How to put Windows 10 into safe mode [GUIDE]

There is a lot of confusion on how to put Windows 10 into safe mode. If you want to start Safe Mode In Windows 10 with the F8 key, you will have to set it up first. Continue reading this article to learn possible ways to access Safe Mode in Windows 10.

Why F8 button doesn’t work anymore to enter Safe Mode?  

On earlier versions of Microsoft Windows such as Windows 7 or Windows XP at the starting of the boot, you have the option to press the F8 key in order to access the Advanced Boot Options menu, where you can enable Safe Mode. However, on Windows 10, the F8 key doesn’t work like that any more. Many users are wondering why this happens and believe that this shortcut key is removed from Windows 10.

F8 key is actually still able to access the Advanced Boot Options menu on Windows 10 but you will need to set it up first. Since the version Windows 8 where F8 doesn’t work either, Microsoft has disabled this option by default. The reason for this is  to have faster boot time, meaning that Windows 10 is designed to have a very fast boot without any interruptions. If you want to use the F8 key to access the Safe Mode, you need to enable the feature manually.

How to make button F8 work again?

We mentioned that the F8 boot menu feature is disabled on Windows 10 by default, but the positive thing is that you can make it work again with the Edit command in Boot Configuration Data (BCD). BCD is a tool made to control how the operating system is starting and you can use it to enable F8 boot menu very simple by following these steps below:

1) Press Windows logo key and R button at the same time on your keyboard to launch the run command.

2) Type cmd then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open an administrator command prompt.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you actually press Ctrl+Shift+Enter and not just press Enter or click OK as that won’t open the command prompt in an administrator mode which we need to open in this case..

3) Copy the following command “bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy” and paste it in the Command Prompt and then press the Enter key on your keyboard.

4) Now reboot your computer. Before the Windows logo appears, press F8 to access the Boot Options menu and then select Safe Mode.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You can get F8 work again only when you’re able to access Windows. If you can’t start Windows normally, you need to use other effective way.

How to boot into Safe Mode in Windows 10 without using F8 key?

Besides F8 key, there are many other options to boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode. In this article, you will be able to learn three easiest options.

In case you run into a serious problem such as Blue Screen of Death and can’t start Windows properly, you should use Option 1 to enter Safe Mode. If you are able to start the Windows in Normal Mode, we recommend using Option 2. In case you boot to the login (sign-in) screen please use Option 3.

Three options to access Safe Mode in Windows 10

1. Enter Safe Mode when Windows can’t boot properly
2. Start Safe Mode from the Normal Mode
3. Enter Safe Mode from the login screen

Option 1: Enter Safe Mode when you can’t boot properly

In most cases when Windows doesn’t start properly you are able to boot into Safe Mode without any problem. Safe Mode loads with a minimum set of drivers, software and service, and it’s very helpful for you to troubleshoot the possible problem there.

This solution works effectively when you are not able to boot Windows 10 properly.  Please follow the steps below:

1) Make sure your computer is off.

2) Press the power button to turn on your computer, then hold the power button down until computer shuts down automatically (usually takes around 5 seconds). Keep doing this more than 2 times until you see the Preparing Automatic Repair message on your screen.

Then wait for Windows to diagnose your PC.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This option is done to trigger the Preparing Automatic Repair screen. When operating system doesn’t boot normally, this message shows up and Windows attempts to solve the issue by itself automatically. If you have seen this message at the first time when you start the computer, you should try other options.

3) Select Advanced options, then Windows will pop up the Windows Recovery environment (RE) screen.

4) On the Windows Recovery environment screen, select Troubleshoot.

5)  On the Troubleshoot screen, select Advanced options.

6) Select Startup Settings to proceed.

7) Select Restart. The computer will restart and another screen appears showing a list of different startup options.

8) Press the number 4 number key on your keyboard in order to enter Safe Mode without network. In case you need to do some online work in Safe Mode, press the 5 number key to enter Safe Mode with network access.

Option 2: Start Safe Mode from the Normal Mode

In case you have started Windows into Normal Mode, you can boot into the safe mode through the System Configuration tool. The System Configuration tool allows you to set up how your computer starts, the boot options, the startup applications, etc.

Follow the steps below in order to open the System Configuration tool and set Windows starts in Safe Mode:

1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R key (Win+R) at the same time to launch the Run box.

2) Type msconfig and click OK and the System Configurations will open.

3) When System Configuration opens, select the Boot tab. Under Boot options, check Safe boot then click OK.

4) When you are prompted to restart your computer to apply these settings, select Restart and then you will boot into the Safe Mode.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want to start Windows 10 into Normal Mode, make sure that Safe boot is unchecked.

Option 3: Enter Safe Mode from the login screen

If you are able to boot into login screen, you can enter Safe Mode from there. Follow the steps below (they are similar to the option 1):

1) On your keyboard, hold down the Shift key.

2) While holding down the Shift key, on the login screen at the bottom right of the corner, click the power button then select Restart. Then Windows will bring up the Windows Recovery environment screen.

3) On the Windows RE (Recovery environment) screen, select Troubleshoot.

4)  On the Troubleshoot screen, select Advanced options.

5) Select Startup Settings.

6) Select Restart. The computer restarts and another screen opens showing a lot of different startup options.

7) Press the number 4 number key on your keyboard in order to enter Safe Mode without network. In case you need to do some online work in Safe Mode, press the 5 number key to enter Safe Mode with network access.

Summary

We really hope the instructions in this article helped you to boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10. In case they are not working for you, please feel let us know in the comments.