“Safe Mode” is an amazing feature Microsoft has created to assist customers to solve different problems they may encounter while using Windows 10, particularly whenever they are having issues while logging in. It will open with minimum but all required configurations as well as components after you start it in Safe Mode.
What is Windows 10 Safe Mode?
Nowadays, by pressing the F8 key at startup, several Windows 10 users question why their windows are not able to select Safe Mode the way it was allowed on prior operating systems.
Well, the thing is that Windows 10 is slightly different from the previous editions of Windows when it comes to the Safe Mode. You can’t hit the Shift + F8 buttons and hope to launch the computer in Safe Mode magically. So, here we are going to share a secret of ‘how to start windows 10 in Safe Mode.’ It doesn’t matter if you are trapped in the boot loop or if there is a certain BSOD issue that you are facing, the steps elaborated below are surely going to assist you in entering the Safe Mode of Windows 10.
So, if you are having problems in your PC or your laptop which you are unable to diagnose and resolve, Safe Mode is where you will find the solution for all such issues. But, the real question here is how to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode?
Keep scrolling down and give all 6 methods a read and then choose the best method for yourself, plus, if you are having issues with the Safe Mode itself you will find the solutions to them right here.
How does the Safe Mode of Windows 10 work?
The operating system is launched with just the essential components in Windows 10 Safe Mode and sounds will be hushed from various unnecessary programs or applications like the visual driver. Startup applications from third parties also cannot be loaded. So, this makes isolating the sources of operating system issues simpler.
For example, in Safe Mode, you may launch Windows 10 to determine whether there are standard Windows 10 configurations available and if the components are leading Windows 10 to be misused. Perhaps it will help you diagnose that your Windows 10 device is unable to launch in the standard and traditional way due to installing poorly designed software and programs.
Windows 10 Safe Mode enables defective programs to be securely uninstalled. It helps in solving problems related to drivers and diagnose hardware clashes etc.
Also, if your Windows 10 device is frequently not able to start normally, you can do so through Safe Mode. You may easily launch your Windows 10. Therefore, this offers a useful way to fix the issues, – for example, that annoying blue screen, faulty software, virus infestation, or lower device drivers.
When users are required to run the Safe Mode on Windows 10?
You can attempt to run the Safe Mode on Windows 10 to fix a few bugs. whether your Windows 10 device occasionally tends to experience complications, does not work well, continues collapsing, or blue display occurs.
3 types of Safe Modes in Windows 10
There are three versions of Safe Mode available in Windows 10. Depending on your personal needs, you may launch Windows 10 in either Safe Mode.
Activating the Safe Mode: This Safe Mode is by far the very basic form. Windows 10 opens by loading the system’s most important configurations and functions. Other applications, tools, or utilities that are not needed will not be launched. This makes your device more secure by disabling any virus or malware, which might be transferred via software from third parties, devices, or network devices.
Activating Command Prompt Safe Mode: Once you decide to start Windows 10 into Command Prompt Security mode, a large Command Prompt box will appear on your desktop. Experts may utilize command lines for addressing problems associated with Windows 10. Although, it is not suggested to pick this alternative when you don’t really know significantly enough regarding the CMD. Safe Mode as well as Command Prompt Safe Mode do not include an internet connection.
Activating Network Safe Mode: Once you decide that Windows 10 is to be launched using secure network configuration, it adds additional drivers as well as applications essential for network connectivity, yet maintaining the very same array of Safe Mode components and programs. This isn’t quite secure as the basic Safe Mode but still is handy for using the web.
So, now that you know about the types of Safe Modes in Windows 10, let’s head down and learn about the six possible ways through which you can launch the Safe Mode in Windows 10.
How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode through settings?
On Windows 10, one can launch in Safe Mode using the Advanced Startup tool even when you have already signed into your Windows 10.
1st Step – launch the Windows settings: You will need to select the start menu, then head over to the settings. You can also tap on the ‘I’ and ‘Windows’ button together on the keyboard to launch the settings app of Windows 10.
2nd Step – go to the Windows startup settings: Now, you need to select and enter the ‘update and security menu, then, from the left display you need to select the ‘Recovery’ option. From here you will enter the Windows RE by choosing the ‘restart now’ option found right under the ‘advanced setup’.
