How to Get Out of Safe Mode in Windows 10

This article describes how to get out of Safe Mode in Windows 10. There are several ways to exit and return to Normal Mode, but the method you use will depend on how you entered Safe Mode originally.

How to Exit Safe Mode From the Desktop

There are a few ways to boot into Safe Mode, so there are also different ways to get out of it. The most common situation is you're on the desktop and see the "Safe Mode" text in the corners of a black background.

Exiting Safe Mode in this scenario can be done in a couple of ways, depending on the method you used to get there. If you used Shift+Restart or the Advanced startup option in Settings, or you're not sure how you even ended up in Safe Mode, the easiest thing to try is rebooting Windows normally:

1. Open the Start menu.

   If you're on the lock screen and therefore don't have access to the desktop, you can still exit Safe Mode without logging in by simply using the power button on the right to choose Restart. This should work in most situations, but if not, you'll have to sign in and follow the directions below.

2. Select the power button from the bottom-left corner.

3. Choose Restart.

A reboot should work in most cases, but if you're stuck in a loop where you can't quit booting into Safe Mode, it's because you originally got there by changing a setting in the System Configuration utility, which sticks around even after a reboot.

To exit Safe Mode in this situation, return to the msconfig tool and undo the Safe boot option:

1. Press WIN+R to open the Run dialog box.

2. Type msconfig and then press Enter or OK.

3. Go into the Boot tab and uncheck Safe boot.

4. Press OK at the bottom, and then restart the computer normally or choose Restart if you see a prompt.

How to Exit Safe Mode With Command Prompt

If you booted into Safe Mode with Command Prompt, and so all you see is the Command Prompt window, you have two options: Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and then choose the power button followed by Restart, or follow the steps below.

1. Type this into the Command Prompt box:

   shutdown /r
   

2. Press Enter to submit the command.

   Windows will reboot momentarily, automatically exiting Safe Mode in the process. If you're kicked back into Safe Mode, follow the steps below.

Some other ways to enter Safe Mode are from a Windows installation disc using the bcdedit command, or by choosing Alternate shell in the System Configuration utility. If you got into Safe Mode using either of those methods, the restart command isn't enough to exit it.

The stop your computer from booting into Safe Mode, enter this into Command Prompt instead:

bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot

After pressing Enter, you'll see a "completed successfully" message. Use the Ctrl+Alt+Del trick mentioned above, or enter the shutdown /r command to restart the computer. Either will take you out of Safe Mode and back into Normal Mode.