{"id":27207,"date":"2022-08-17T11:09:19","date_gmt":"2022-08-17T05:39:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=27207"},"modified":"2023-07-29T17:03:42","modified_gmt":"2023-07-29T11:33:42","slug":"start-windows-11-or-10-safe-mode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/start-windows-11-or-10-safe-mode\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start Windows 10 or 11 in Safe Mode"},"content":{"rendered":"

Safe mode starts Windows in a basic state, using a limited set of files, drivers, and services. If a problem doesn’t happen in safe mode, this means that default settings and basic device drivers aren’t causing the issue. <\/p>\n

There are other situations that warrant booting Windows into Safe Mode — e.g., fixing the service registry<\/a> settings, writing to certain protected directories or registry locations<\/a>, deleting a stubborn file<\/a> or folder, or logging in as built-in Administrator<\/code>, etc. — which are otherwise not possible (“Access is denied” or “File in use”) when in Normal mode.<\/p>\n

In this article, we’ll see how to start your Windows 10 or 11 computer into Safe mode.<\/p>\n

Start Windows 11 or 10 in Safe Mode<\/h2>\n

Option 1<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Click Start, click on the Power button, press and hold the Shift<\/kbd> key down and click Restart. This starts the Windows Recovery Environment.\n
    Alternatively, you can restart your device into safe mode from the Windows sign-in screen. On the Windows sign-in screen, press and hold the Shift key while you select Power \u2192 Restart. See also How to access Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  2. In Windows RE, click Troubleshoot \u2192 Advanced options \u2192 Startup Settings.
    \n
    \n
    \n<\/li>\n
  3. In Startup Settings, press the 4<\/kbd> or F4<\/kbd> button on your keyboard. Or, to start Windows in “Safe Mode with Networking”, press 5<\/kbd> or F5<\/kbd>.
    \n\"windows<\/li>\n
  4. Windows 10\/11 will now restart in Safe Mode.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"tipsThe built-in “Administrator” account shows up on the lock screen while in Safe Mode if no other<\/strong> administrator account user exists on the computer. This is regardless of whether the built-in Administrator is currently enabled (active) or not.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Option 2: Using MSCONFIG<\/h3>\n

    The following steps force Windows to start into Safe mode every time you reboot the device.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Launch the System Configuration utility by running msconfig.exe<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    2. Select the Boot<\/strong> tab.<\/li>\n
    3. Select the Safe Boot<\/strong> option and click Apply.<\/li>\n
    4. Choose Restart to apply the changes when the System Configuration window pops up.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Important:<\/strong> After you finish your troubleshooting using Safe Mode, launch msconfig.exe<\/code> again and undo the Safe Boot option. Or else, Windows will default to Safe mode on every reboot.<\/p>\n

      See also: Windows Defaults to Safe Mode, Can\u2019t Boot into Normal Mode<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Safe mode starts Windows in a basic state, using a limited set of files, drivers, and services. If a problem doesn’t happen in safe mode, this means that default settings and basic device drivers aren’t causing the issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,869],"tags":[680],"class_list":["post-27207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows-10","category-windows-11","tag-windows-recovery-environment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6001,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/windows-10-defaults-safe-mode-cant-boot-normal\/","url_meta":{"origin":27207,"position":0},"title":"Fix: Windows Defaults to Safe Mode, Can’t Boot into Normal Mode","author":"Ramesh","date":"December 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Safe mode is used to troubleshoot problems on your PC. It is a mode wherein Windows starts in a basic state, using a limited set of drivers. For example, if the problem doesn't happen in safe mode, you'll know default settings and basic device drivers aren't causing the issue.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"windows 10 defaults to safe mode","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/safemode-stuck-windows-10-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/safemode-stuck-windows-10-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/safemode-stuck-windows-10-2.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":75884,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/enable-windows-installer-safe-mode\/","url_meta":{"origin":27207,"position":1},"title":"How to Enable Windows Installer in Safe Mode","author":"Ramesh","date":"July 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When you attempt to run an installer package in Safe Mode or Safe Mode with networking, one of the following errors may occur: 0x80070641 - The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. Please fix the issues and then retry setup. (or) The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"msiserver safe mode enabled - success","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/safe-mode-msiserver-success.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3099,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/locked-user-account-lost-admin-privileges-rescue\/","url_meta":{"origin":27207,"position":2},"title":"How to Regain Lost Admin Rights in Windows 10 or 11","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: This article tells you how to restore your user account's lost administrator rights and privileges in Windows 10 and 11. If your user account has lost admin rights, you may also have inadvertently set yourself a \"Standard User\" via Account Settings or incorrectly configured the Local Security Policy or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"lost administrator rights - standard user","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/user-account-lost-admin-rights-standard.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/user-account-lost-admin-rights-standard.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/user-account-lost-admin-rights-standard.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2506,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/start-and-taskbar-stuck-windows-10-fix-shellexperiencehost\/","url_meta":{"origin":27207,"position":3},"title":"Reinstall or Repair stuck Windows 10 Start Menu & Taskbar, and Fix “Critical Error”","author":"Ramesh","date":"March 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Occasionally, the Start button, Taskbar, and the Notification area icons may get stuck or frozen; clicking them does nothing. When the items in the Notification area are frozen, you wouldn't be able to access Action Center, Wi-fi network settings, etc. If the Windows 10 Start Menu is frozen or non-responsive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"reinstall start menu startmenuexperiencehost start","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/startmenuexperience-host-start-processes.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5289,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/system-restore-rollback-windows-10-recovery-options\/","url_meta":{"origin":27207,"position":4},"title":"Perform System Restore Rollback Offline via Windows RE","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"System Restore is an excellent tool that can rescue the system from catastrophe. But, when you cannot revert the system configuration from normal mode, you can perform System Restore rollback offline via Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), or from Safe Mode. This post tells you how to revert the system configuration\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"perform system restore rollback offline in windows 10","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/system-restore-offline-0.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/system-restore-offline-0.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/system-restore-offline-0.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/system-restore-offline-0.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":80351,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/unable-to-hide-programdata\/","url_meta":{"origin":27207,"position":5},"title":"[Fix] Unable to Hide the ProgramData folder","author":"Ramesh","date":"February 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The ProgramData folder is hidden by default. Some users may inadvertently unhide the folder using Explorer, but are unable to hide it again. Reenabling the Hidden checkbox in the folder's properties, selecting \"Apply changes to this folder only\" in the \"Confirm Attribute Changes\" dialog, and clicking OK may not work.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hide programdata folder","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/hide-programdata-folder-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27207\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}