How To
by Niharika

How to Start Windows 11 in Safe Mode 

October 12, 2026
0

Is your computer crashing, freezing, stuck on a black or blue screen, or sluggish after a recent software update? Do you want to troubleshoot driver problems, diagnose unbootable PCs, repair corrupted files, recover your system, or access the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to exit a boot loop? Then you need to know how to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode.

Windows 11 Safe Boot Mode is a diagnostic environment. It boots into Windows without non-critical components, i.e., with a bare-bones interface. It helps fix issues when something stops Windows from functioning correctly during a normal startup. For example, you can restart Windows 11 in Safe Mode to remove a recently installed driver, roll back a driver, uninstall problematic apps, fix a Blue or Black Screen of Death, diagnose startup issues, troubleshoot display problems, perform security scans, and check whether a third-party application is causing a problem.

You can boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode using Settings when your desktop is responsive, press Shift + Restart when Windows loads partially, or use other methods in this guide to enter Safe Mode.

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How to Boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode

You can boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode using Automatic Repair or Command Prompt and a DVD or USB installation drive if Windows 11 fails to start normally; if Windows 11 is accessible, you can use Shift + Restart on the sign-in screen, System Configuration (msconfig.exe), or the Settings app. Below are all these methods in detail.

Method 1: Use Automatic Repair to boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode

When Windows 11 fails to start normally after three attempts, it automatically triggers Automatic Repair mode to enter Windows 11 Safe Mode. Here is how to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode using Automatic Repair.

  • Power on your computer.
  • When the manufacturer logo or the spinning dots appear, press the Power button for at least ten seconds until the PC shuts off.
  • Repeat the above process three times.
  • On the fourth power-on, you should get a Preparing Automatic Repair screen and then a recovery menu.
  • Click Troubleshoot in the recovery menu.
troubleshoot
  • In the Troubleshoot options, click Advanced Options.
choose-Advanced-Options
  • Click Startup Settings in the Advanced Options.
startup settings
  • Click Restart, and then press 4, F4, 5, F5, 6, or F6 to boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode. Pressing 4 or F4 enables the standard Safe Mode. 5 or F5 boots into Safe Mode with networking drivers and services. 6 or F6 enters Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
enable safe mode in startup settings

Also know: How to Use a VPN in Incognito Mode: Complete Guide 

Method 2: Use Command Prompt and a DVD or USB installation drive

You can use a DVD or USB stick with the Windows 11 setup to enter Safe Mode. Here is how.

  • Create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive on another PC.
  • Use the USB drive to boot your PC.
  • Once you reach the installation screen, select Repair your computer.
  • Navigate through the path Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
click on command prompt
  • In the Command Prompt, copy and paste/type the command bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal and press Enter.
bcdedit set safe boot
  • Close the Command Prompt when the “The operation completed successfully” message appears.
  • After closing the Command Prompt, click Continue on the next screen.
continue in advance option
  • Wait for Windows 11 to restart in Safe Mode. Please note that Windows 11 will now enter Safe Mode each time it starts. If you want to boot Windows 11 normally, run the command bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot in the Command Prompt.

Method 3: Press Shift + Restart on the sign-in screen

If you can access the sign-in screen but cannot log in, you can use the Shift + Restart combination on the sign-in screen to boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode. Below is how to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode from the sign-in screen.

  • Click the Power icon in the lower-right corner of the sign-in screen.
  • Press and hold the Shift and Restart keys until you can see a recovery screen.
  • Follow the path Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
  • Press 4, 5, or 6 depending on whether you want to boot into the standard Safe Mode, Safe Mode with networking, or Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Method 4: Enter Windows 11 Safe Boot using System Configuration (msconfig.exe)

You can use the System Configuration (msconfig) utility to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode. Here is how.

  • Press Win + R to access the Run utility.
  • In the Run box, type msconfig and press Enter.
  • In the System Configuration window, click Boot.
  • Tick the Safe Boot Box.
  • Click Network under Boot Options if you want to boot into Safe Mode with Networking.
  • Click Apply and OK to restart Windows 11 in Safe Mode. To exit Safe Mode, open msconfig, uncheck Safe Boot, and then restart.
apply safe boot in system configuration

Also know: How to Fix “Failed to Enumerate Objects in The Container” Error

Method 5: Use the Settings app to restart Windows 11 in Safe Mode

When Windows boots normally, you can use the built-in Windows Settings to boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode. Below is how to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode using Settings.

