Introduction
Windows 10 safe mode is a diagnostic mode of a Windows 10 operating system that allows technical experts and developers to start Windows OS with minimum services running to help diagnose and fix problems related to other programs, device drivers, and hardware. Windows 10 safe mode only allows essential system programs and services to start up at boot.
When to use Windows 10 safe mode
Windows 10 safe mode is used when your system is having problems running some programs or crashing, or you need to install a device driver or application that you can't reinstall or fix in regular Windows mode. Windows safe mode is often used to reinstall OS or fix when Windows boot fails.
There are two common ways to boot a Windows 10 PC in safe mode
- Using Troubleshooting Options
- Using Bootloader Option
Using Troubleshooting Options
Step 1
To boot Windows 10 in safe mode, very first step.
Go to the Start menu of Windows 10 and click Power Option on the top-right of the Startup menu.
Step 2
Press Shift + click to restart
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Or
Use the following procedure instead of the preceding procedure
Go to Control Panel > select All Control Panel Items > select Troubleshooting > Recovery then click on the link showing the refresh suggestion there then select Advanced Startup.
The following screen will appear on the display.
On that screen, click on the troubleshoot icon and another screen with various options will be displayed.
Click on the Advanced Options and then a screen with more options will appear. Then click on the Startup Settings option.
A screen with Startup Settings will appear, you just need to click on the Restart button to enable safe mode settings.
You will be able to see the enable settings in the Startup Settings screen after a reboot is done.
Press F4 to enter into Safe Mode. That's it, you are done.
Safe Mode using bootloader
Go to search then enter cmd.exe then right-click on the Command Prompt then select Run as Administrator.
Enable regular text-based boot menu type
- Bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes
Now restart Windows and press F8. Before booting starts, you will find a textual boot menu on your screen.
Now press F8 for the boot menu, choose Safe Mode and press ENTER and turn off bootloader. Go to the graphical one by entering the command:
- Bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu no
Using Restart + F8 Key
If you can't log in to your Windows 10, you can use Restart and key to boot Windows in safe mode.
Hit the F8 key in 1-second intervals and keep pressing a few times just after you restart your computer before the login screen. If you see the login screen, it's too late. Try again.
You should see a screen with hardware options followed by the Advanced Boot Options.
Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode and press ENTER.
You will be in safe mode. Do your thing and once done, restart again in normal mode.
Summary
In this article, we learned about How to Boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode.