Windows 10 safe mode not booting

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If you are you having a hard time booting into safe mode in Windows 10, know that a lot of users are struggling with the same issue.

If that’s the case then it’s very understandable because booting into safe mode in Windows 10 is a little bit tricky.

The safe mode feature is very useful in any kind of situation especially if one of your apps is malfunctioning in Windows 10.

In most cases, if you cannot boot normally the Windows 10 system, then the next option you need to take is to boot into safe mode.

You don’t need to worry because from now on you will be able to access this feature only by reading the lines below.

How can I boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode?

1. Use a third-party software
2. Boot into Safe Mode from the system configuration feature
3. Boot into Safe Mode from Power Menu
4. Boot into Safe Mode using a recovery CD/USB

1. Use a third-party software

If you are looking for software that could help and that is really easy to use, then you should have a look at Tenorshare Windows Boot Genius when it comes to solving common issues related to Windows startup.

Tenorshare Windows Boot Genius is a multi-functional boot recovery software that you can use to boot your device when nothing else seems to work, as well as keeping backup and restoring windows operating system if needed.

Moreover, if you are afraid of losing your data, the good news is that with this tool you can also recover data from an unbootable hard disk.

This tool will also repair the most common errors such as the blue screens and reboot loops that are often presented as a cause of viruses or a corrupted start file. 

Tenorshare Windows Boot Genius

Tenorshare Windows Boot Genius is a multi-functional software designed to help you safe boot your device.

2. Boot into Safe Mode from the System Configuration feature

1. Press Windows key + R in order to open the Run window.
2. Write in the Run box msconfig and press OK.
3. Click on the Boottab and select Safe Boot.

1. You might get a message if you want to reboot your Windows 10 device in which case you will need to left-click on the Restart button.
2. After the operating system reboots it will go directly to your Safe mode feature.

Read more about this topic

• Windows 10/11 Settings won’t open/crashing
• How to install Windows updates in Safe Mode

3. Boot into Safe Mode from Power Menu

1. Go to the Settings feature in the Charms bar.
   

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2. Left-click on the Power button.
   

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3. While holding the Shift button pressed you will need to left-click on the Restart option.
4. Next, left click or tap on the Troubleshoot feature.
5. In the Troubleshoot menu left click on the Advanced options feature.
   

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6. Left-click or tap on Startup Settings feature.
7. Next, left-click or tap on the Restart button.
   

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8. Your Windows 10 will reboot and it will get you to a new set of options that you can choose from.
9. Press the F4 button on the keyboard of enable the Safe mode feature.
   

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10. Now restart the Windows 10 device to get to safe mode.

4. Boot into Safe Mode using a recovery CD/USB

1. In order to do this method, you will need to have a system recovery CD/DVD or a USB stick.
2. Insert the system recovery CD/DVD in the device.
3. Reboot your Windows 10 device.
4. Choose to boot from the CD/DVD when it asks you after the restart.
5. In Choose your keyboard layout screen you have to choose the layout you want to use on the keyboard.
6. After you chose the layout you will get to a Choose an option screen and from there you can follow the instructions in the second method above.

Now that you have 3 quick methods on how to boot into safe mode you can surely do it yourself the next time and start the troubleshooting.

You can write to us in the comments section if you have any other suggestions regarding this article.

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Passionate about all elements related to Windows and combined with his innate curiosity, Ivan has delved deep into understanding this operating system, with a specialization in drivers and driver troubleshooting.

When he’s not tackling diverse driver-related problems, Ivan enjoys watching good movies and spending time hiking with his family and friends.

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Важная информация

Если Windows 10 не заходит в безопасный режим одним из выбранных методов, нужно попробовать другой способ выполнения поставленной задачи или произвести вход через среду восстановления.

Есть вероятность, что причина невозможности входа в безопасный режим в Windows 10 обусловлена неверной реализацией задуманного. Поэтому, перед тем как переходить к выполнению описанных в этой статье методов, рекомендуется ознакомиться с другим материалом на нашем сайте, в котором перечислены все альтернативные способы.

