. The system requirements are at least 4 GB RAM, 5 GB hard disk space, two CPU cores and a CPU virtualization enabled in the BIOS.

The InPrivate Desktop Preview cannot yet be installed by insiders. A corresponding reference in the Microsoft Store still led into the void.