Windows 10 is a great operating system with many features. It comes with good malware protection and has several security measures. However, the lack of sandboxing and the abundant use of third-party programs make the operating system vulnerable to unidentified attacks. In such cases, we need to use Safe mode in Windows 10 to examine and clean our PC from harmful programs. If you are facing a similar situation and want to learn how to start Windows 10 in Safe mode, you have come to the right place. Here I have discussed everything from basics to advanced methods to start Windows 10 in Safe mode. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode
In this article, we will learn how to Start Windows 10 in Safe mode, for both functional and non-functional computers. If your computer boots fine, you can easily start Windows 10 in Safe mode. However, if Windows 10 does not boot at all and shows a blank screen, there are two neat ways to start the computer in Safe mode. You can skip the section to find a desired solution. Now having said that, let’s get started with the guide for working computers first.
Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode [For Working PCs]
If your computer is working fine and you want to start Windows 10 in Safe mode, follow the steps outlined in this section. All four methods are pretty easy and straightforward, so you shouldn’t have any issues starting Windows 10 in safe mode. Having said that, we begin.
1. Press Shift and Restart Your Computer
1. This is the easiest way to start Windows 10 in Safe mode. Just open the Power menu and Press the “Shift” key while clicking the “Restart” menu.
2. The computer will reboot to the “Choose an Option” screen. Here, Click on the “Troubleshoot” menu.
3. If your computer does not boot to the “Choose an Option” screen, Return to the Windows logon screen and restart the computer while pressing the “Shift” key.
4. Click on “Advanced Options” on the next screen.
5. Now, click on “Startup Settings”.
6. Here, click the “Restart” button to boot into the Start menu.
7. Finally, you will see the option to boot in Safe mode. Press “4” or “F4” to boot into safe mode. If you want internet access in safe mode, press the “5” or “F5” key.
8. The computer will reboot and boot Windows 10 in Safe mode. Now you can go ahead and examine your PC.
9. To exit safe modejust reboot and you will be back to normal mode.
2. Advanced Startup
1. You can also start Windows 10 in Safe mode via Advanced Startup. Just Press “Windows” and “I” keys simultaneously to open Windows Settings. Here, click on the “Update and Security” menu.
2. After that, Switch to the “Recovery” tab and click the “Restart Now” button under Advanced Startup.
3. Your PC will reboot to the “Choose an Option” screen. From here, you can follow similar steps as shown in the section above.. Finally, Windows 10 will start in Safe mode.
3. Configure the Boot Menu
1. You can configure the boot menu to force Windows 10 to start in Safe mode. All you have to do is press the “Windows” and “R” keys simultaneously to open the Run window. Here, Type “msconfig” and press enter.
2. A System Configuration window will open. Here, Switch to the “Boot” tab and enable the “Secure Boot” checkbox. Finally, click the “OK” button and close the window.
3. After a few seconds, a prompt will appear asking you to restart Windows 10. Just click the “Restart” button; your computer will instantly reboot and boot into Safe mode.
4. If you want to return to normal mode, Open the System Configuration window again in Safe mode and uncheck the “Safe Boot” option. Also, click “OK” and restart your computer. Now, Windows 10 will boot into normal mode.
4. Press F8 Key
In previous versions of Windows, pressing the F8 key while Windows is starting up opens the start menu. From there, you can easily boot into Safe mode in a matter of seconds. That was the easiest and best way to boot in safe mode. However, things changed with the release of Windows 8 and now the F8 key functionality is deprecated. Again, Is there a neat way to enable boot in Safe mode with the F8 key. It works just like before and it’s great. Here I will show you how to get it back.
1. Press the “Windows” key once and type “cmd”. Command Prompt will appear in the search result. simply Click “Run as Administrator” in the right pane. After that, it will ask you to confirm your action, click “Yes”.
2. Now just copy the command below and paste it into the Command Prompt window. Then press enter and the changes will be made.
bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy
3. Now, Restart your PC and press F8 during bootYou will be greeted with the Advanced Windows Start menu. From here you can easily start Windows 10 in Safe mode.
4. In case you want to undo the changes, open Command Prompt again and paste the following command. Now press enter and the F8 key function will be disabled.
bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard
Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode [For Non-functioning PCs]
If your computer won’t turn on and is constantly blank then you will have to follow another way to start Windows 10 in Safe mode. In some cases, rogue programs hijack the computer’s important resources and prevent the operating system from working properly. To disable these programs and services, you need to boot in Safe mode through the Windows recovery environment. In this section, I will show you how you can start Windows 10 in Safe mode on non-working computers.
1. Interrupting the Normal Boot Process
Yes, you read it right. To trigger the windows recovery environment (winRE), You need to interrupt the normal boot process by turning the PC off and on three times in a row.. winRE automatically kicks in when it detects a startup problem. Here I will show you how to do it.
1. Turn on the computer and wait for the installation Windows screen to appear. Later on, press the power button straight for 10 seconds To force shutdown the PC.
2. Again, turn on the computer and turn it off similar to the above step. Repeat the same steps one more time.
3. Turn the computer back on after three consecutive interruptions. This time the PC will boot into the Windows recovery environment. At first, it will try to repair the computer on its own. so wait a bit.
4. In case WinRE cannot repair the computer, will provide you with an “Advanced Option” to repair the PC. Click on it and it will take you to the “Choose an Option” screen.
5. From here, you can easily boot into Safe mode. I showed all the steps with screenshots in the first part above so check it out. Anyway, you can follow this path to find the Safe mode option.
Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> Startup Settings -> Restart -> Press “4” or “F4” to boot in safe mode.
2. Use Windows 10 Installation Disc or Bootable Thumb Drive
If the above method didn’t work or Your PC won’t boot or show any signs of life then apply this method. You will need a Windows 10 installation disc or a bootable flash drive. If you have no idea how to create a bootable USB, follow our tutorial here. Having said that, let’s start with the steps.
1. Insert the Windows 10 installation disc or a bootable flash drive into your PC. After that, turn on your computer. Your computer should detect the external Windows installation source. You will see something like this.
2. After that, an installer window will appear. Select your language, country and keyboard layout and Click the “Next” button.
3. Here, Click “Repair your computer” located at the bottom.
4. Finally, the “Choose an Option” menu will open. Here, click on “Troubleshoot”.
5. Click on “Advanced Options” on the next screen and then open “Command Prompt”.
6. Type the following command here and press enter. Forces Windows 10 to start in Safe mode by default.
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal
7. After that, close the Command Prompt window and return to the “Choose an Option” screen. Here, Click “Continue” To start Windows 10 in Safe mode.
8. Your computer should start properly in Safe mode. Now you can clean your computer from rogue programs and viruses.
9. In case you want to return to normal mode, open Command Prompt again by following the same process mentioned above. After that type the following command and hit enter. This will reset the boot menu to normal mode.
bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot
10. Now go back to the “Choose an Option” screen and click on “Continue” to boot into normal mode. This much.
Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode and Repair Your PC
That was our detailed guide on how to start Windows 10 in Safe mode. The process is pretty simple if your PC is working fine. However, if you are having trouble booting into your Windows 10 PC, I have shared two alternative methods that can save your day. However, you can go through all the options and choose the one you find suitable. If your computer still does not boot in Safe mode, you can write your questions in the comments below. We will be happy to take a look.
