How to enter safe mode when booting. Safe Mode or Safe Mode

Safe mode (English - Safe Mode) – diagnostic mode, in which all unnecessary drivers and Windows functions. Used to troubleshoot problems that arise in PC operation. You just need to launch safe mode and fix the errors, after which the PC will work as it should again.

In what cases might you need to enter safe mode? For example, to solve the problem when .

Also, in this way you can remove viruses, reset your password, fix errors (incl. blue screen death), restore the system, etc.

There are several ways. Plus, they differ somewhat depending on what operating system you have. Therefore, below we will look at everything available methods How to enter Windows safe mode.

There are 2 universal methods that work on all versions of Windows - XP, 7, 8 and 10. Moreover, they are the simplest. Perhaps we'll start with them.

Login via msconfig utility

The first way is through special utility. To do this you need to follow simple instructions:

1. Press Win + R (the button between “Ctrl” and “Alt”) and enter the word “msconfig”.
2. In the new window, select the “Boot” tab, indicate the desired OS and check the “Safe Mode” checkbox. There are a couple of sub-items here - it is recommended to choose either “minimal” (standard option) or “network” (in this case there will be access to the Internet).
3. Click “OK” and restart your PC - now it will turn on in safe mode.

When you fix the errors, do not forget to return the computer to normal startup mode! This is done in exactly the same way - using the msconfig utility (only now you need to uncheck the box).

There is a small nuance here: in this way you can enable safe mode in Windows only if your OS boots normally. If you can’t even load the desktop, then use the second method.

Login using F8

This method is suitable for those whose PC or laptop does not turn on (the desktop does not load, the monitor goes dark, etc.). IN in this case do the following:

1. Turn on your PC (or laptop) and immediately press the F8 key repeatedly until a menu appears (in some cases you need to press Shift + F8).
2. If the Windows logo appears or the screen goes dark, you failed. Wait until the system boots completely, then restart your PC and try again.
3. When you do everything correctly, a menu will open where you use the arrows to select “Safe Mode” (the best option).

P.S. This method does not work on Windows 10! This function disabled by developers.

Special download options for Windows 10

If Windows starts, then you need to do the following:

What to do if Windows 10 does not start? If the PC boots before the login screen, then " Special options Downloads" can be opened in another way. To do this, click on the power button icon (in the lower right corner), hold down Shift and select “Restart”.

We use a disk or flash drive

This is the most reliable way boot Windows 10 in safe mode. But in this case, you need a DVD or (they can be recorded on any PC or laptop).

Connect a USB drive or insert a disk, load them (), and then do the following:

1. After loading, press Shift + F10.
2. After opening the command line, enter – bcdedit /set (default) safeboot minimal.
3. Then close it and restart your PC. It will turn on.

To return the PC to normal startup, enter the following on the command line: bcdedit /deletevalue (default) safeboot.

You can do this in the same way (or as an administrator ) .

You can also enable the mode in Windows 8 in 4 different ways

The first two are described in detail at the beginning of the article. The other two are quite similar to the options that are suitable for Windows 10, but we will still look at them in more detail to make it easier for you to navigate.

Diagnostic tools

So, the first method is to activate the buffer format (only suitable if the OS is working normally). To do this we do the following:

The PC will start in Safe Mode, and you can carry out the necessary manipulations.

And another simple option for starting safe mode in Windows 8 is by bootable flash drive or DVD with Windows files. The procedure is as follows:

What to do on Windows 7 and XP

You can enter safe mode in Windows 7 or XP using one of the following: universal methods described at the beginning of this article. The first option is suitable in cases where the OS is working normally, and the second option is suitable if the PC or laptop does not turn on.

It is worth noting that the operating system is in no way related to the BIOS. It also doesn’t matter what brand of laptop you have – Samsung, Asus, Lenovo, HP, Acer, LG, etc.

What to do if Safe Mode does not start?

Sometimes a PC or laptop stubbornly refuses to enable safe mode. The reason is trivial - viruses damaged the Windows registry. In such situations, there are only 2 options:

• restoring PC operation (system rollback to a checkpoint);
• installation of special programs.

The optimal method, of course, would be the first one - restoring the computer from control point. If you do not have them saved (for example, disabled), then the only option left is to install recovery programs Windows registry. In this case, you can use the free Safe Mode Repair or SafeBootKeyRepair.

OS crashes most often occur after incorrect setting, installing unfinished programs or becoming infected with viruses. Booting into Safe Mode will show you whether these are the issues and, if so, help resolve them.

