Managing Apps in a Sandbox Environment: Your Essential FAQ

[#1]

Managing an Atlassian Cloud instance can be a bit of a puzzle—especially when it comes to Sandbox environment billing. After spending way too much time testing and going back and forth with Atlassian Support, I realized that figuring out how Marketplace apps work in a Sandbox isn’t always straightforward.

So, to save you (and future me) from the same headaches, I put together this FAQ guide. Whether you're an admin testing new apps or just trying to keep your Atlassian Cloud billing clean, this guide has you covered.

Let’s dive in! 🚀

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🛍️ Q1: What’s a Promo Code?

Atlassian Marketplace Partners sometimes offer promo codes that give you a discount on their cloud apps. You typically apply these when checking out in your production environment (not in the Sandbox).

📌 More info: Apply a promo code to an app purchase

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🔍 Q2: Are all Marketplace apps supported in the Sandbox?

❌ No, Not necessarily! Atlassian says some apps don’t work in Sandboxes, but there’s no official list (at least none that I could find).

💡 Have you come across any apps that don’t work? Drop them in the comments!👇

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💰 Q3: Can I install paid applications in Sandbox without extra charges?

✅ Yes! If you’ve already paid for an app in your production instance, you can install it in the Sandbox for free—no extra charges.

📌 How to do it:
1️⃣ Go to your Sandbox admin
2️⃣ Find the app
3️⃣ Click Add to Sandbox

And you’re good to go! 🚀

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🎟️ Q4: Do I need to reapply the promo code in the Sandbox?

❌ No! Since Sandbox billing is linked to production, any promo codes you applied in production will carry over automatically to your Sandbox.

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⚡ Q5: If I apply a promo code in production, will it sync immediately with the Sandbox?

✅ Yes! Once a promo code is applied in production, it syncs instantly with your Sandbox billing.

📌 If the app isn’t installed in your Sandbox yet, you’ll just need to add it manually.

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🛠️ Q6: What if I want to try an app in the Sandbox that isn’t active in production?

You can totally do that! Just start a free trial for the app in your Sandbox.

⚠ Heads up:

• If you keep using the app after the trial, you’ll need to subscribe separately.
• Pricing is based on the number of users in the Sandbox, not production.
• Annual subscriptions aren’t supported for Sandboxes.

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🚫 Q7: What happens if I uninstall or unsubscribe from the app in production?

If you remove an app in production, it’s also gone from your Sandbox—no exceptions.

📌 Want to keep using it in the Sandbox after removing it from production? Then see Q6 above.

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🔄 Q8: Will refreshing data in the Sandbox remove installed applications?

✅ Yes! If you refresh data, all installed apps will be wiped out.

📌 The good news? If the app is already subscribed in production (or has a promo code), you can reinstall it for free without needing to reapply the discount.

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📂 Q9: Will apps stay in the Sandbox after a full data copy from production?

❌ No! Apps don’t transfer when you do a full data copy from production.

📌 What to do? After the copy process, you’ll need to reinstall all apps manually.

🔗 More details in Atlassian’s What data is copied to Sandboxes? document.

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🧹 Q10: How do I properly remove an app from the Sandbox to avoid being billed?

If you want to make sure you don’t get charged, do this:

1️⃣ Go to Apps > Manage your apps in the Sandbox admin
2️⃣ If the app is on a trial, click Stop trial
3️⃣ If it’s on a paid subscription, click Unsubscribe, then Uninstall

⚠ Important: Just uninstalling the app without stopping the trial or subscription will still result in charges!

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🛑 Q11: Why can’t I create a new Sandbox when my old one has expired apps?

If your current Sandbox has expired apps, Atlassian won’t let you create a new one until they’re removed.

📌 Solution:
✅ Remove the expired apps
✅ Wait 24 hours
✅ Try creating a new Sandbox

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💭 Final Thoughts

I hope this FAQ clears up some of the confusion around Sandbox billing and Marketplace apps! If you’ve run into any billing surprises or app issues, let’s talk about it in the comments.

💬 Have a question or something to share? Let me know below!

Happy sandboxing! 🏖️

[Hans Polder _Devoteam_]

Thanks for this overview @Ansar Rezaei !

To add on Q3 (installing apps that you already have in production on a sandbox):

In my experience, it sometimes can happen that the install button for an app in Sandbox doesn't say 'Add to sandbox' but 'Start free trial' (or something similar). Even if you are 100% certain that this exact app is already present in your production environment (and paid for).

I had this issue recently, where (after raising a support ticket to be sure) I clicked the start-trial button and it installed the app without any issues and without actually starting a new trial.

[Ansar Rezaei]

Hello @Hans Polder _Devoteam_

Thanks for sharing your experience! I double-checked my FAQ with Atlassian, and they confirmed it's correct, so I'm a bit puzzled about the “Start free trial” prompt you’re seeing. I do have two possible explanation:

• Billing Experience Mismatch: Atlassian recently introduced a new billing system (often referred to as PPC). If your production environment is on one billing experience (old vs. new) while your Sandbox is on another, it could lead to confusing prompts like “Start free trial.” That said, I’m not entirely sure if this scenario is even possible.
• Forge vs. Connect Apps: Forge apps are hosted entirely within Atlassian, whereas Connect apps are hosted by the vendor. If you’re using a Connect app, the sync between the Sandbox and the vendor’s backend might not be instant, which could cause the “Start free trial” label to appear even if you already have a subscription. This website lists all Atlassian Marketplace apps that are built with Forge :https://www.forge-apps.com/

These are just possibilities. If you find out anything definitive, I’d love to hear what you learn!

[Andy Gladstone]

Thanks for this publish @Ansar Rezaei! You helped current me answer a few questions past me had but gave up on!