How to Boot into Safe Mode on Windows 11

The fastest route into Safe Mode is Settings > System > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, and pressing 4 for Safe Mode (5 for Safe Mode with Networking, 6 for Safe Mode with Command Prompt). If the desktop won’t load but the sign-in screen does, hold Shift while you click Restart to reach the same menu without logging in at all. If the PC never gets that far, interrupting the boot a couple of times forces Windows into its recovery environment on its own, landing on the same Startup Settings list.

What Safe Mode is actually for#

Safe Mode starts Windows with only the core drivers and services needed to run — no startup apps, no third-party drivers, no non-essential background processes. Microsoft describes it as running Windows “in a basic state, using a limited set of files and drivers,” so if a problem doesn’t happen in Safe Mode, the cause is something you added rather than Windows itself. That makes it the standard first step after a bad driver update, a crash right after sign-in, malware you can’t remove while it’s running normally, or an app that hangs the whole desktop. Safe Mode with Networking adds network drivers when you need to download a fix or check a forum; Safe Mode with Command Prompt skips the desktop entirely, which matters if Explorer itself is what’s broken.

Three ways in, at a glance#

Method	Requires	Best for
Settings > Recovery	A working desktop	Planned troubleshooting while Windows still runs fine
Shift + Restart	The sign-in screen	Windows starts but won’t finish loading after you sign in
Interrupt the boot	Nothing (works on a black screen)	Windows never reaches the sign-in screen

All three roads lead to the same Startup Settings screen; which one applies just depends on how far the PC currently gets.

Method 1: From Settings, while Windows still runs#

Use this when you can reach the desktop and want to test something on purpose.

1. Open Settings (Windows + I) and go to System > Recovery.
2. Next to Advanced startup, select Restart now.
3. Once the PC reboots to a blue screen, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings.
4. Select Restart.
5. On the numbered list, press 4 for Safe Mode, 5 for Safe Mode with Networking, or 6 for Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Method 2: From the sign-in screen (Shift + Restart)#

Use this when Windows boots as far as the sign-in screen but crashes, freezes, or won’t finish loading once you sign in.

1. On the sign-in screen, select the Power icon in the bottom-right corner.
2. Hold Shift on the keyboard, click Restart, and keep Shift held until the recovery screen appears.
3. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
4. Press 4, 5, or 6 for the variant you need.

This works before you ever log in, which makes it the option to use when a bad profile or a recent update is the suspected cause.

Method 3: From a black screen, by interrupting the boot#

Use this when the PC never reaches the sign-in screen — it hangs on the logo or stays on a black screen.

1. Power the PC on and wait for the Windows logo to appear.
2. As soon as it shows, hold the power button until the PC shuts off completely. That’s the first interruption.
3. Power it on again and repeat: force it off the moment the logo reappears. That’s the second interruption.
4. Power on a third time. Windows now recognizes the repeated failed starts and loads the Automatic Repair screen on its own instead of trying to boot normally.
5. Select Advanced options, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, and press 4, 5, or 6.

Time the shutdown for right after the logo appears, not before Windows has started loading — cutting the power too early or too late means the attempt may not register as a failure.

The Startup Settings numbers, explained#

Key	Option	What it gives you
4 / F4	Enable Safe Mode	Desktop with core drivers only, no networking
5 / F5	Enable Safe Mode with Networking	Same as above, plus network drivers for internet access
6 / F6	Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt	A command line instead of the desktop

Pick 4 for the smallest possible footprint, 5 if you need to download a driver or run an online scan, and 6 only if the desktop itself won’t load or you’re comfortable working from a command line.

Leaving Safe Mode#

Booting into Safe Mode through Startup Settings is a one-time trip, not a setting that sticks. Restart normally once you’re done and Windows comes back up as usual — there’s nothing to switch off. The exception is System Configuration (msconfig): if the Boot tab has “Safe boot” checked, every restart lands back in Safe Mode until you open msconfig, clear that box, and restart again. That checkbox is the only thing that actually persists.

Safe Mode exists to answer one question: is Windows itself broken, or is something you installed causing the problem. If an issue disappears there, look at what changed recently rather than assuming a reinstall is needed — a new driver, a background app, or a program that’s refusing to open normally are the usual suspects. It pairs well with a broader look at why a Windows PC feels slow and a check of what’s launching at startup, since both often turn out to be the same culprit that sent you into Safe Mode in the first place.