How to start Safe Mode in Windows

1. Using hotkeys

• Suitable for Windows 7, Vista and XP.

Restart your computer and, as soon as the system starts to boot again, press the F8 key until the menu appears additional options downloads. When this menu appears on the screen, select the Safe Mode option and press Enter.

To exit safe mode, restart your computer and it will start in normal mode.

• Suitable for Windows 10, 8, 8.1, 7, Vista and XP.

Use the combination Windows keys+ R. In the window that appears, enter the command msconfig and press Enter. When the system configurator window opens, go to the “Boot” (or BOOT) tab and check the “Safe Mode” (or SAFEBOOT) checkbox. Click OK and restart your computer.

To disable booting in safe mode, open the configurator window again, uncheck the “Safe Mode” checkbox and restart the computer.

Click on the notification icon in the lower right corner and go to “All settings” → “Update and security” → “Recovery”. Under Special Boot Options, click Restart Now.

Once on the “Select Action” screen, select “Troubleshooting” (or “Diagnostics”) → “Boot Options” (if this item is not displayed, click “ Extra options") → "Reboot". On the next screen, press the 4 key to select the Enable Safe Mode option.

To exit safe mode, simply restart your computer.

• Suitable for Windows 10, 8 and 8.1.

This method is a simplified version of the previous one. Hold down the Shift key and click on soft button reboot, which you use to restart the system normally. When you get to the Select Action screen, follow the steps outlined for that window in the previous method.

To exit Safe Mode, simply restart your computer.

How to start Safe Mode on macOS

1. Using the Shift key

Hold down the Shift key immediately after turning on or restarting your computer until you see the login window.

To exit Safe Mode, simply restart your Mac without clicking any additional keys.

Open Finder → Programs → Utilities and launch the Terminal utility. Enter sudo command nvram boot-args="-x" and press Enter. After this, restart your computer.

To disable booting into Safe Mode, launch Terminal again, type sudo nvram boot-args="" , press Enter, and restart your Mac.

What to do next

In safe mode, only the standard set services, drivers, settings and programs. If everything works fine, then there is probably something wrong with third party programs or recently changed OS settings.

In this case, you need to scan your computer with an antivirus and remove suspicious software directly in safe mode. If this does not help, you should consider restoring macOS to normal.

If problems with your computer occur in safe mode and even restoring the OS does not change the situation, most likely there is something wrong with the hardware. First of all, make sure that the components do not overheat and, if necessary, clean the computer. If the temperature is normal, contact the service center.

Many of the things we associated Windows with slowly disappear over the years as technology advances and we form new habits to accommodate. For example, I remember the days when you just had to press F8 repeatedly to boot into Safe Mode.

It was like this little secret- something like a life hack that you could teach a friend in right moment by phone. Those days are long gone, however, even if entering Safe Mode has become more confusing, it is also a hallmark of progress in the boot sequence Windows systems.

Windows 10 Safe Mode

In a safe Windows mode automatically excludes some programs and drivers that are not necessary to download and normal operation Windows. And he takes only what is necessary minimum quantity. This way, the download process will be fast and safe.

In Windows 10, booting your computer into Safe Mode is slightly different from previous versions Windows. Starting with versions 8 and 8.1, Microsoft changed the way everyone used to get into safe mode.

If previously we simply used the F8 keys or the Shift + F8 combination to enter Safe Mode, then in Windows 10 these old methods rarely work. But this does not mean that you do not have another way to enter Safe Mode in Windows 10. In this post, I will show you 4 ways to boot your Windows 10 computer into Safe Mode. Let's take a look.

#1 F8 or F8 + Shift

In this case, the oldest method is not the best. Pressing F8 or F8+Shift repeatedly during boot can bring back memories of your first Windows 95 or XP. But the truth is that these key combinations will rarely work in Windows 10.

Since Windows 8, Microsoft has been able to significantly reduce boot times and therefore large percentage modern computers too fast to register these keystrokes. Even if the method is still technically supported by the operating system, the system simply cannot react fast enough.

Of course, first of all you should try to use this very easy way. If everything went well, you will be directed to the Advanced Boot Options Menu, where you can select and launch Safe Mode.

Note: You must press the key quickly enough until the boot logo appears. The boot logo will look like a picture, which may be different for each user, depending on the equipment manufacturer.

