--- title: "Creating a sandbox project" slug: "creating-a-sandbox-project" description: "A Sandbox project is a test project isolated from your main projects. Play around with the different settings and features of Document360 without affecting the live KB." tags: ["Knowledge base"] updated: 2026-06-29T06:57:42Z published: 2026-06-29T06:57:42Z canonical: "docs.document360.com/creating-a-sandbox-project" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.document360.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Creating a sandbox project A sandbox project in Document360 is an isolated test environment that lets you experiment with features, settings, and configurations without affecting your live knowledge base. It functions as a fully independent workspace where you can safely design, test, and validate changes before rolling them out to end users. --- ## When to use a sandbox project Use a sandbox project when you need a safe space to test or validate changes before they reach your live knowledge base. Common scenarios include: - **Redesigning your knowledge base layout** — prototype and gather internal feedback before going live. - **Testing integrations and scripts** — evaluate third-party tools, custom CSS, or JavaScript without risking the production site. - **Onboarding and training new team members** — give editors hands-on access to Document360 without the risk of unintended changes to live content. --- ## Before you begin SSO users cannot create sandbox projects because logging in as an SSO user requires having a regular user who assigns SSO access to another user. Therefore, a new SSO user cannot create a sandbox project. --- ## How to create a sandbox project 1. Navigate to **Settings** () in the left navigation bar of the **Knowledge base portal**. 2. In the left navigation pane, go to **Knowledge base portal** > **General**. 3. In the **Sandbox** section, click **Create Sandbox**. The **Create a knowledge base sandbox** panel appears. 4. Enter a name in the **Project name** field. NOTE **Naming guidelines:** - Only alphabets (A–Z, a–z), numbers, hyphens (-), and spaces are allowed. - Special characters other than hyphens are not permitted. - The project name must not exceed 30 characters including spaces. 1. Select the preferred language from the **Language** dropdown. 2. If the sandbox should be based on KB site 1.0, select the **KB site 1.0** checkbox. 3. Review the **Knowledge base visibility** setting — it is set to **[Private](https://docs.document360.com/docs/site-access#private-access)** by default. 4. Click **Next**. 5. Optionally, invite team members by entering their email addresses. Separate multiple addresses with commas (,). 6. Select the appropriate **Role** for each invited user. 7. Click **Create project**. Your sandbox project is created. 8. Click **Open Sandbox** () to access the new sandbox. ![Animated walkthrough of creating a sandbox project in Document360](https://cdn.document360.io/860f9f88-412e-4570-8222-d5bf2f4b7dd1/Images/Documentation/New_UI_1_ScreenGIF-Creating_a_Sandbox_project.gif) Once created, a **Sandbox** badge appears next to **Open site** () in the top navigation bar and beside the workspace name in the dropdown, so it is always clear you are working in the sandbox. ![Sandbox badge displayed in the Document360 top navigation bar](https://cdn.document360.io/860f9f88-412e-4570-8222-d5bf2f4b7dd1/Images/Documentation/2_Screenshot-New_Sandbox_badge_in_the_top_bar.png) --- ## Best practices - **Invite stakeholders early** — add internal reviewers and beta customers to gather feedback within the sandbox before going live. - **Test the full end-user journey** — don't just test content; validate navigation menus, search, and site layout from a reader's perspective inside the sandbox. - **Clean up test content before promoting** — review and remove any placeholder or test articles before exporting sandbox content to production. --- ## FAQ **How do I configure my subdomain name for the sandbox?** The subdomain for a sandbox project has `sandbox` appended automatically to distinguish it from your live project. After creation, you can change it using [custom domain mapping](https://docs.document360.com/docs/custom-domain-mapping). **Can I test new configurations without disrupting the live project?** Yes. The sandbox project lets you evaluate configurations such as templates, integrations, and scripts without affecting your primary knowledge base. **How does the sandbox project prevent customer impact during testing?** You can verify changes such as navigation menus and search behaviour in the sandbox before exposing them to customers. This helps identify and resolve issues before launch. **Why can't I log in as an SSO user in the sandbox environment?** Only non-SSO users can access the sandbox environment. To gain access, ask a team member with a non-SSO account to create a standard user account for you. **Can I publish articles in the sandbox environment?** Yes. You can create, draft, and publish articles within the sandbox environment. **Can I import my production project to the sandbox environment?** There is no direct option to clone a production project to a sandbox in Document360. You can achieve this by [**exporting**](/help/docs/exporting-your-document360-project-as-a-zip-file-json) content from production and then [**importing**](/help/docs/import-a-documentation-project) it into the sandbox. The same approach works in reverse when promoting sandbox content to production.