Windows 10: Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Windows 10

How to: Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Windows 10

How to Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Windows 10


If you have a problem with your PC, you can troubleshoot by starting it in safe mode. Safe mode starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and services. If a problem doesn't reappear when you start your PC in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and basic device drivers and services as possible causes.

There are three different safe mode options:

• Safe Mode: Starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and services.
• Safe Mode with Networking: Starts Windows in safe mode and includes the network drivers and services needed to access the Internet or other computers on your network.
• Safe Mode with Command Prompt: Starts Windows in safe mode with a command prompt window instead of the usual Windows interface.

Having safe mode added to your boot options now will make it much easier to boot to safe mode in the future if needed.

This tutorial will show you how to add Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, and/or Safe Mode with Command Prompt to the boot options of your Windows 10 PC.

*Warning You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to add safe mode to your PC's boot options

*Warning You will only be able to sign in using your account's password while in Safe Mode.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Windows 10
• Option Two: To Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Command Prompt at Boot
• Option Three: To Remove Safe Mode from Boot Options in Command Prompt

EXAMPLE: "Windows 10 Safe Mode" added to boot options









OPTION ONE [/i] To Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Windows 10
1. Open an elevated command prompt while running Windows 10.

2. Copy and paste the command below for the safe mode you want to use into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

*note You can substitute the part of the command in red with any desciption you like. This is what will show on the boot options screen.
*Arrow bcdedit /copy {Current} /d “Windows 10 Safe Mode”

*Arrow bcdedit /copy {Current} /d “Windows 10 Safe Mode with Networking”

*Arrow bcdedit /copy {Current} /d “Windows 10 Safe Mode with Command Prompt”




3. Close the elevated command prompt.

4. Press the Win+R keys to open the Run dialog, type msconfig, and click/tap on OK to open System Configuration.

5. In System Configuration, and click/tap on the Boot tab. (see screenshot below)
A) Select the Windows 10 Safe Mode description at the top. This will be the same desciption you used in step 2 above.

B) Check Safe boot, and select (dot) Minimal (safe mode), Alternate shell (safe mode with command prompt), or Network (safe mode with networking) for the same command you used in step 2 above.

C) Enter how many seconds you want for the Timeout value to have available to choose an operating system at boot before your default OS automatically boots.

D) Check the Make all boot settings permanent box, and click/tap on OK.




6. Click/tap on Yes to confirm. You can ignore the warning since this can be removed. (see screenshot below)



7. Click on either Restart or Exit without restart. The next time you restart the computer, you will see the safe mode boot option available. (see screenshot below)








OPTION TWO [/i] To Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Command Prompt at Boot

*note You could also do this option using an Option One above from within Windows 10 instead.
1. Open a command prompt at boot.

2. Type bcdedit in the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
A) Look for the Windows 10 description under a Windows Boot Loader section, and make note of it's identifier (ex: {default} ).




3. Type the command below for the safe mode you want to use into command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow bcdedit /copy {identifier} /d “Windows 10 Safe Mode”

*Arrow bcdedit /copy {identifier} /d “Windows 10 Safe Mode with Networking”

*Arrow bcdedit /copy {identifier} /d “Windows 10 Safe Mode with Command Prompt”

*note Substitute identifier in the command above with the actual identifier from step 2A above.

For example:

bcdedit /copy {Windows 10} /d “Windows 10 Safe Mode”




4. Make note of the safe mode identifier (ex: {9692da4e-4524-11e5-b831-f410e240349c} ) that the entry was successfully copied to. (see screenshot above)

5. Type the command below for the same safe mode used from step 3 above into the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
(safe mode)
*Arrow bcdedit /set {identifier} safeboot minimal


(safe mode with networking)
*Arrow bcdedit /set {identifier} safeboot network


(safe mode with command prompt)
*Arrow bcdedit /set {identifier} safeboot minimal

and

*Arrow bcdedit /set {identifier} safebootalternateshell yes

*note Substitute identifier in the command above with the actual identifier from step 4 above.

For example:

bcdedit /set {9692da4e-4524-11e5-b831-f410e240349c} safeboot minimal




6. When finished, restart the computer.





OPTION THREE [/i] To Remove Safe Mode from Boot Options in Command Prompt
1. Open an command prompt at boot.

2. Type bcdedit in the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
A) Look for the Windows 10 Safe Mode description that you used under a Windows Boot Loader section, and make note of it's identifier (ex: {b062e727-2cb4-11e5-8738-b504ff7d474f} ).




