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Start Windows in Safe Mode

Step 1 of 3

Open Advanced startup and click Restart now

Settings › System › Recovery. Windows won’t start? Force it off at the logo 3 times and Windows opens the blue repair screen.

The simulation shows Windows in English, like most laptops.

  1. Open Advanced startup and click Restart now

    Settings › System › Recovery. Windows won’t start? Force it off at the logo 3 times and Windows opens the blue repair screen.

    SettingsSystemRecoveryAdvanced startupRestart now

  2. Troubleshoot › Advanced options › Startup Settings › Restart

    Click these in order on the blue screen.

    TroubleshootAdvanced optionsStartup SettingsRestart

  3. Press 4 for Safe Mode

    Press 5 if you need the internet. “Safe Mode” appears in the screen corners.

    4

From basic to technician

TechnicianWindows won’t start: Startup Repair
TechnicianStart Windows in Safe ModeYou are here
Technician fixes (advanced)

The simple steps didn’t help? A technician would try these next, in this order. Stop as soon as the problem is fixed. Commands marked “as administrator”: right-click Start › Terminal (Admin).

  1. The fastest way in: Shift + Restart

    Hold Shift while you click Start › Power › Restart. Windows goes straight to the blue recovery screen. This also works from the sign-in screen’s power button.

  2. Or by command (as administrator)

    Restarts immediately into the recovery screen. Save your work first.

    shutdown /r /o /t 0

  3. What to do once you are in Safe Mode

    Uninstall the driver or app that started the problem (Device Manager or Settings › Apps), run a full virus scan, or start System Restore. Then restart normally; Safe Mode ends by itself.

  4. Stuck in Safe Mode after every restart?

    Someone ticked Safe boot in msconfig. Win + R › msconfig › Boot tab › untick Safe boot › OK › Restart.

    Use msconfig’s Safe boot only if you know how to turn it off again: Windows keeps starting in Safe Mode until you untick it.
Technical details (for the curious)

What Safe Mode is

Windows starts with only the most basic built-in drivers and services: no graphics maker’s driver, no start-up apps. If the problem disappears in Safe Mode, a driver or an app causes it, not Windows itself.

Why F8 no longer works

Windows 10/11 starts too fast to catch F8. The replacement is the blue Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).

The BitLocker key

On some laptops, repair mode asks for the BitLocker recovery key. It is stored in your Microsoft account: open aka.ms/myrecoverykey on a phone.

Coming soon

Still not fixed?

In the next update you can tell us what happened, and our AI helper will suggest another way. Until then, restart the device and go through the steps once more.