How to boot into & exit Safe Mode on Windows 10

Safe Mode, a remarkably useful tool to diagnose your Windows PC, when the system behavior has changed so much that it is hard to deal with. Often, you come across these situations while working with your PC, you download a ransomware/malware, disguised as a security software, from the web and eventually fall victim to a rogue software.

Or the situations can be as simple as a corrupted driver you recently installed only to find out that you can no more connect to the internet.

To remedy these issues, Safe mode is intended to help fix most (if not all) problems within an operating system and is the widely used tool on Windows. In Safe Mode, only the core components of a PC are loaded and hence, the operating system has a reduced functionality which is temporary in itself, but very effective in the task of isolating problems.

There are quite a few ways to get into Safe Mode but you should know a few things beforehand. There are two versions of safe mode: Safe Mode and Safe Mode with Networking.

Although they are quite similar, Safe Mode with Networking includes the network drivers and services and gives you the intended access to the Internet and other computers on your network.

With that in mind, let us see how to boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10 PC.

1. From Settings

1. Press Win Key + I to open Settings. (You can also click Start and then select Settings)
2. Select Update & security > Recovery.
3. Under Advanced startup, select Restart now.
4. After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
5. On the restart, you’ll see a list of options. Press F4 to start your PC in Safe Mode Or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

2. From the sign-in screen

1. Restart your PC. When you get to the sign-in screen, hold down the Shift key down while you select Power > Restart.
2. After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
3. On the restart, you’ll see a list of options. Select F4 to start your PC in Safe Mode. Or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

With Safe Mode, you can pretty much pin down the problem or safely remove that bad software causing problems with the system behavior. For example, if the problem doesn’t happen in safe mode, you’ll quickly know that default setting and basic device drivers aren’t causing the issue.

How to exit Safe Mode:

If your PC is in safe mode for some reason and you want to get out of it, here are some simple steps to follow.

Step 1:

Type run in the search bar and click on “Run” desktop app as shown in the screenshot below. A run box will open.

Step 2:

Now type “msconfig” in the Run box and hit enter.

Step 3:

Now a popup screen will open with “System Configuration” menu. If you go to the boot tab you will see “Safe Boot” option checked.

Step 4:

Uncheck this “Safe Boot: option and apply. Restart and you are out of the Safe Mode.