#2 Special download options

The Custom Boot Options menu was introduced in Windows 8.1 and it provides a wide range of options for users who have problems with their computer. It also gave access to additional boot options, which is what we needed. Below are several ways to access the menu with special boot options:

• One of the easiest ways to boot into a menu with special boot options is a combination of Shift and the reboot button. To do this, press the button Shift and press reset button. This can be done in Start Menu, V login menu And other places, where there is a reboot button.
• Another way is to connect recovery disk. Immediately after connecting the drive, start the system. You will be asked to select a keyboard layout, after which you will be taken to a menu with specific boot options. Creating a recovery disk is very easy. Simply type "recovery drive" into the search field, plug in the flash drive, and follow the onscreen instructions.
• Finally, you can boot into a menu with special boot options, via Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. There, click the "Restart now" button under the Special boot options chapter and your computer will restart.

All three of these methods will take you to the same menu. There select Diagnostics > Advanced Options > Boot Options. Then press the reboot button, after which the screen will show various options downloads Press F4, F5 or F6 to load one of available options safe mode.

#3 System configuration

The System Configuration menu provides the most quick method, By at least when you are already in Windows. Open the search field, enter msconfig.exe and press Enter. Then, in the tab, check the “Safe Mode” box. If you want to enter Safe Mode with advanced options, select the option Another shell, not minimal. Click OK and you will be prompted to reboot the system immediately.

If you need to do something before rebooting, then simply select the “Exit without rebooting” option and you can restart your PC after.

#4 Startup abort

The last method is a little harsh, but necessary in some cases. For example, if you cannot boot into the desktop, then of all the options that I described above, only one is guaranteed to work on Windows 10 - the recovery disk. Pressing F8 or F8 + Shift simply won't work on most modern computers, and unless you have a recovery disk, there seems to be no way to get into Safe Mode.

If this is your situation, then I want to reassure you that you can still get into safe mode. Do you remember that your computer crashed repeatedly and then displayed a message notifying you that Windows work was completed incorrectly, or the launch was interrupted (like the screenshot below)?

You can do the same with your computer. Simply start your computer and abort the startup before or when the Windows logo appears. Do this three times and then allow your PC to start normally. Instead of booting to the desktop, your PC will ask you how to start the system, and Safe Mode will be among the available options.

Apparently, any user knows that sometimes it is recommended to boot the system using a special startup option called Safe Mode. Why you need to use it, and how to turn on your computer in safe mode, we’ll see further. It is immediately worth noting that the actions performed vary quite greatly, depending on the modification operating system Windows, which your computer or laptop runs on. However, despite this, we can also suggest common decision, which applies to any of the known versions.

What is Safe Mode and what is it used for?

First, let's briefly look at what this mode is and why its use is sometimes so important. In most cases it is used when unstable work operating system or if it is impossible to boot in normal mode to troubleshoot all sorts of problems. Typically, users do not pay attention to the options for starting the system and select the standard Safe Mode, but this is not always advisable, since in this case they are completely ignored network drivers, and access to the Internet, for example, to download some important components of the system itself, turns out to be unavailable.

In some situations, command line support may be required, since it is the command line tools that allow you to troubleshoot possible malfunctions and failures during booting Windows as efficiently as possible. Actually, most users saw such instructions in the start menu of some Windows modifications, but simply ignored their application, but when choosing the wrong start method, some operations turned out to be impossible.

How to start your computer in Safe Start Mode in Windows 7 and below?

Now let's move on directly to activating such a start. How to start a computer of the seventh version and earlier modifications probably doesn’t need much explanation. Probably everyone has already guessed that we're talking about about calling a special start menu, in which you can select several types of actions.

Access to it is activated by pressing the F8 key at the very beginning of the system boot (after control is transferred to the bootloader from the BIOS, but before the Windows logo appears). In some cases, you may need to press the key several times, since a single press may not have an effect (the main thing here is not to miss the moment). On some non-standard keyboards where function keys combined with digital buttons, you may need to simultaneously press additional keys like Alt, Fn or Shift.

How to enter the safe mode of the computer in the eighth and tenth versions of the system?

The release of the eighth version, its version 8.1, and then the tenth modification was marked by the indignation of users, since the use of a standard call boot menu disappeared in them, although it may have remained, which will be discussed a little later. In them, the computer turns on in safe mode using many additional actions, and without using removable media with a distribution kit or a recovery disk, it is extremely difficult for an ordinary user to get to this boot option.

In a running system, to do this, you need to enter the settings menu, select the recovery partition, and then use the special boot options item, then through the diagnostic items and additional options select boot options and press the restart button.

Only after this the computer or laptop restarts, and a start menu appears on the screen containing items to select required action(the menu itself is blue and is slightly different from what the user sees in Windows 7 and below).