  • Press Win + I to open Settings.
  • Click System in the Settings panel.
  • Next, click Recovery in the System options.
Recovery in system
  • Click Restart Now next to Advanced Startup, and then confirm.
  • After your computer reboots into the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), follow the path Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
  • Press 4 to boot into the Standard Safe Mode, 5 to enter Safe Mode with Networking, or 6 to access Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

To make the best use of Safe Mode, it is important to understand the types of Safe Mode and their uses.

Which Windows 11 Safe Mode Option Should You Choose

Here are the types of Safe Mode explained to help you choose one.

  • Safe Mode: This is the Standard Safe Mode you access by pressing the menu key 4 or F4. It loads only essential drivers and services; helpful when you want to uninstall drivers, remove malware, or roll back updates.
  • Safe Mode with Networking: It loads Safe Mode with network drivers. Press the menu key 5 or F5 to enter Safe Mode with Networking to download replacement drivers or tools when troubleshooting.
  • Safe Mode with Command Prompt: It opens Safe Mode and cmd.exe. To boot into Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Windows 11, press the menu key 6 or F6. It helps fix issues such as a broken Explorer and run repair commands such as SFC.

That’s how to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode, the Standard Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, or Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Below, we answer a few related questions to clear up any confusion you may have.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is Windows 11 Safe Mode?

Safe Mode in Windows 11 is a minimal driver and service environment. Loaded by the boot loader, it loads Windows with only necessary components.

Q2. How do I force a restart in Safe Mode?

To force a restart in Safe Mode, open the Start menu, click the Power button, press and hold the Shift key, click Restart, continue holding the Shift key until the recovery screen appears, and follow the path Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart. After your computer restarts, press 4/F4 for the Standard Safe Mode, 5/F5 for Safe Mode with Networking, or 6/F6 for Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Q3. Will Windows 11 Safe Boot mode delete my files?

No, booting Windows 11 in Safe Mode does not delete your files. It only starts your computer with limited services and drivers to help you fix various issues.

Q4. Can Safe Mode remove malware?

Yes, Safe Mode can help remove malware. Most malware uses services that do not load in Safe Mode, making it easy to detect and remove malware.

Q5. Can I install programs in Safe Mode?

Installing programs in Safe Mode is generally not recommended, as it may result in incomplete installations and other problems.

Q6. Does F8 work for Windows 11 Safe Mode?

No, F8 can no longer launch Safe Mode directly. The UEFI firmware in Windows 11 loads faster than the F8 interrupt. However, you can use the Command Prompt to activate a legacy boot menu for limited F8 functionality.

Q7. How do I know I am in Safe Mode?

You have entered Safe Mode if your desktop background goes black with Safe Mode appearing in all the corners of the screen and the display running at a lower resolution. Moreover, many applications will not open, and some features will be limited.

Q8. What can I do in Safe Mode?

In Safe Mode, you can perform many troubleshooting tasks, such as removing problematic drivers, fixing Blue Screen of Death errors, uninstalling crash-causing apps, and diagnosing startup issues.

Q9. How is Safe Mode different from a clean boot?

Safe Mode loads Windows 11 with only limited drivers and services; a clean boot loads Windows 11 normally but prevents third-party startup apps and services from loading to isolate software issues. A clean boot is better when you want to fix issues with a specific app, game, or background program.

Q10. How do I exit Safe Mode on Windows 11?

If you boot into Safe Mode using Shift + Restart, Windows Recovery Environment, or Settings, restart your computer to exit it. If Windows 11 keeps booting into Safe Mode, you may need to disable Safe Mode in MSConfig or Command Prompt (depending on whether you entered Safe Mode through MSConfig or Command Prompt). To undo Safe Mode in MSConfig, follow the path System Configuration > Boot > Uncheck Safe Boot > Apply > OK > Restart. To undo Safe Mode in Command Prompt, open Command Prompt (Admin) > Run the command: bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot > Restart.

Q11. What should I do if Safe Mode does not solve the problem?

