How to Enter Windows 11 Safe Mode – 5 Ways

You can start your PC in Safe Mode to troubleshoot and resolve problems with the Windows 11 operating system. Starting Windows 11 in Safe Mode will help you detect problems related to viruses, drivers, or bugs.

Windows 11 Safe Mode is a system feature that only loads a basic set of tools and required drivers. The Windows operating system starts with only a minimum of standard applications and drivers that are necessary for the computer to function.

You may need to enable Safe Mode for Windows 11 to troubleshoot and troubleshoot common software and hardware issues. You can use Windows Safe Mode to resolve video driver issues or to scan for viruses to detect and remove malicious applications that would be impossible to uninstall if the OS was running normally.

In connection with the above, the user has a question about how to boot into Windows 11 Safe Mode. With a functioning operating system, you can start the computer in Safe Mode using the following methods:

• from the Settings app;
• using the command line;
• from the System Configuration tool (MSConfig);
• using the menu of power options used to shut down;
• by booting from the Windows installation media

After the computer restarts, Windows 11 will enter Safe Mode. Carry out the necessary work on the PC in the “Safe Mode” mode, and then return to the normal startup mode of the Windows operating system.

In this guide, you will learn how to start Windows 11 Safe Mode using the command line, system settings, power options menu, system configuration, and also using a bootable Windows 11 flash drive if the PC does not boot the OS.

How to enter safe mode in Windows 11 through the power options menu

First, let’s look at how to start Windows Safe Mode using the power options that are responsible for the function of shutting down or rebooting the device. This function is used from the start menu using the left or right mouse button.

To start Windows 11 Safe Mode using the power off menu, follow these steps:

1. Right click on the start menu.
2. Press and hold the “Shift” key.
3. In the context menu that opens, move the mouse cursor to the item “Shut down or log off the system.”
4. Click on the “Reboot” option.

 

5. After restarting the PC, in the “Select action” window, click on “Troubleshooting”.

 

6. In the “Diagnostics” window, click on the “Advanced Options” button.

 

7. In the “Advanced Options” window, click on “Upload Options”.

 

8. In the Boot Options window, click the Restart button.

 

9. After your computer restarts, choose one of the safe mode environments in which you want to start Windows 11, including:

• 1) Enable debugging.
• 2) Enable boot logging.
• 3) Enable low resolution video mode.
• 4) Enable safe mode.
• 5) Enable safe mode with loading network drivers.
• 6) Enable safe mode with command line support.
• 7) Disable mandatory driver signature verification.
• 8) Disable early launch of anti-malware protection.
• 9) Disable automatic restart after failure.

To switch to the required mode, use the number keys or the F1-F9 keys on the keyboard.

In most cases, the following modes are suitable: “Enable safe mode”, “Enable safe mode with network drivers loading”, “Enable safe mode with command line support”.

 

After you complete these steps, the computer will start in the specified mode, allowing you to troubleshoot and fix issues with Windows 11.

Starting Windows 11 in Safe Mode via Options

You can start Windows 11 in safe mode from the operating system settings using the Settings app.

To enter Safe Mode from Settings in Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Press the Win + I keys to open Options.
2. On the System tab, click Recovery.

 

3. In the “Recovery Options” section, in the “Advanced Startup Options” option, click the “Restart Now” button.

 

4. In the “Device will restart to save your work” window, click the “Restart” button.

 

All further actions are repeated, as when using the first method, so we will list them only point by point.

5. The “Select action” window will open, in which you need to click “Troubleshooting”.
6. In the Diagnostics window, click the Advanced Options button.
7. In the next Advanced Options window, select the Boot Options option.
8. The “Boot Options” window will open, in which you need to click “Restart”.
9. Select one of the suggested options to start Safe Mode for Windows 11.

Your device will enter a safe mode environment where you can more effectively troubleshoot and resolve system issues on your computer.

How to Restart Windows 11 via Command Prompt in Safe Mode

If necessary, you can start Safe Mode using the Windows command line, a built-in tool in the operating system.

To boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode via Command Prompt, do the following:

1. Right click on the start menu.
2. In the context menu, click on the “Windows Terminal (Administrator)” item.
3. On the top bar of the terminal window, first click on the arrow, and then select “Command Prompt” from the drop-down list.
4. Type the following command and press “Enter”:

bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes

 

5. Close the terminal, restart your computer.
6. In the Windows Boot Manager menu, press the F8 key.

7. After that, you will have access to the Boot Options menu options.
8. Select one of the safe mode types to start Windows 11 with the specified option.

How to Enter Windows 11 Safe Mode with msconfig

MSConfig is a system utility for managing system configuration. With this tool, you can manage Windows boot.

Do the following:

1. Enter the start menu.
2. Click on the “All Apps” button.
3. In the list of programs, select “Windows Tools”
4. In the Windows Tools window, find and click on System Configuration to open the application.

 

5. In the System Configuration window that opens, open the Boot tab.
6. In the Boot Options section, check the Safe Mode box.
7. Choose the Minimal option to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode, or you can choose the Network option to boot Windows 11 with Networking.

 

8. Click Apply and then OK.
9. Restart your computer.

The only caveat to this option is that Windows 11 will boot in safe mode until you revert the changes. If you are unable to exit Safe Mode, please see the instructions below.

How to enter Windows Safe Mode using a Windows 11 installation flash drive

In some cases, due to problems that have arisen on the computer, the operating system does not start. To enter Windows 11 Safe Mode, you must use the method when booting from an external USB drive.

You can use the Windows 11 Recovery Disk or the Windows 11 installation flash drive as a boot drive.

Walk through the steps using the example of using a bootable Windows 11 USB flash drive:

1. Connect USB disk to PC.
2. Turn on the computer, and then immediately press the key that is used on your device to enter the Boot Menu.
3. In the boot menu, select the flash drive to start.
4. On the computer, the “Install Windows” window will open, in which you need to click on the “Next” button.
5. In the new window, click on “System Restore”.

 

6. Next, the “Select action” window will open, in which you need to select “Troubleshooting”.
7. In the “Advanced Options” window, click on the “Command Prompt” button.

 

8. In the command line window, run the command:

bcdedit /set {globalsettings} advancedoptions true

 

9. After closing the command line interpreter window, in the “Select action” window, click on the “Continue” button.

 

10. The computer will restart, and then the “Boot Options” window will open, in which you must select the appropriate mode.

To disable the appearance of a window with a choice of boot options every time you start Windows, do the following:

1. Run command prompt as administrator.
2. Type the command and then press the “Enter” key.

bcdedit /deletevalue {globalsettings} advancedoptions

 

3. Exit the command prompt and then reboot your system.

Article Conclusions

If the computer crashes and malfunctions, the user can use Windows Safe Mode to resolve the problems. In Windows 11 Safe Mode, only the tools and drivers necessary to run the OS are used. There are several ways to enter Windows 11 Safe Mode on a working PC, or using a recovery disc or installation media with an image of the operating system on a problem device.