We’ve all gotten used to hitting either F2 or F8 for advanced boot options since Windows 2000, perhaps even earlier. On any version of Windows, you can always count on a slower boot process to actually press a key when a text message appears.
Well, those days are over! In Windows 8/10, the boot time has been significantly reduced and the screenshot you see above is displayed for about 200 milliseconds and that’s it! Therefore, if you want to go to Safe Mode in Windows 8/10, you have to go the other way.
Instead of the advanced boot options in earlier versions of Windows, you now need to go through the Windows 8 System Recovery options first. It’s pretty much the same, but it just looks much better and you have to click a few more menu options. to get there. Here’s how.
If you are using a different version of Windows like XP, Vista, 7, or 10, check out my other post on how to restart Windows in Safe Mode Then come back to this article for the final steps.
Start Windows 8/10 in Safe Mode
Start Windows 8/10 in Safe Mode
First you need to boot Windows 8/10 into System Recovery Options. You can read my previous post on how to do this; There are three main methods. Once you’re there, you need to click on the Troubleshoot option.
On the next screen, you need to click on Advanced Options.
Then in the last dialog box you need to click “Launch Options”.
Finally, you have to hit the Restart button, which will give you options to run in low-res mode, in debug mode, enable boot logging, and run in safe mode! It’s a long process, but it’s a new way.
You will now finally be taken to the Launch Settings screen where you can press 1 to 10 or F1 to F10 to select different settings. Press 4 or F4 to enable safe mode.
This is it! Windows 8/10 will now boot into Safe Mode! You will need to enter your password to log in after starting the backup. I noticed that in safe mode on Windows 8, I could not open the Charms bar. Not sure why, but I couldn’t figure out how to restart the system.
I ended up going to the start screen, then clicking my name at the top, and it was possible to log out. As soon as I logged out, when I pressed the power button in the lower right corner, there was an option to “Shut Down†or “Restartâ€. So, if you’re stuck in Safe Mode and can’t get out, here’s how to do it.
It should also be noted that you can also use the MSCONFIG utility to start in safe mode. Go to the Start screen, right-click, then select All Apps and click Run. On Windows 10, just press the Windows + R keys.
Then enter msconfig in the run dialog and click the Boot tab:
Select the Secure Boot checkbox and select the option you want. You can choose from:
Minimal – Normal Safe Mode
Alternative shell – command line safe mode
Network – Safe Mode with Networking
Don’t worry about restoring Active Directory, this is an IT-related option. You can also check the boxes for No GUI Load, Boot Log, Basic Video, and OS Boot Info. Note that when you boot into Safe Mode with msconfig, it will load continuously until you return to msconfig and uncheck the Safe Boot checkbox. Enjoy!
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