If Safe Mode does not solve your problem, the next step depends on the issue you are trying to fix. For example, if your system started behaving strangely after a recent change, try System Restore; try Startup Repair if Windows won’t start; Uninstall Updates if a Windows Update caused the issue; use another installation media or recovery option if Windows is severely damaged.

That’s all for how to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode. Hope this helps you solve various problems on your computer. If any confusion persists, leave us a comment.

Author

Niharika

Niharika is a passionate soul who finds immense satisfaction in putting all her thoughts in writing. Being a technology enthusiast, she loves learning new things about tech and making everyone technologically literate through her articles. When not composing tech articles, you can find her bringing characters to life in her fictional stories, reading something intriguing, or spending time with her near and dear ones.

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How to Add Sounds to Discord Soundboard

How to Add Sounds to Discord Soundboard

February 27, 2024
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Here is a quick and easy guide to add sounds to your Discord soundboard.

Discord is the name that comes to mind when you think about a place where you can belong to a gaming group, school club, or a worldwide art community. It is among the most popular platforms where you can interact with others via text messages, voice/video calls, files, and media. Moreover, it keeps adding new features, such as a soundboard to make Discord more exciting. However, many users need help with how to add sounds to the Discord soundboard.

If you are also confused, you can continue reading this article with the utmost attention. This article clears the air about how to use the Discord soundboard and add sounds to it. Let us begin by throwing some light on this feature of Discord to help you understand it better.

What Is Soundboard in Discord

Soundboard is a newly introduced Discord feature that lets you play sounds or audio clips in your Discord channel. It includes various kinds of sounds, such as music snippets, voice lines, and more. You can make your chats exciting by playing these sounds using hotkeys or commands.

Moreover, the Discord soundboard elevates your experience by making your conversations more fun and humorous, improving your storytelling sessions, and ensuring user engagement.

Now that you are more familiar with the soundboard, we believe you are in a position to learn how to add sounds to the Discord soundboard.

Also Read: How to Fix Discord Mic Not Working in Windows 10, 11

Adding Sounds to the Soundboard on Discord

Before going through the following process to add Discord soundboard sounds, you should note the soundboard feature is not available on all devices. It is a feature that is exclusively available only on Discord for desktops. After ensuring Discord availability on your device, you should ensure your sound file meets the following requirements for sound customization.

  • The file duration should not be more than five seconds.
  • Your file must be in an MP3 format.
  • The file size should not exceed 512 kb.

If your file meets the above conditions, you can proceed to the following steps to add sounds to the soundboard.

Steps to add sounds to the Discord soundboard

  • To begin with, select a server with a voice chat option from the left panel of your Discord screen.select a discord server with a voice chat
  • You can now choose a channel that has a voice chat option (the channel with a speaker icon) from the tab on the left of the Discord screen.choose a channel that has a voice chat option in discord
  • Select the music note icon present below the Activities after entering the chat.Select the music note icon in discord
  • You can now select the option to Add Sound, i.e., the button with a + icon.select the option to Add Sound in discord
  • You can now follow the on-screen directions to upload your sound file, assign an emoji and name, and set the volume.upload your sound file on discord
  • Lastly, click on the Upload button to add and use the sound.

Note: You can also use pre-existing sounds from your Discord soundboard bot’s library. Simply, follow the path soundboard library>search for the sound or browse through the categories>select the sound to add it. Alternatively, you can create your own sounds to use on the Discord soundboard.

Also Read: Best Free Voice Changer Apps For Discord While Gaming

Summing Up

This article cleared your confusion about how to add sounds to the Discord soundboard. You can follow the above process to add sounds to spice up your Discord chats. However, if you are still confused, have any questions, or have any suggestions about this write-up, you can leave us a comment without any hesitation.

How to Fix DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone

How to Fix DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone

March 6, 2024
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DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone Windows 11. If you are also getting this annoying message on your computer screen, then here’s a list of solutions with descriptions to fix this error once and for all.

The Windows NT operating systems take the help of various sources and services to run effectively. This is the reason why when one or the other service fails, the Windows operating system either shows an error or crashes (in certain cases). The same problem can also appear when you are using any command in the Command Prompt.

When Windows users attempt to run certain CMD commands or some Python commands via the terminal, they often come across the error message stating “DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone” The majority of the time, this problem effectively precludes affected users from executing any commands that do not call built-in tools.

