Getting into Safe Mode on Windows 10 isn’t as straightforward as clicking a button, especially if your PC is acting up. Sometimes, the normal boot process gets wonky, or you can’t even get into the OS easily, so knowing how to manually trigger Safe Mode can save a lot of headache. It’s like putting your PC in a minimal, no-nonsense state — only the essentials are running, which really helps pinpoint software conflicts, driver problems, or stubborn malware. Those extra steps are worth it because, honestly, Windows loves to make things more complicated than they need to be. Anyway, here’s how you can do this without pulling your hair out, especially if the usual methods won’t work for you.
How to Enter Safe Mode on Windows 10 (Step-by-Step)
Method 1: Using the Settings Menu
This is the clean, recommended way since it’s built into Windows, but it’s not always foolproof if your system is totally unresponsive. Still, it works when your OS is somewhat stable.
- First, click on the Start Menu (the Windows icon in the lower-left corner).
- Open Settings by clicking on the gear icon.
- Go to Update & Security.
- Choose Recovery from the sidebar.
- Under Advanced startup, click Restart now.
This restarts your PC into a special menu. When it reboots, you’ll see a blue screen with options. Now it gets a little trickier, especially if your system can’t load Windows properly.
Method 2: Using Shift + Restart (when Windows still boots)
Sometimes, you just need a quick shortcut, especially if your screen is still responsive, but the normal restart doesn’t cut it because it doesn’t go into recovery mode. Here’s the trick:
- Hold down Shift and click Restart from the Start menu or on the login screen.
- Keep holding Shift until the recovery menu appears.
This method forces Windows to boot into the same recovery options as above, giving access to Safe Mode options.
Method 3: Using a Bootable USB or Windows Recovery Drive
Okay, this is kind of the nuclear option — especially handy if your PC’s so broken that you can’t get into Windows at all. Usually, you’ll need a spare USB with Windows 10 installation media created via the Media Creation Tool, or a recovery drive.
- Boot from the USB by changing your boot order in the BIOS or UEFI settings.
- Once the Windows setup loads, click Repair your computer (bottom left).
- Follow the menu to: Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings.
- Click Restart.
When your PC restarts, you’ll see a list of options. Press F4 for Safe Mode, F5 for Safe Mode with Networking, or F6 if you need Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
Not gonna lie, this can feel like a hassle, but it’s super reliable if your Windows refuses to boot normally.
What’s the point of all this?
Basically, Safe Mode strips your system down to just the core essentials. It’s ideal when malware, a bad driver, or a stubborn update crapped out your usual startup. On some setups, the process might take a couple of tries — especially the first time — but once you’ve done it, it kinda becomes second nature. Just remember, sometimes Windows doesn’t want to cooperate, so these workarounds are life savers. And yes, it’s normal for your screen to look a bit plain, or for some hardware not to be working — that’s the point.
Of course, once you fix the issue, exiting Safe Mode is just a restart, no big deal.