Now, you can follow the following sequence: Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart
3rd Step – select your desired option for Safe Mode: You must now select Safe Mode to launch Windows 10 in Safe Mode as your preferred choice. To enter the basic Safe Mode in Windows 10, you can simply press the 4 or F4 button on your keyboard. For launching the networking Safe Mode on Windows 10, just press the F5 or 5 buttons. Lastly, you can press the F6 or 6 buttons to enter the command prompt Windows 10 Safe Mode.
How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode via MSConfig?
If you could somehow access the system of Windows 10, you might also utilize the Windows System Configuration utility, also known as ‘msconfig.exe’ to launch the Safe Mode of Windows 10.
1st Step – launch the configuration tool of Windows: The system configuration tool is launched by simply pressing Windows + R buttons together from your keyboard, and typing ‘msconfig’ in the Windows RUN box and press Enter.
2nd Step – selection of the option which is the safest one: Now, the tab Boot may be clicked. You may pick the preferred Safe boot option according to your personal need under the Boot choices.
- The alternate shell is the command prompt Safe Mode.
- Minimum is Safe Mode
- Network means networking Safe Mode.
- To repair the Active Directory server, a repair option is utilized.
You may commonly select the minimum or network function to run Safe Mode in Windows 10 in order to fix Windows 10 issues.
How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode through the start menu?
You could also launch right into the Safe Mode on Windows 10 via the start menu if you could somehow log in to Windows 10.
1st Step: On the keyboard, you may hold and hit the Shift key. Then, select the Start menu of Windows 10 synchronously. Next, under the Start menu, click the Power button and select Reboot.
2nd Step: You may select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Start Settings > Restart to access the Start Settings box once the ‘choose an option’ window pops up.
3rd Step: Press F6, F5, or F4 to start Safe Mode in Windows 10 when launching for the selected Safe Mode choice.
How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode when launching from the login screen?
You may also access Safe Mode on Windows 10 through the login display by hitting the Shift + Restart button together if you are not able to sign in to Windows 10 but can access it via the sign-in page.
1st Step: You can restart your Windows 10 device. You may also hit the Shift button and, yes, do not release it if you glance at the Sign-in page and, select the Power button in the right lower part, and then select restart.
2nd Step: Click on the following sequence after entering the Windows RE display: Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
3rd Step: You may view the menu of Windows starting choices once you reboot your Windows 10 device. Click F4 for accessing Safe Mode of Windows 10 or you can click F5 to access the Networking Safe Mode of Windows 10.
How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode when a black or the blank screen appears?
When there is no chance of your computer booting back up normally, what you can do is try launching the Safe Mode of Windows 10 and that might help you find out the main cause of the problem.
If a black screen is showing up whenever you try to launch Windows 10, you have to access the Safe Mode settings by entering the recovery environment of Windows, but first, you will need to restart your computer three times for it to work.
1st Step – access the recovery environment: Restart the computer 3 times by pressing and holding down the power key. Each time you restart your system, make sure that you press the power button for 10 seconds.
Your device would take you into the Automatic Repair Window panel upon the third time the System is restarted. Otherwise, repeat the same instructions until you see the WinRE display. If your Windows 10 device issues are still not resolved, you might want to explore other repair alternatives by clicking on Advanced Options.
2nd Step – access the startup settings: Once you get yourself into the WinRE settings, now you’ll need to access the windows startup settings. It is very simple, just follow this sequence, Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
3rd Step – boot up the networking Safe Mode of Windows 10: Now, hit F5 to boot your Windows 10 device into networking Safe Mode. Thus, if you ever need to fix a black computer display, this is the solution recommended by our experts. You can find answers to the problems you are facing on the Internet easily once this mode gets activated.
How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode when launching via F8 button?
Remember how you could access the Safe Mode of Windows 7 by just hitting the F8 button, which would take you straight to the advanced options before it lets you log into the Windows? Well, it no longer works now, sadly. The reason why it doesn’t work is that the booting speed of Windows 8 and 10 is much faster than Windows 7.
Nevertheless, through the boot configuration data edit command, you may still make the F8 procedure work again.
