Some Windows 10 users with May 2019 update are seeing a new partition called PortableBaseLayer. If this is your first time, you might wonder what in the world is the PortableBaseLayer partition.
Well, let me tell you.
What is PortableBaseLayer Partition?
Before you ask me, no, PortableBaseLayer is not a virus, malware, or rouge partition.
PortableBaseLayer is a system partition created for Windows Sandbox.
When you enable the Windows Sandbox, the operating system will automatically create the PortableBaseLayer partition and places all the important files that are necessary to run the sandbox.
Depending on your usage, the partition size will be anywhere from 1GB to 10GB. Sometimes, it might even exceed that range too.
In case you don’t know, Windows Sandbox is what it sounds like. It is a built-in sandbox that lets you test programs and settings without affecting the host operating system. Compared to traditional solutions like VMware and VirtualBox, Windows Sandbox is lightweight, fast, and easy to use.
All pro and enterprise users can enable Windows Sandbox as long as the system meets the minimum requirements.
How to Find PortableBaseLayer Partition
Finding the Windows Sandbox partition is nothing hard. You can use the built-in disk management tool and any other third-party partition software.
1. Open the start menu, search for “Create and format hard disk partitions” and open in it.
2. You will see the PortableBaseLayer partition listed in the Volume section.
Note: If you are not seeing the special partition, then it means that you’ve not enabled Windows Sandbox.
Can I Delete PortableBaseLayer Partition?
No, don’t delete the partition manually as it might corrupt the Windows Sandbox.
Deleting the partition manually might even cause problems for the host system and other applications like Windows Defender. The good thing is, when you disable the sandbox feature, Windows will automatically delete the partition for you. You don’t have to do anything.
That is all. Hopefully, that clears what PortableBaseLayer partition is all about.