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Start Windows 11 in Safe Mode when something blocks a scan

Safe Mode starts Windows with only the essentials, so harmful software that blocks a scan usually cannot start. Here are three ways in, and how to get back out.

Applies to
Windows 11, with notes for Windows 10
Difficulty
Moderate
Time
About 8 minutes
Checked

The short answer

Hold Shift while you select Restart from the power button in the Start menu. On the blue screen, choose Troubleshoot, Advanced options, Startup Settings and Restart, then press 5 for Safe Mode with Networking. To leave Safe Mode, simply restart the computer.

Safe Mode sounds technical, but it is simply a stripped-down way of starting Windows. It is completely safe to use, and getting back to normal is as easy as restarting. Many people print this guide first, because the screens change while you work through it.

Tick each step when you have done it. Your ticks stay on this device, so you can come back after a restart.

What Safe Mode is for

In Safe Mode, Windows loads only the parts it needs to run. Most other programs, including most harmful ones, stay switched off. That makes it useful in two situations:

  • Something stops Windows Security from opening, or stops a scan from finishing.
  • You want to know whether a problem comes from Windows itself or from a program. If the problem disappears in Safe Mode, a program that normally starts with Windows is the likely cause.

Safe Mode looks plain. The screen may be larger and blurrier than usual, with the words Safe Mode in the corners. That is normal, and nothing is broken.

Before you start: check you can sign in

Two things can catch you out on the way into Safe Mode, so it is worth checking them now while everything is working.

  • Your password or PIN. Face and fingerprint sign-in may not work in Safe Mode. Make sure you know the PIN or the Microsoft account password you use to sign in.
  • A recovery key. Many computers protect their drive with BitLocker or device encryption. Starting in a different way can make Windows ask for a long recovery key before it continues.

Before you do this

Find your recovery key now, before you begin. On this computer or your phone, sign in at account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey with the Microsoft account you use on this computer, and write the key down on paper. If no key is listed, the tip at the end of this guide shows other places to look. Save any open work too, because each way into Safe Mode restarts the computer.

Way 1: hold Shift and select Restart

This is usually the quickest way. It restarts the computer into a blue menu with extra choices.

  1. Select Start, then select the Power button.
  2. Press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard. While still holding it, select Restart.
  3. Keep holding Shift until a blue screen titled Choose an option appears. Then let go.

This also works from the sign-in screen. Select the power button in the bottom-right corner, then hold Shift and select Restart. When you reach the blue screen, go to the step called Choose Safe Mode from the blue menu.

Way 2: use the Recovery page in Settings

If holding Shift does not bring up the blue screen, Settings reaches the same place.

  1. Select Start, then Settings.
  2. Go to SystemRecovery.
  3. Next to Advanced startup, select Restart now. Confirm when Windows asks you to save your work.

On Windows 10, the path is SettingsUpdate & SecurityRecovery, and the button is under Advanced startup.

Choose Safe Mode from the blue menu

Ways 1 and 2 both lead to the blue Choose an option screen. From there, you tell Windows which kind of start you want.

  1. Select TroubleshootAdvanced optionsStartup Settings. If you cannot see Startup Settings, select See more recovery options first.
  2. Select Restart.
  3. After the restart, a numbered list appears. Press 5 (or F5) for Safe Mode with Networking, which keeps the internet on. Press 4 (or F4) for plain Safe Mode without the internet.

Choose 5 if you want to download Microsoft's scanner described below. If Windows asks for a recovery key, type the one you wrote down earlier.

Way 3: System Configuration, if you need it more than once

This way skips the blue menu and tells Windows to start in Safe Mode every time, until you change it back. It is handy if a clean-up needs several restarts.

  1. Press Windows + R, type msconfig and press Enter.
  2. Select the Boot tab, then tick Safe boot.
  3. Choose Minimal for plain Safe Mode, or Network to keep the internet on.
  4. Select OK, then Restart.

Before you do this

The computer will keep starting in Safe Mode until you untick Safe boot again. The last step of this guide shows how.

Run a scan while in Safe Mode

Once you are signed in, select Start, type Windows Security and open it. Try Virus & threat protectionScan optionsFull scanScan now.

On many computers, Defender's scanning does not run in Safe Mode, and you may see a message that a service has stopped. That does not mean anything is wrong. You have two good options:

  • In Safe Mode with Networking, open your browser and download Microsoft's own free Microsoft Safety Scanner. Open it, choose Full scan and let it finish. It stops working ten days after you download it, so fetch a fresh copy each time.
  • Go back to normal Windows and run Defender's offline scan, which works outside Windows altogether. Our guide to full and offline scans with Defender explains it.

Get back to normal Windows

If you used Way 1 or Way 2, leaving Safe Mode is simple. Select Start, then PowerRestart. Windows starts normally.

If you used Way 3, undo the setting first, or the computer will keep returning to Safe Mode:

  1. Press Windows + R, type msconfig and press Enter.
  2. On the Boot tab, untick Safe boot.
  3. Select OK, then Restart.
The computer asked for a recovery key I cannot find

The key may be saved in a different Microsoft account, printed on paper filed with the computer's papers, or saved to a USB stick. If the computer came from work, your employer may hold it. Microsoft explains where else to look on Microsoft Support.

Did this solve it?

A note on staying safe

Microsoft, McAfee and Norton will never phone you out of the blue, show a phone number in a virus warning, or ask to connect to your computer to fix it. If anyone does, it is a scam. Hang up or close the page. If you are unsure, find the company’s website yourself by typing its address, never through a link in a pop-up, email or text.