Подробнее: Переход в безопасный режим в Windows 10

Способ 1: Изменение параметров запуска

Проблемы со входом в безопасный режим можно попробовать устранить путем выбора старой версии загрузочного меню компьютера, свойственного предыдущим выпускам Виндовс. Напомним, что раньше дополнительные параметры загрузки можно было вызвать, не запуская ОС — достаточно было нажать F8 перед началом загрузки Windows и выбрать один из необходимых пунктов, в том числе и безопасный режим.

Чтобы изменить новое загрузочное меню на старое, необходимо войти на рабочий стол операционной системы, открыть «Командную строку», после чего выполнить в ней всего одну команду.

После того как это будет сделано, попробуйте снова выполнить вход в безопасный режим, притом вы можете выбрать для себя любой доступный метод. В крайнем случае совместите этот способ с четвертым, который предполагает запуск безопасного режима средствами базовой утилиты ввода и вывода (BIOS).

Способ 2: Антивирусная утилита AVZ

Антивирусная утилита под названием AVZ имеет множество дополнительных функций, среди которых есть и восстановление параметров запуска безопасного режима, поэтому можно воспользоваться ей для устранения возникшей проблемы. Предварительно программу, естественно, надо скачать с официального сайта разработчика.

Когда вы загрузите приложение себе на ПК, распакуйте архив с ней и запустите исполняемый файл в хранящейся там директории (установка не требуется). Далее выполните следующие действия:

1. Разверните меню «Файл», которое находится в верхнем левом углу окна, а после этого кликните по пункту «Восстановление системы».


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2. В появившемся окне с перечнем доступных функций отметьте галочкой пункт «10. Восстановление настроек загрузки в SafeMode», затем щелкните по кнопке «Выполнить отмеченные операции».


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3. Подтвердите запуск выбранной процедуры, нажав в открывшемся диалоговом окне по кнопке «Да».
   

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   После этого неполадки должны будут устраниться, поэтому попробуйте перейти в безопасный режим любым доступным способом.

Способ 3: Поиск и удаление вирусов

На корректную работу функций операционной системы способно негативно влиять вредоносное программное обеспечение, именно из-за него могут появляться проблемы со входом в безопасный режим. Соответственно, необходимо проверить компьютер на наличие вирусов и в случае их обнаружения произвести процедуру по очистке. На нашем сайте есть отдельная статья на эту тему, ознакомьтесь с ней, воспользовавшись ссылкой ниже.

Подробнее: Как проверить Windows 10 на вирусы и другие угрозы

Способ 4: Установка драйверов видеокарты и материнской платы

Драйверы, установленные в операционной системе, способны прямым образом влиять на работу ее некоторых функций. Например, проблемы со входом в безопасный режим могут появиться из-за отсутствия актуальных версий драйверов видеокарты и материнской платы. Соответственно, чтобы устранить неисправность, потребуется выполнить их инсталляцию. О том, как это сделать, рассказывается в других статьях на нашем сайте, поэтому ознакомьтесь с ними посредством представленных ниже ссылок.

Подробнее:
Как установить драйвер видеокарты / материнской платы на компьютер
Переустанавливаем драйверы видеокарты

Способ 5: Среда восстановления

Есть вероятность, что проблема находится на уровне операционной системы. В таком случае необходимо попробовать выполнить вход в безопасный режим опосредованно, а для этого можно воспользоваться встроенной средой восстановления Windows 10. Предварительно ее необходимо запустить. На эту тему у нас написана другая статья, при необходимости ознакомьтесь с ней, перейдя по ссылке ниже.

Подробнее: Как запустить среду восстановления в Windows 10

Как только вы войдете в среду восстановления, выполните описанные дальше действия, чтобы запустить безопасный режим:

1. Перейдите в раздел «Дополнительные параметры». Навигация по меню осуществляется как посредством клавиатуры, так и с помощью курсора мышки.


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2. Запустите окно консоли, щелкнув по пункту «Командная строка».


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3. После быстрой перезагрузки компьютера отобразится меню авторизации. Выберите в списке ваш аккаунт и кликните по нему мышкой.


