How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode
Wondering how to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode? If your operating system has been acting up, we walk you through three options to run it in Safe Mode
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Knowing how to startWindows 10in Safe Mode is an important trick to have up your sleeve for those times when youroperating systemdecides to act up. While it’s not designed to be used every day, the Safe Mode feature can be a real lifesaver when your computer either isn’t working or won’t start.
Regardless of whether you have thebest computerof thebest Windows laptop, being well versed with the ins and outs of Safe Mode is likely to come in handy at some point. Nearly every version of Windows has this feature and if you’re running Windows 10 you can rest assured that you’ve definitely got access to Safe Mode.
If you’re not familiar with Safe Mode, it’s basically a way of disabling your drivers and files, leaving you with essentially a bare bones version ofWindows 10. When you start Windows 10 in Safe Mode this you’ll be disabling most of the features, slowing down the speed of your programs and eliminating internet access so you can figure out if any of the OS’ settings or drivers are the root cause of your problems. If you need to access the internet or devices on your network, you can however select “Safe Mode with Networking.”
When it comes to getting up and running in Safe Mode, you have three options to choose from. No matter which one you go with, they each will need you to get into the Advanced options of the Troubleshooting section of the Windows 10 Advanced startup tool.Thankfully, that’s the only part of the process with alternate ways of progressing. Continuing on in safe mode afterward all follow the same steps.
Below, we walk you through exactly how to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode, including the different ways to access the Advanced startup tool and the various steps to boot in Safe Mode. For more great advice, check out our guide tohow to use Windows 10, which has lots of helpful tips and tricks.
Accessing the Advanced startup tool through Windows Settings
Windows 10 has a quick and easy way to reach the Advanced startup tool by restarting your system to directly boot into it. If you’re already logged into Windows 10, you can perform this reboot by using the following steps:
This will reboot your computer into the Advanced startup tool. You may also be able to reach this screen by pressing the Windows Key, typing “advanced startup” into the search bar, and selecting “change advanced startup options” from the search results.
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Accessing the Advanced startup tool from the Windows login screen
If you can’t reach the Advanced startup tool using the above method, or can’t log into Windows, then you may want to use this approach. You’ll need to be on the Windows sign-in screen for this to work, so either reboot your computer, or log out of Windows by pressing Windows Key+L.
This will restart your PC and boot into a menu with the option to open a troubleshooter where the Advanced startup options are.
Accessing the Advanced startup tool from a failed startup
The easiest way to get into Safe Mode is to start with Windows 10 already running. However, if your system is misbehaving, that may not be an option. Fortunately, you can interrupt the startup process to reach the Advanced startup tool.
Begin with your PC powered down, or power it down by holding the power button until it turns off.
Your computer should now be booted into the Windows Recovery Environment.
How to boot into Safe Mode using the Advanced startup tool
The final set of steps to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode is to boot using the Advanced startup tool. If you followed any set of the above steps successfully, your Windows PC should have booted to a blue screen that says “Choose an option.”
This will take you to a new screen that prompts you to restart your computer again.
And there you have it - you now know how to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode.
Over the last several years, Mark has been tasked as a writer, an editor, and a manager, interacting with published content from all angles. He is intimately familiar with the editorial process from the inception of an article idea, through the iterative process, past publishing, and down the road into performance analysis.
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