Windows Safe Mode is a great way to troubleshoot your computer or device. You can use it to uninstall problematic drivers or programs and to remove stubborn malware. Once you have fixed your Windows problems, you can exit Safe Mode and boot normally into the Windows operating system... or can you? Read this article to learn four methods of exiting Safe Mode in Windows 11 and Windows 10:

1. Exit Windows Safe Mode by rebooting your device

The simplest method to exit Safe Mode is by restarting Windows. If the problem you were trying to fix is resolved, your device should usually boot normally after a restart. You can restart Windows while in Safe Mode the same way you do when booting normally. Here’s one method: open the Start Menu, then click or tap on the Power button in the lower-right corner. Then, click/tap on Restart.

Reboot your system to exit Safe Mode

If your computer still boots in Safe Mode, try one of the other methods below.

2. Exit Safe Mode by restarting with the Shift key

You can try to exit with a method used for entering Safe Mode in the first place. First, click on the Start button on the taskbar or press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start Menu. Next, click or tap on the Power button. Now, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard, and click or tap on Restart. This makes the system reboot and present you with a list of tools for repairing Windows. First, try to select the first tile, Continue, which should load Windows normally.

Select Continue to boot into Windows normally

If your device still restarts in Safe Mode, select Troubleshoot in the same menu, then click or tap on Advanced Options.

Go to Troubleshoot, then click on Advanced Options

On the next screen, select Startup Settings.

Click or tap on Startup Settings to change Windows startup behavior

Hit the Restart button. This reboots your device and allows you to choose from several startup options.

Click on Restart and wait for the system to reboot

Once the system restarts and you’re presented with the list of options, hit Enter to boot normally.

Press Enter after the system reboots

Try the next method if this one fails.

3. Get out of Safe Mode using System Configuration

Your system still doesn’t boot in normal mode? Time to bring out the big guns. First, open the Run command window. One way to do this is by pressing Windows + R on your keyboard. Type in “msconfig” and press Enter (or click/tap on OK).

Run System Configuration in Safe Mode by typing msconfig

In the System Configuration window, make sure you are in the General tab and select Normal startup.

Select Normal startup in System Configuration to exit Safe Mode

Alternatively, you can go to the Boot tab and uncheck Safe boot. Click or tap OK afterwards.

Uncheck Safe boot in System Configuration to exit Safe Mode

You get a prompt asking you if you want to restart the computer. Confirm by clicking Restart.

Press Restart to reboot your device

Your computer should now boot into Windows normally.

4. Turn off Safe Mode using Command Prompt

If you are into Safe Mode with Command Prompt or you just prefer doing it the old-fashioned way, you can exit Safe Mode using Command Prompt. Start by opening the Run command window (Windows + R). Then, type “cmd” and press Enter. This step is not needed if you’re in Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Run Command Prompt in Safe Mode

Now, we first need to disable Safe Mode on the next boot. Type in the following command (or copy and paste it), followed by Enter: “bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot”.

Execute this command to disable Safe Mode in Windows

Next, we need to execute the actual reboot command, so that Windows restarts in normal mode. In the same Command Prompt window, type shutdown /r and press Enter.

Reboot your system using the Command Prompt

After a few seconds, the system reboots and starts Windows normally.

Do you know your way around Safe Mode for Windows?

Hopefully, one of the methods described in this article worked for your particular configuration. Before you leave, we’d love to know what you think about Safe Mode. Do you consider it useful? Is it easy to use for you? Let us know in the comments.