To enter Safe Mode on a Windows computer, there are several methods depending on the situation:
- During Startup with F8 Key:
- Restart the computer.
- Immediately and repeatedly press the F8 key before the Windows logo appears.
- This will bring up the "Advanced Boot Options" menu.
- Use the arrow keys to select "Safe Mode" (or "Safe Mode with Networking" if internet access is needed).
- Press Enter to boot into Safe Mode.
- Using Shift + Restart:
- From the sign-in screen or Start menu, hold down the Shift key while clicking "Restart."
- This opens the Windows Recovery Environment.
- Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings.
- Click "Restart."
- After restart, choose "Enable Safe Mode" by pressing the corresponding number key (4 for Safe Mode, 5 for Safe Mode with Networking).
- From Within Windows using System Configuration (msconfig):
- Press Windows + R, type "msconfig," and hit Enter.
- Go to the Boot tab.
- Check "Safe boot" and select the type of Safe Mode you want (Minimal is regular Safe Mode).
- Click OK and restart the computer to boot into Safe Mode.
- If the computer won’t boot normally:
- Interrupt the boot process three times by holding down the power button to force shutdown when Windows logo appears.
- This triggers Windows Recovery Environment on the next startup.
- Then use the same steps via Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings to enter Safe Mode.
To exit Safe Mode, simply restart the computer normally, unless you enabled Safe Mode from msconfig, in which case you should uncheck "Safe boot" before restarting. These methods work for Windows 7, 10, and 11 with some slight variations in access points, but overall the process is similar. This summary provides a comprehensive guide to entering Safe Mode on Windows, suitable for various scenarios.