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4. При необходимости введите пароль от учетной записи и нажмите по кнопке «Продолжить». Если он не был установлен, тогда оставьте поле пустым.


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5. При появлении окна «Командной строки» введите указанную ниже команду и нажмите по клавише Enter. В случае успешного выполнения операции об этом будет указано в тексте выдачи.

   bcdedit /set {globalsettings} advancedoptions true



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6. Закройте окно консоли и, вернувшись в меню среды восстановления, выберите пункт «Выключить компьютер».


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7. После полного отключения ПК включите его и дождитесь пока на экране появится меню параметров запуска. После этого нажмите на клавиатуре одну из цифр:

   F4 — обычный безопасный режим;
   F5 — с загрузкой сетевых драйверов;
   F6 — с поддержкой командной строки.

   Как только клавиша будет нажата, выполнится вход в безопасный режим с определенными параметрами.

   

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   Примечание! Если вы хотите осуществить стандартный запуск операционной системы, тогда просто нажмите по клавише Enter.

Способ 6: Диагностика проблем аппаратной части

Если ни один из вышеупомянутых способов решения поставленной задачи вам не помог, тогда есть вероятность, что проблема заключается в аппаратной составляющей компьютера. В таком случае потребуется провести диагностику комплектующих.

На работу безопасного режима может влиять накопитель, на который установлена операционная система. Именно его, а именно наличие поврежденных секторов, проблем файловой системы необходимо проверить в первую очередь. Сделать это можно непосредственно в Windows 10, воспользовавшись специализированным программным обеспечением. За подробностями обратитесь к другой тематической статье на нашем сайте.

Подробнее: Проверка состояния жесткого диска

Также, в редких случаях, поврежденные компоненты материнской платы способны препятствовать входу в безопасный режим в Windows 10. Проверить ее работоспособность посредством специальных приложений невозможно, поможет только визуальный осмотр с использованием специализированных инструментов. Эта процедура довольна сложна в реализации и требует от пользователя определенных знаний в области ремонта компьютера. Но подробнее об этом всем рассказывается в другом материале на нашем сайте.

Подробнее: Проверяем работоспособность материнской платы

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As a Windows 10 user, you may have noticed that: Windows 10 Safe Mode F8 key no longer works. You probably can’t help but wonder: does Windows 10 remove this feature? The answer is NO. You can still enter the Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key. You may need to manually re-enable this feature with only a few simple steps.

This article introduces how to fix Windows 10 Safe Mode F8 not working issue, and also provides alternative methods for you to start Safe Mode. So you can try whichever way you prefer.

1. How to Fix Windows 10 F8 key to start Safe Mode
2. Alternative methods to start Safe Mode

Fix Windows 10 F8 key to start Safe Mode

There is a workaround to re-enable Windows 10 F8 key to start Safe Mode easily. You can skip to How to fix it directly if you already know the reason why the F8 key doesn’t work in Windows 10.

Why doesn’t Windows 10 F8 key work?

In Windows 7, you can easily enter the Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key before Windows starts loading, but this has changed in Windows 8 and Windows 10. The reason is that Microsoft has reduced the time for the F8 key to almost zero interval (less than 200 milliseconds). As a result, people almost can’t press the F8 key within such a short time, and there is little chance of detecting the F8 key to invoke the boot menu and then start Safe Mode.

If you are lucky enough, you can keep pressing the F8 key during the boot, then you can sometimes get into the screen of Safe Mode boot options. But most of the time, you might try in vain. However, the good news is that you can still get your F8 key to work again if you can access to your Windows normally. You just need to manually re-enable this feature.

How to fix it?

Note: You can try this method to get your F8 key to work again only when your Windows can boot normally. If you can’t start Windows normally, you may start Safe Mode when your Windows can’t start normally.

As known, F8 no longer works in starting Safe Mode. But you can re-activate it with the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) Edit command. BCD Edit is a built-in tool to control how the operating system is started. With that, you can re-enable F8 boot menu easily. Follow these steps:

1) Type cmd in the search box, right-click Command Prompt to select Run as administrator, then click Yes to confirm.

