> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://e2b-automation-sdk-reference-sync.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Fork sandbox

You can fork a running sandbox into one or more new sandboxes with the `e2b sandbox fork` (alias `fk`) command.

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Terminal theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-default"}}
  e2b sandbox fork <sandboxID>
  ```
</CodeGroup>

The sandbox is snapshotted in place — paused, captured with its full filesystem and memory state, and resumed — and the new sandbox boots from that snapshot. The original sandbox keeps running with its ID and expiration untouched. Learn more about [sandbox forking](/sandbox/fork).

The command prints the ID of each new sandbox on its own line, so you can pass it to other commands:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-default"}}
e2b sandbox connect $(e2b sandbox fork <sandboxID>)
```

### Create multiple forks

To boot several sandboxes from the same snapshot, use the `--count` flag. The snapshot is captured once regardless of the count.

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-default"}}
e2b sandbox fork <sandboxID> --count 3
```

Each fork succeeds or fails independently. The IDs of the forks that started are printed to stdout, a message for each fork that failed is printed to stderr, and the command exits with a non-zero status if any fork failed.

### Fork timeout

To set how long the forked sandboxes live, use the `--timeout` flag with a value in seconds. It defaults to 5 minutes and applies to the forks only — the original sandbox's expiration is not changed.

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-default"}}
e2b sandbox fork <sandboxID> --timeout 600
```