1st Step – access the administrator command prompt window: Firstly, you need to open up the ‘Run’ window by hitting the Windows as well as the ‘R’ button together. Next, you need to type ‘cmd’ in the command box, also, hit the Ctrl + Shift + Enter button consecutively to boot the administrator command prompt window. Make sure NOT to click ‘ok’ since it will not launch the command prompt window.
2nd Step – F8 button functionality activation: Now, you just need to type the following command: bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy. Then, simply press the Enter key.
3rd Step – launch Safe Mode of Windows 10: Lastly, now is your time to check if it works, so, close off the command prompt pop up and restart your computer. Once it restarts and the Windows 10 logo comes up on the screen, start pressing the F8 button constantly, and, hopefully, you will be able to access the screen of advanced boot options.
From there, it is easy to choose your desired Safe Mode with the help of the arrow keys. However, if you wish to disable the F8 button functionality for Windows 10, use the exact steps to open the Administrator Command Prompt box then enter the following command prompt: bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard. Click the Enter button and then restart your computer again.
How to fix your device issues through Safe Mode?
The Safe Mode of Windows 10 can assist you in solving quite a few problems with your device. Let’s see what it has in stores for us.
1) Recovery of lost files
You might end up losing some essential files and data when your device is attacked by viruses or malware as well as suffers a system failure or hard-disk malfunction and cannot ordinarily launch Windows 10.
Upon launching Windows 10 through Safe Mode, users may utilize the top unrestricted data recovery software, such as MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free, to restore lost or deleted documents in three easy steps.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free is a completely free data recovery program that works with Windows XP all the way to Windows 10. A windows server and a Mac variant are also available online.
You can utilize this tool to retrieve misplaced or unintentionally erased hard disc data. This software can also be used in a multitude of info-loss scenarios, including external hard drive, SSDS, memory stick, pen drive, memory card – for smartphones, DSLR, etc.
To retrieve deleted files and data easily, you simply need to download & run MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free on your Windows 7, 8, or 10 and complete the following exact method.
1st Step – launch the software: Run the Minitool power data recovery free to access the main user interface. Next, you need to select the option which says ‘this PC’. Upon doing this, you will be able to view the complete number of hard drives along with the partitions on your computer.
2nd Step – scan for the lost data: Now, you need to select one partition in your Windows 10 device then press the scan key. This will enable the automatic scanning for all of your deleted, lost, and also the normal saved files on the selected partition.
3rd Step – viewing & saving lost data: Once the scan is done, you may navigate to locate the necessary documents from the results displayed, then press Save to move the requested data to a different disc, division, USB drive, or to an external hard drive.
You may examine up to 70 document styles with MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free.
Displaying Missing Files + Finding Filter Features will help you find the desired files efficiently.
You might still retrieve files and documents on a Windows 10 device using MiniTool Power Data Recovery, even if you cannot launch or perhaps boot up your machine from Safe Mode.
2) Eliminating virus or malware
You can start Windows 10 in Safe Mode to search and eliminate malicious software along with any viruses if your system crashes or decides to stop operating due to various malware or virus attacks.
In Windows 10, users can also check & remove viruses and malware on their device with Windows Defender. You may also get one in Secure Mode if you do not have an anti-virus application on your Windows 10 device – only if you launch Windows 10 in networking secure mode.
3) Uninstall software
You may uninstall the worrisome programs via the Control Panel within Windows 10 Safe Mode when your system is not ordinarily booting up or functioning due to any newly installed apps with conflicting drivers. Next, reboot your system to verify whether the issue has been resolved.
4) System restore
You can restore the default settings of your machine assuming your Windows 10 machine has not been operating properly lately. But, what about System Restore Process getting stopped in regular start mode with Windows 10? Well, through Safe Mode, you might then attempt to launch Windows 10 in order to not crash again.
Last thoughts
Occasionally our computers refuse to follow us for some unexplained reasons. This might be due to a new upgrade, extra drivers’ installation, or faulty software. Also with recent editions of Windows software, this problem regularly happens. You may overcome this problem by running Windows 10 in Safe Mode, which enables you to keep operating on your desktop.
All in all, we hope that we have answered all your queries. So, in the future, if someone asks you ‘how to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode’ make sure to send them straight over here!
Happy Computing!