Booting Windows into Safe Mode

Safe Mode boots Windows with minimal drivers and services, useful for diagnosing driver conflicts, removing malware, or fixing startup issues. There are several ways to access it. If Windows can start: go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now. Then choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. After reboot, press 4 for Safe Mode or 5 for Safe Mode with Networking. If Windows cannot start: interrupt the boot process three times (hold power button during startup) to trigger Automatic Repair mode, then navigate to Advanced options > Startup Settings. Alternatively, boot from a Windows installation USB and choose Repair your computer. Safe Mode with Networking is usually preferable as it allows downloading tools and connecting to network shares for repair.