2) Copy the command below and paste it into the Command Prompt, and press Enter. 

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

3) After the operation is completed successfully, restart your PC.

4) Before the Windows logo appears, press F8 to access Advanced Boot Options as the screenshot below. Select the Safe Mode you want to boot into, and press Enter.

Safe Mode: Safe Mode with a minimal set of drivers and services.
Safe Mode with Networking: Safe Mode with the network drivers and services needed to access the Internet.
Safe Mode with Command Prompt: Safe Mode with a Command Prompt window instead of the usual Windows interface. This option is intended for IT pros and system admins.

Then your Windows will start into Safe Mode.

Note: After entering Safe Mode, you may see this message on your screen. This is normal because many applications don’t run in Safe Mode. Just click Close to close the window.

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Alternative methods to start Safe Mode

In addition to F8 boot menu options, Windows 10 also provides other effective methods for you to enter Safe Mode. You can also try the methods below.

If you can start and run your Windows properly, you can try entering Safe Mode from the Start menu on your screen. This is a worth considering method as well:

1) Click the Start button at the bottom left, and then click the Settings button.

2) Click Update & security.

3) Click Recovery on the left pane, then click Restart now.

4) Your Windows will automatically restart. Then the Advanced troubleshooting tools screen will appear, and click Troubleshoot.

5) Click Advanced options.

6) Click Startup Settings.

7) Click Restart. Then your computer will automatically restart and a screen appears to show different startup options.

 On your keyboard, click the 4 number key or F4 key to enter Safe Mode. (You can also press the corresponding key to enter Safe Mode with networking/Command Prompt. That depends on your needs.)

Tips: You have another choice to start Safe Mode from the Start menu:

1) Click the Start button at the bottom left corner, and right-click the power button.

2) Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard when you click Restart.

Your Windows will automatically restart. Then the Advanced troubleshooting tools will appear. Repeat the steps from step 4) above to continue.

Method 2: Start Safe Mode by System Configuration

When you are troubleshooting your system, you may need to boot into Safe Mode several times. Repeating all the steps above to enter Safe Mode would be a huge nuisance. In that case, you can start Safe Mode by System Configuration to save your time. This will help boot into Safe Mode every time you restart your computer.

System Configuration is also referred to MSConfig. It’s a system utility to troubleshoot the Windows startup process. It can disable or re-enable the programs and device drivers that run during the boot process. Then you will be able to determine the cause of your problem.

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

2) Type msconfig in the Run box and click OK.

3) Click Boot. In Boot options, check the box next to Safe boot and select Minimal, and click OK. Or you can select other Safe Mode options according to your demand.

Minimal: normal Safe Mode.
Alternate shell: Safe Mode using only the Command Prompt.
Active Directory repair: Used only for repairing an Active Directory server.
Network: Safe Mode with networking support.

4) Click Restart to apply the changes. Then your Windows will restart into Safe Mode.

How to exit Safe Mode from System Configuration

Windows will start Safe Mode with System Configuration every time you boot your computer. So if you don’t want Safe Mode, you can exit Safe Mode by following these steps:

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

2) Type msconfig in the Run box and click OK.

3) Click Boot. In Boot options, uncheck the box next to Safe boot, and click OK.

4) Click Restart to apply the changes and restart your computer in normal mode.

Method 3: Start safe mode when your Windows can’t start normally

As mentioned above, Safe Mode runs with a minimum set of drivers and programs. Generally speaking, if your Windows can’t boot normally, there won’t be a problem to enter Safe Mode as well. Therefore, you can reboot your computer twice in a row to access the Automatic Repair screen where you can initiate Safe Mode. Follow the instructions below.

Note: Before getting started, make sure your computer is off.

1) Press the power button to turn on your computer, then hold the power button to shut it down (about 5 seconds). Repeat this more than twice until you see the Preparing the Automatic Repair screen.

Note: this step helps to activate the Preparing Automatic Repair screen. If your Windows doesn’t restart normally, this screen pops up and Windows tries to fix the problem by itself. So if you see this screen for the first time when you power on the computer, just skip to the next step.

2) Then the Diagnosing your PC screen will appear.

3) The Startup Repair screen appears, and click Advanced options.

4) You will enter the Advanced troubleshooting tools screen, then click Troubleshoot.

Then repeat the instructions from steps 5) to in Method 2 above to finish the settings, and your Windows will boot into Safe Mode.

These are the easy methods to enter Safe Mode. Hope it helps solve your issue. Feel free to comment below if you have any questions, and we will see what more we can further help.

When you want to enter Windows Safe Mode to fix some issues, you may find that Safe Mode not working. If you are looking for some solutions to fix this issue, you come to the right place. In this MiniTool article, we list 6 solutions. Hope they can help you out.

Terrible! Safe Mode Not Working!

Safe Mode can start Windows in a basic state, running a limited set of files and drivers. If there are some problems with your computer, you can enter Safe Mode to troubleshoot them:

• If the same issue doesn’t happen in Safe Mode, you will know that this problem is caused by the third-party application rather than the default settings and basic device drivers.
• If the problem happens again in Safe Mode, it means that there is something wrong with Windows operating system and you need to repair it.

However, some of you find that Windows won’t start in Safe Mode when you need to troubleshoot some problems urgently. After constant trials, Windows still can’t boot into Safe Mode. Then, it will be troublesome.

Many of you have reported Windows won’t boot in Safe Mode issue. Thus, we think it is necessary to tell you how to solve this issue effectively. In the following content, we summarize some possible solutions and you can try them one by one to find the best fix. In addition, you can also find the best data recovery software here.

How to Fix Windows Won’t Start in Safe Mode?

Safe Mode not working issue can happen in all Windows versions. In the following content, we will operate the solutions on Windows 10. If you are running other Windows OSs, the steps are similar.

Solution 1: Perform a System Restore

If you have created a system restore point before, you can perform a system restore to return the computer to a prior good point when Safe Mode was still working. However, if there is no available system restore point, please move to the next solution.

To do this work, you need to:

Step 1: Type restore into the Search box and choose create a restore point from the search result. When seeing the User Account Control interface, please click on the Yes button to continue.

Step 2: You will enter the System Properties interface as follows. Under the System Protection tab, please choose System Restore.

Step 3: The System Restore interface will pop out.

Then, you can click on the Next button to go the next interface where you can choose the restore point you have created beforehand. After selecting the target item, please click on the Next button and follow the wizard to finish the job.

After these three steps, you can reboot Windows to see whether Safe Mode not working issue disappears.

If system restore gets interrupted and the computer is unbootable, how to recover data…

Normally, system restore doesn’t affect any of your documents, pictures, or other personal data. However, if system restore is interrupted by accident, the computer may be malfunctioning such as Black Screen of Death, system restore hanging, and more.

Since Safe Mode not working happens in this case, you can’t enter it to fix the computer. In this situation, the most effective solution is to reinstall Windows. However, there should be some important files on the computer. To keep them safe, you’d better restore them to a suitable location before Windows reinstallation.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery, a professional data recovery tool, can scan your existing files on the computer. Besides, its Bootable Edition allows you to retrieve files from the unbootable machine.

How to get MiniTool Power Data Recovery Bootable Edition?

You have to use the MiniTool Media Builder which can be obtained from an advanced edition to create one.

First, you need to install and register the software on a normal working computer. After that, you need to create a bootable media and then set the faulty computer to boot from the boot media.

After opening the software, you need to do these operations to recover your data from the computer:

1. You can see the drives on your computer are displayed on the software interface. You can select the drive you want to recover data from and click the Scan button to start scanning.

2. It will take a while to finish the whole scanning process. You should wait patiently. When the scanning ends, you can see the scan results. The scanned files are listed by path by default. You can open them to find your needed files. If you only want to recover some certain types of files, you can switch to Type to find files by type. Besides, you can also use the Find feature to locate files by name.

3. Select the files you want to recover and click the Save button to continue.

4. There will be a pop-up interface, on which you can select a location to save the selected files. To guarantee the safety of these files, you’d better select an external drive to save them. Both an external hard drive and an SD card are OK.

