What is the PortableBaseLayer drive in Windows 10?

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Published onSeptember 25, 2019

published onSeptember 25, 2019

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Some users of the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (build 1903) may see a new “PortableBaseLayer” virtual hard drive appear in Disk Management. When it shows up, this drive cannot be changed or removed.

Posts across variousonline support forumssuggest that plenty of people have concerns about “PortableBaseLayer.” Although not acknowledged by Microsoft, the drive does however have a simple explanation.

PortableBaseLayer ispart of the Windows Sandbox componentwithin the May 2019 update. Afterenabling the Sandbox feature, PortableBaseLayer will appear. It will remain present until the Sandbox optional feature is removed.

Microsoft appears to be using this approach as a way to guarantee the integrity of the Sandbox environment. As Sandbox is meant to provide you with a clean virtual desktop, Microsoft needs to ensure users and programs can’t modify the “base image” which hosts the feature.

Using a locked virtual hard drive gives Microsoft a way to seal Sandbox off from your wider system. Unfortunately, the mysteriously-named drive ends up visible in Disk Management, even though users can’t interact with it.

Evidence from Windows Insiders (viaWinhelponline) suggests this issue has been resolved in current insider builds of Windows 10. The next major update should hide PortableBaseLayer, even if Windows Sandbox is enabled. In the meantime, Sandbox users will appear to have an invisible virtual hard drive attached to their machine.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

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Radu Tyrsina

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What is the PortableBaseLayer drive in Windows 10?#

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier

What is the PortableBaseLayer drive in Windows 10?