Updated on November 17, 2021 There are a number of situations that could make it incredibly difficult to start Windows in Safe Mode. This is especially frustrating because whatever reason you have for needing to access Safe Mode is itself probably very frustrating! How Do You Access Safe Mode?In Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8, Safe Mode is accessed from Startup Settings, which itself is accessed from the Advanced Startup Options menu. Unfortunately, Startup Settings only appears as an option in Advanced Startup Options if you access it from within Windows. In other words, Windows 11/10/8 needs to be working properly before you can boot into Safe Mode, which you only really need to use if Windows isn't working properly. True, Advanced Startup Options (and thus Startup Settings and Safe Mode) do automatically appear during Windows startup problems, but the lack of easy from-outside-of-Windows access is a little troubling. Windows 7 and Windows Vista have some less commonly occurring situations that make getting to Safe Mode nearly impossible, but they do happen. Fortunately, there is a way to force Windows to start in Safe Mode if you can't get to Startup Settings in Windows 11, 10, and 8, or the F8 menu (Advanced Boot Options) in Windows 7 and Vista, or even if you can't access Windows at all. A kind of "reverse" of this trick also works to stop Windows from starting in Safe Mode. If Windows continually boots directly to Safe Mode and you can't make it stop, take a look at the tutorial below and then follow the advice in How to Stop a Safe Mode Loop at the bottom of the page. Time Required: Forcing Windows to restart in Safe Mode (or making it stop starting in Safe Mode) is moderately difficult and will probably take several minutes, at most. How to Force Windows to Restart in Safe Mode
Windows will continue to start in Safe Mode every time you reboot unless you undo what you did in Step 3. The easiest way to do that is not by executing more commands, but via system configuration and following steps 11-14 in the tutorial. How to Stop a Safe Mode LoopIf Windows is stuck in a sort of "Safe Mode Loop," preventing you from starting in normal mode again, and you've tried the instructions we gave in the Important call-out from Step 8 above but haven't been successful, try this:
If this isn't working and you're starting to think it might be worth it to just get a new computer, you might be right. Even the best computers can only last so long! The 8 Best Desktop PCs of 2022 for Work, Gaming, & More Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe |