How to Boot Into Safe Mode on Windows 11

Windows hasn’t supported the old F8-at-startup trick for years — fast boot and UEFI firmware made it unreliable, so Microsoft moved Safe Mode access into the Advanced Startup environment instead. Here’s every reliable way to get there on Windows 11, depending on whether your PC currently boots normally.

Method 1: From a working desktop (the normal case)

1. Open Settings > System > Recovery.
2. Under Advanced startup, click Restart now.
3. After the reboot, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
4. Once it reboots again, you’ll see a numbered list. Press 4 for Safe Mode, 5 for Safe Mode with Networking, or 6 for Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Method 2: Shift + Restart (fastest, from the login or Start screen)

Hold Shift on your keyboard and click Restart from the Start menu or the login screen’s power button. Windows boots straight into the recovery environment.

Method 3: System Configuration (msconfig) — for repeated Safe Mode boots

If you need the machine to boot into Safe Mode every time until you turn it off:

1. Press Win + R, type msconfig, hit Enter.
2. Go to the Boot tab.
3. Under Boot options, tick Safe boot, choose Minimal (standard Safe Mode) or Network (Safe Mode with Networking).
4. Click OK and restart.

Don’t forget to undo this afterward — untick the Safe boot box and restart again, or the PC will keep booting into Safe Mode indefinitely.

Method 4: When Windows won’t boot at all

If the PC fails to start normally two or three times in a row, Windows 11 automatically drops into the Automatic Repair screen, which is the same recovery environment as above.

If it doesn’t trigger automatically, force it: interrupt the boot three times in a row by holding the power button for 10 seconds as soon as you see the Windows logo, on three consecutive boot attempts.

You can also boot from Windows 11 installation media (USB) and choose Repair your computer on the setup screen instead of Install now.