Whether you love it or hate it, Windows 8 is here to stay. And if it’s here to stay, then you might as well learn how to use it.
Today, we’re going to show you how to do exactly that. Today, we’re showing you how to boot into Windows 8 safe mode and solve your PC problems while you’re at it.
There are actually three different ways to boot into Windows safe mode, but none of them are terribly obvious. We’ll show you all three different methods.
Method 1) Boot into safe mode from your desktop
If you’re running Windows 8 normally, then this is the easiest way to get into safe mode. Open a run command (press Windows Key + R) and type msconfig, then navigate to the Boot tab. Check the Safe Boot option and choose which type of safe mode you want.
In most cases, you’ll be able to use the Minimal safe mode to achieve whatever you’re trying to do, although for more specialized tasks, choose the Network, Alternate Shell, and Active Directory repair options.
Once you press OK, your machine will reboot and you’ll automatically start up in safe mode. That was easy!
Method 2) Using the charms bar
You can use the charms bar to restart into safe mode. First, open the charms bar (like by pressing Windows Key + C) and look for the restart button. Before pressing that button, press and hold your Shift key.
If you did everything right, you’ll see a troubleshooting screen pop up. You have the option to Continue, Troubleshoot, or Turn off your PC. Choose the Troubleshoot option and then Advanced Options and Startup settings.
Then, click the Restart button from the next page and wait for your PC to restart. Upon restart, you’ll see a menu with nine (nine!) different startup options that can be chosen using keys F1 through F9. Click the Enable Safe Mode button (F4) if you want safe mode with no internet, and click Enable Safe Mode with Networking (F6) if you want safe mode with internet.
Method 3) Boot into safe mode when your PC isn’t starting
If your PC refuses to start, then not all hope is lost. You may be able to salvage your PC.
To do that, you’ll need to enter Windows 8’s recovery mode. The problem with that is the fact that Windows 8 has a really fast startup time, making it difficult to hit the right keys during the right screens.
It’s tough, but not impossible to enter recovery mode using startup keys. To enter recovery mode on boot, restart your PC and wait for the BIOS screen to disappear. As soon as that BIOS screen disappears, hold down Shift and repeatedly press F8. You might not be able to do this on the first try, but once you get it, you’ll enter Recovery Mode.
Upon entering Recovery Mode, you’ll see the same menu you saw in Method 2. From here, click Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Windows Startup Settings.
Once you’ve restarted your PC from that final menu, you’ll see the classic black and white Windows recovery boot screen, from which you can choose three different safe mode boot options.