3. Type the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow bcdedit /delete {identifier}

*note Substitute identifier in the command above with the actual identifier from step 2A above.

For example:

bcdedit /delete {b062e727-2cb4-11e5-8738-b504ff7d474f}




4. When finished, you can close the command prompt if you like, or restart the computer if this was from a command prompt at boot.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode
• How to Add Safe Mode to Desktop Context Menu in Windows 10
• How to Boot to Advanced Startup Options in Windows 10
• How to Change Time to Display List of Operating Systems at Startup in Windows 10
• How to Choose a Default Operating System to Run at Startup in Windows 10
• How to Change Operating System Name at Startup in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Legacy F8 Advanced Boot Options in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Always Boot to Advanced Startup Settings in Windows 10

:)

 

System Repair Disc on USB Drive Incomplete

You can add safe mode to the boot read how here

Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Windows 10

 

bcdedit and Win10 Safe Mode

Hi Here's tutorial. This works for me!

Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Windows 10

 

Thanks for the tutorial.
I got an error in the bcdedit commands unless I put the "{id}" in double quotes.
Running Windows 10 preview build 10532, but I am not sure that was the issue. I could not find a normal 'command prompt', so I was using 'Windows Powershell'. It probably would not hurt to include quotes always. It was complaining about the 'dash' or 'minus sign':

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> bcdedit /copy {24321313-59ed-11e5-95fd-ea1f39b7ff3b} /d "Windows 10 normal"
At line:1 char:25
+ bcdedit /copy {24321313-59ed-11e5-95fd-ea1f39b7ff3b} /d "Windows 10 n ...
+ ~
You must provide a value expression following the '-' operator.
At line:1 char:25
+ bcdedit /copy {24321313-59ed-11e5-95fd-ea1f39b7ff3b} /d "Windows 10 n ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unexpected token '59ed-11e5-95fd-ea1f39b7ff3b' in expression or statement.
+ CategoryInfo : ParserError: (*Smile [], ParentContainsErrorRecordException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ExpectedValueExpression


PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> bcdedit /copy "{24321313-59ed-11e5-95fd-ea1f39b7ff3b}" /d "Windows 10 normal"
The entry was successfully copied to {53deb8a9-5a7c-11e5-abfd-b1d211df29f1}.

 

Hello Bob, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

Yep, the issue was that you were using PowerShell instead of an elevated command prompt.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2...dows-10-a.html

 

Yours are the best tips on the internet. And I've been around. Always clear and accurate. Thank you.

Edit: After posting, I realized I probably gave you (and potentially others) an update notification just for my stupid "thank you," then tried to delete it. I cannot. Sorry about this.

 

That's ok meh. I'm glad it could help. *Smile

 

Doesn't work. Did MS manage to *break* this in newer builds? It's the sort of thing they would do (either through malevolence and/or incompetence). Ran the commands in an elevated command prompt, set the options, set the timeout to 10 seconds and checked the box to make the settings permanent and then rebooted. It still comes up without any boot menu. MS seem to be under the delusion their OS is flawless and doesn't need any options to fix failures.

 

The issue I've been having is that in msconfig, on the General tab, I select "Normal startup", but it doesn't stick. It reverts to "Selective startup" every time I reopen it. Also, my settings for "Safe Mode" and/or "Safe Mode with Networking" change for no apparent reason. Just now I noticed that the latter had changed so that "Safe boot" is no longer selected, and I know it was selected previously.

I do not have the Win10 Anniversary update installed. But I'd have to opine that they have made a mess of this soow.

 

Hello Jelabarre59, *Smile

Please go ahead and post back with your bcdedit to see if anything may look wrong with it.

In addition, double check to make sure that you have enough time set to display OS boot options at startup using an option in the tutorial below.

Operating Systems Time to Display at Startup - Change in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

 

Hello Meh, *Smile

Did you check the Make all boot settings permanent box?

 

Yes, thank you, but I had. I just did it again and the settings for "Safe Mode with Networking" are so far staying put. But the "Normal startup" setting on the General tab just won't stay. I'm not sure if that's normal, since I'm guessing "Selective startup" with all 3 options below it selected means the same thing as "Normal startup".

 

I find that it's pretty normal for "Normal startup" to no longer remain selected.

Having "Selective startup" selected with all options checked under it is essentially the same as "Normal startup" though.

 

Another good one Shawn. Much obliged for all you do and making a lazy mans life easier, lol.

 

You're most welcome mate. Anything to help. *Wink