I have been using Linux a lot lately, and I love how you can isolate Windows apps by running them in different Bottles. It’s super useful, and I see a lot of potential for that on Windows too. Apps like Steam, Lutris, and Bottles make it easy.
I’m trying to find a way to do something similar on Windows. I want to run some Windows apps in a bottle so I don’t have to worry about configuration changes or any other issues that could mess with my Windows installation.
I know virtual machines exist, but they can be pretty heavy and you lose a lot of performance with them.
Another option is to look for portable versions of the apps you want to use. They don’t mess with your PC since they just run from their own folder. If you have a drive that’s not C:, put them there so you won’t lose them when you reinstall Windows.
I totally agree that portable apps seem like the best option for this! If you want even more isolation, you could run them in a sandbox like Sandboxie or use the built-in sandbox feature in Windows. The sandbox creates a safe space away from your main operating system, so you can test things out without worrying about messing anything up.
Windows has a built-in feature called “Sandbox.” Just a heads up: when you close the Sandbox, everything you set up will be wiped the next time you open a new one. If you need something that saves your settings, you might want to check out Hyper-V, which I think is available in the Pro version of Windows.
Using Hyper-V on Windows Home isn’t too complicated, but it can feel a bit clunky at times. If you’re looking for a smoother experience, give VirtualBox a try. It’s free and surprisingly capable, even letting me run Windows 11 on my older machine that doesn’t meet all the requirements for Windows 10.