Creating a sandbox
The sandbox is a complete copy of your site where you can try things out safely: a new plugin, another theme, a redesign. Each installation has at most one. You create it under “Details” in the status line with “Create sandbox”; copying takes a few minutes.
The sandbox has its own address, which “Open sandbox ↗” shows in a new window. A yellow band runs across the top of each of its pages so you do not mistake it for the real one, and search engines are asked not to include it. The sandbox uses no AI credit.
- Click “Details” in the status line above the preview.
- In the sandbox card, click “Create sandbox”.
- Wait until “Open sandbox ↗” appears.
Working in the sandbox
Above the preview you switch between “Live” and “Sandbox”; the switch changes colour so you can see where you are. In the sandbox, the Control Panel, the Store, the building blocks, “Pages and posts”, WP-Admin, the database, search engines, the developer area and Kenji all act on the copy. The other boxes of the Console and the history always refer to the live site.
The sandbox creates no restore point of its own before serious steps — it is the copy itself. When you switch to another installation, the switch goes back to “Live”.
Pushing the sandbox live
If you like what you built in the sandbox, “Restore …” brings it to the real site. In the “Restore sandbox” window you choose between two ways. “Files only (recommended)” takes over the sandbox’s files, such as themes and plugins, and leaves the live site’s database as it is — orders, comments and posts added on the live site in the meantime are kept.
“Replace all” overwrites the database as well. Before that, “Added on the live site since the clone:” lists what would be lost, and you confirm with the installation’s name. Either way, we back up the live site completely first.
- In the sandbox card, click “Restore …”.
- Choose “Files only (recommended)” or “Replace all”.
- Click “Restore files” — or, for “Replace all”, type the name and click “Replace all”.
Deleting the sandbox
When you no longer need the sandbox, “Delete sandbox” removes it; it is backed up first. You can create a new one at any time, starting again from the current state of the live site. A sandbox always shows the state from the moment you created it; whatever is added live afterwards does not reach it. If you want to delete an installation, delete its sandbox first.