Then, you can reinstall Windows to make the computer work normal again.

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Solution 2: Run System File Checker

Safe Mode not working issue can also be caused by corrupted or damaged Windows system files. While the System File Checker or sfc.exe can be used to scan and restore corrupted Windows system files. You can run it to check whether it can assist you to make Safe Mode work again.

Please refer to this Microsoft official post to do the job: Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files.

Solution 3: Reset Your PC

If Windows Safe Mode not working issue happens, resetting your PC may be helpful.

Step 1: To do this work, you need to go to Settings > Recovery, and then press Get started under Reset this PC.

Step 2: Then, you will see two options: Keep my files and Remove everything. Please choose one according to your actual situation and follow the rest wizards to reset your computer.

It will take a while to finish the reset process and the computer may reboot a couple of times. Please be patient.

When the reset process ends, you can go to check whether Safe Mode not working issue disappears.

Solution 4: Use System Configuration Utility

Actually, if Safe Mode not working occurs when you want to enter it in WinRE, you can try to force the machine to boot into Safe Mode:

Step 1: Type msconfig in Windows 10 Search box and hit the Enter button. Then, you will see the System Configuration interface.

Step 2: Under Boot tab, you can see some Boot options. Please check Safe boot and Minimal successively. After that, press and Apply and OK to keep this setting.

Step 3: Then, you will see the following interface. Here, you need to click on the Restart button to see whether you can enter Safe Mode successfully.

Step 4: If Safe Mode is working now, you can do what you need to do in Safe Mode and then go back to msconfig to remove the check mark from the Safe Boot option.

Simultaneously, there is a convenient way to enter System Configuration utility, and it is to create a desktop shortcut:

Step 1: Right-click on the desktop and choose Shortcut from New.

Step 2: When you see the first Create Shortcut interface, please copy and paste the following path to the black box:

C:\Windows\System32\msconfig.exe -2

Then, click on the Next button to continue.

Step 3: When entering the second Create Shortcut interface, you can type a name for the shortcut, such as Restart options. At last, press the Finish button to complete the operation.

The shortcut is created. When you need to force your computer to boot into Safe Mode, you can click on the shortcut to enter System Configuration utility and make such a setting directly.

However, you should note that this way may cause Windows reboot loop issue and Windows can’t boot into Safe Mode either. So, just use this method only if you know what you are doing and it is the last option for you to fix Safe Mode not working issue.

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F8 Not Working Windows 10/8! How to Fix It?

The Reason for F8 Not Working

When you search Safe Mode not working on the internet, you will discover that many users are asking why F8 not working Windows 10/8?

If you are using Windows 7, you can enter Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key before loading Windows. However, this has changed in Windows 10/8. Why?

Microsoft has reduced the time period for the F8 key to almost zero interval which is actually less than 200 milliseconds. That is to say, you almost can’t use the F8 key within such a short period of time and there is no chance for Windows to detect the F8 key to invoke the boot menu and then enter Safe Mode.

If you are lucky enough, you can keep pressing the F8 key at the beginning of booting computer, and then you can sometimes access the screen of Safe Mode boot options. But most of the time, you just try in vain because you can’t be faster than Windows 10/8 startup.

But, it doesn’t mean F8 Not Working Windows 10/8 forever. Indeed, you can re-activate this feature with the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) Edit command.

How to Fix F8 Not Working Windows 10/8?

BCD Edit is a Windows’ snap-in tool which can be used to control how the operating system is started. To re-enable F8 boot menu easily, you need to:

Step 1: Type cmd into the Search box, right-click on Command Prompt from search result list and choose Run as administrator from the popup list. Then, click on the Yes button from the pop-out window to confirm.

Step 2: Please copy & paste the following content in to the Command Prompt interface and press Enter:

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

Step 3: Then, you can restart your computer to see whether you can press F8 key to enter Safe Mode.

Bottom Line

When Safe Mode not working issue happens, you should not be worried anymore. The solutions introduced in this post can help you solve the issue effectively. Additionally, MiniTool Power Data Recovery can help you recover files from different types of data storage devices. For example, you can use it to perform SSD data recovery, SD card data recovery, external hard drive data recovery, and more.