Booting into Safe Mode: general settings for all systems

Now a few words about how to start a computer in safe mode, based on general methods that can be used, regardless of installed version Windows. To do this, any OS has a special configuration tool, called from the “run” console with the msconfig command.

After entering the configurator, you need to go to the download tab and simply check the safe start with download option minimal configuration. But there are pitfalls here. The fact is that when this type of start is activated, loading into Safe mode Mode will be performed constantly. I think it’s already clear how to disable safe mode on your computer. On a loaded system, you simply need to go back to the configuration and uncheck the above item.

Starting Secure Boot Using Removable Media

Finally, let's see how to start the computer in safe mode if the system does not boot at all and under no circumstances. To select the desired action you can use bootable media(For example, installation disk with any last Windows version), after selection language settings go to recovery and then call command line, for which you can use either the corresponding main menu item or the shortcut Shift + F10. In the console you should enter the command “bcdedit /set (globalsettings) advancedoptions true” (without quotes). To cancel safe start on a loaded system, call command console and run the above command but without additional operator"true" at the end. After this, the start will be made with normal loading.

How to return the start menu for Windows 8 and 10?

Naturally, many users of the last two modifications of the system would like to return to using the F8 key to call the start menu, since it is both simpler and more practical.

This can be done quite simply by starting a command prompt (necessarily as an administrator), and then running the command “bcdedit /set (current) bootmenupolicy legacy” (again, without the quotes at the beginning and at the end). Upon completion of all actions, a restart is performed, and pressing the F8 key gives the same result as in systems of the seventh modification and lower. By the way, this option is also good because you don’t have to give up using the special starting options that were mentioned above. Basically, it is designed to more conveniently call up the menu when starting the operating system, even if the system does not boot at all and it is impossible to get to the desired item.

OS failures most often occur after incorrect configuration, installation of unfinished programs, or virus infection. Booting into Safe Mode will show you whether these are the issues and, if so, help resolve them.

How to start Safe Mode in Windows

1. Using hotkeys

• Suitable for Windows 7, Vista and XP.

Restart your computer and, as soon as the system starts to boot again, press the F8 key until a menu of additional boot options appears. When this menu appears on the screen, select the Safe Mode option and press Enter.

To exit Safe Mode, restart your computer and it will start normally.

• Suitable for Windows 10, 8, 8.1, 7, Vista and XP.

Use the Windows + R key combination. In the window that appears, enter the command msconfig and press Enter. When the system configurator window opens, go to the “Boot” (or BOOT) tab and check the “Safe Mode” (or SAFEBOOT) checkbox. Click OK and restart your computer.

To disable booting in safe mode, open the configurator window again, uncheck the “Safe Mode” checkbox and restart the computer.

Click on the notification icon in the lower right corner and go to “All settings” → “Update and security” → “Recovery”. Under Special Boot Options, click Restart Now.

Once on the “Select Action” screen, select “Troubleshooting” (or “Diagnostics”) → “Boot Options” (if this item is not displayed, click “Advanced Options”) → “Restart”. On the next screen, press the 4 key to select the Enable Safe Mode option.

To exit safe mode, simply restart your computer.

• Suitable for Windows 10, 8 and 8.1.

This method is a simplified version of the previous one. Hold down the Shift key and click on the soft reboot button that you use to restart the system normally. When you get to the Select Action screen, follow the steps outlined for that window in the previous method.

To exit Safe Mode, simply restart your computer.

How to start Safe Mode on macOS

1. Using the Shift key

Hold down the Shift key immediately after turning on or restarting your computer until you see the login window.

To exit Safe Mode, simply restart your Mac without pressing any additional keys.

Open Finder → Programs → Utilities and launch the Terminal utility. Type sudo nvram boot-args="-x" and press Enter. After this, restart your computer.

To disable booting into Safe Mode, launch Terminal again, type sudo nvram boot-args="" , press Enter, and restart your Mac.

What to do next

In safe mode, only a standard set of services, drivers, settings and programs are loaded along with the system. If everything works fine, then there is probably something wrong with third-party programs or recently changed OS settings.

In this case, you need to scan your computer with an antivirus and remove suspicious software directly in safe mode. If this does not help, you should consider restoring macOS to normal.

If problems with your computer occur in safe mode and even restoring the OS does not change the situation, most likely there is something wrong with the hardware. First of all, make sure that the components do not overheat and, if necessary, clean the computer. If the temperature is normal, contact the service center.