How to start Windows 11 in safe mode

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Hold Shift while you click Start, Power, Restart. On the blue screen choose Troubleshoot, Advanced options, Startup Settings and Restart, then press 4 for safe mode or 5 for safe mode with networking. A normal restart leaves safe mode.

Safe mode starts Windows with only the essential drivers and programs. If a problem disappears in safe mode, the cause is something added later, such as a driver or an app, and you can remove it from there.

These steps are for Windows 11. The pictures are simplified diagrams of the Settings window, not screenshots, so colours and spacing on your PC look a little different.

Step by step

  1. Restart into the recovery screen

    Click Start, then the power button, hold the Shift key and click Restart. Keep Shift held until a blue screen with options appears.

  2. – ▢ ✕SettingsSystemBluetooth & devicesNetwork & internetPersonalisationAppsAccountsTime & languageWindows UpdateRecoveryFix problems using Windows UpdateReset this PCAdvanced startup

    Or go through Settings

    Open Settings, System, Recovery and click Restart now next to Advanced startup.

  3. Choose Troubleshoot, then Advanced options

    Use the mouse or the arrow keys and Enter.

  4. Choose Startup Settings, then Restart

    The PC restarts and shows a numbered list.

  5. Press 4 or 5

    Press 4 for safe mode. Press 5 for safe mode with networking if you need the internet, for example to download a driver.

  6. Leave safe mode

    Restart the PC normally. It starts as usual.

Good to know

Safe mode looks plain, with a black background and "Safe Mode" in the corners. That is normal.

If Windows will not start at all, switch the PC off with the power button during start-up and repeat this three times. Windows then opens the recovery screen by itself.

On a PC with BitLocker, you may be asked for the recovery key before the options appear.

If safe mode does not help, a reset is the next step: how to factory reset a Windows 11 PC.

In short: Shift + Restart, Troubleshoot, Advanced options, Startup Settings, Restart, press 4.

Sources
  • Microsoft Support: Windows Startup Settings
  • Dell Support: How to boot into safe mode in Windows

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.