If you face some issues when using MiniTool software to solve your issue, you can contact us via [email protected], or you can let us know in the comment. Any useful ideas and suggestions are also appreciated here.

Windows Won’t Boot into Safe Mode FAQ

One of the best ways to troubleshoot Windows 10 issues is to use Safe Mode, a minimal environment that allows you to run the operating system with only the essential drivers and services. However, the old methods of pressing F8 or SHIFT + F8 during boot are no longer effective because Windows 10 boots too fast, and Microsoft disabled them. Instead, you have to use other ways to boot into Safe Mode in Windows 10. Here are eight methods you can try:

How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode (video tutorial)

Safe Mode is a Windows feature that allows you to start the operating system with minimal functionality, only running the essential services and drivers. This helps to isolate and fix problems, as it prevents Windows from loading anything that could cause it to crash. For more details on what you can do with Safe Mode, read this separate article we published some time ago: What is Safe Mode?

A Windows 10 computer in Safe Mode

So, do you want to know how to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode? You’ve come to the right place. In this tutorial, I’ll show you all the tips and tricks you can use to boot into Safe Mode. However, it all depends on whether you can log in to Windows 10 or not.

If you need to enter Safe Mode without logging in, try methods 1 to 4. If you can boot Windows 10 and sign in with a user account, try methods 5 to 8.

Oh, and for those who prefer a visual guide over text, we have a video that shows four of these ways to boot a Windows 10 computer into Safe Mode:

And now, without further ado, here’s…

1. How to boot in Safe Mode without logging into Windows 10 (Shift + Restart)

If you can’t log into Windows 10, but you can get to the sign-in screen, press and hold the SHIFT key on the keyboard. With this key still pressed, click or tap the Power button and, in the menu that opens, click Restart.

How to boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode without login

Windows 10 restarts and asks you to select an option. Choose Troubleshoot.

Click Troubleshoot (Reset your PC or see advanced options)

On the Troubleshoot screen, go to Advanced options.

Accessing the advanced troubleshooting options

On the Advanced options screen, choose Startup Settings. Depending on your Windows 10 computer, you may not see this option at first. If you do not, click or tap the “See more recovery options” link and then on the Startup Settings option.

Click the Startup Settings option

Windows 10 says that you can restart your device to change advanced boot options, including enabling Safe Mode. Press Restart.

Startup Settings: Choose Restart for Windows 10 Safe Mode options

After Windows 10 restarts one more time, you can choose which boot options you want to enable. You have three different options to get into Safe Mode:

• Standard Safe Mode — press the 4 or the F4 key on your keyboard to start it
• Safe Mode with Networking — press 5 or F5
• Safe Mode with Command Prompt — press either 6 or F6

How to boot in Safe Mode on a Windows 10 computer

Log into Windows 10 Safe Mode with a user account that has administrator permissions, and perform the changes you want.

2. How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode from a black screen by interrupting the boot sequence

If Windows 10 fails to boot normally three times over, it enters by default in an Automatic Repair mode the fourth time. Using this mode, you can boot into Safe Mode.

To trigger the Automatic Repair mode, you must interrupt the normal boot process three consecutive times: use the Restart or the Power button on your Windows 10 PC or laptop to stop it during boot before it finishes loading the operating system. If you use the Power button, you might have to keep it pressed for at least 4 seconds to force the power off. When Windows 10 enters the Automatic Repair mode, the first thing you see is a screen that tells you that the operating system is Preparing Automatic Repair. You’re on the right path!

How to boot into Safe Mode from a black screen

Wait for Windows 10 to try to make an automatic diagnosis of your PC.

Diagnosing your Windows 10 PC

On the Automatic Repair screen, press the Advanced options button.

Accessing the advanced troubleshooting options

From here on, the steps you have to take are the same as those shown in the first method from this guide. Follow the path Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. Then, press the 4 or the F4 key on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode, press 5 or F5 to boot into Safe Mode with Networking, or press 6 or F6 to go into Safe Mode with Command Prompt.