With the help of this guide, we are targeting this recurring error and offering some of the best solutions to fix it.

Methods to Fix the DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone Windows 10/11

In the coming sections of this guide, we have listed and explained some of the most effective solutions to fix the DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone Windows 10 error. We suggest that you follow the solutions as provided chronologically. Once you are done, you will not see this message again.

Fix 1: Carry Out the SFC Scan while in Safe Mode

Errors on the hard drive or disk corruption are two more potential causes of the ‘DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone’ alert. You may make use of the Check Disk command in this scenario, which assists in scanning the whole hard disk and fixing a variety of issues that occur inside the file system.

Nevertheless, the first thing you need to do in order to fix the problem that says “DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone” is to try running the SFC scannow command in safe mode. Listed below are the steps that you need to do in order to successfully execute CHKDSK on your Windows 10 computer.

  1. Pressing the Windows & R key simultaneously will bring up the Run command box prompt.
  2. Proceed by typing “msconfig” & press the OK button.type msconfig in run utility
  3. Click the OK button once you have navigated to the Boot tab, check the box that is located next to the “Safe boot” option, and then click the Exit button.
  4. When the System Configuration popup window appears, you should click the “Restart” option to restart the system.
  5. In the Windows search box that is found in the bottom left corner of your screen, type “cmd” and then pick the “Run as administrator” option.In Search Box of Windows Type CMD
  6. When you are in the window that displays the Command Prompt, enter the command “sfc/ scannow” and then press the Enter key on your keyboard.Command Prompt Open and Then Enter SFC-Scannow Command and Again Hit Enter
  7. Press the Enter key once again after typing Y in response to the offer to schedule a disk check.
  8. Exit the window that displays the Command Prompt, and then restart your computer. Now, it will begin the process of examining the disk, and it will automatically correct any of the hard drive issues that it finds.

You should do another scan to see whether or not the problem has been addressed.

Also Read: How to Clear Chrome Net Internals DNS Error

Fix 2: Set a New Shortcut for the Command Prompt App

Here’s the next solution to the error stating “DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone”. Several users have been successful in resolving this issue by establishing a new shortcut in the Command Prompt. In order to resolve this problem, you should attempt this approach.

  1. To create a shortcut, right-click on your desktop and choose the New option.
  2. Once you have done that, put %COMSPEC% into the box that says put the location.
  3. Click the Next button to proceed.
  4. Create a new shortcut and give it the name Command Prompt.
  5. Following that, click the Finish button to proceed.
  6. Once that is complete, restart your computer

Check to see if the error has been fixed or not. If not, follow the next solution for DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone.

Fix 3: Carry out the DISM Scan.

We strongly suggest that you carry out a DISM scan rather than an SFC scan in the event that the problem is still present or if you are unable to carry out an SFC scan properly. You may learn how to solve the “DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone” problem by following the steps that are following.

    1. In the Windows search box that is found in the bottom left corner of your screen, type “cmd” and then pick the “Run as administrator” option.Type cmd in Start Menu Search Bar
  1. Putting the following command into the Command Prompt and then pressing the Enter key is required in order to carry out the command:
    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthType DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth i

To fix the DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone error, the DISM scan will take some time, much as the SFC scan does; the amount of time it takes will vary depending on the size of your disk and the capabilities of your computer. Because of this, you should abstain from interfering with it until it has finished operating.

Upon completion of the scan, it is necessary to determine whether or not the issue is still present. If there are any mistakes, you should rectify them by following the directions that appear on the screen.

Also Read: Fix “DNS Server Not Responding” Error On Windows 10/8/7

Fix 4: Execute the Windows update now.

Random flaws in the system might be the source of the DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone problem that you are now experiencing. In order to resolve this issue, you may upgrade Windows. Here are the detailed instructions on how to carry out the task.

  1. The first step is to use the shortcut command Windows+I to enter the Settings panel.
  2. The second step is to choose Update & Security from the Settings panel that appears on the screen.Click on Updates and Security
  3. Now, choose the option to check for updates by clicking on it.Check for Updates Button
  4. Download and install any updates that are currently available.
  5. In order to finish the process of updating your computer, you will need to restart it.

Summing Up: DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone Fixed With Ease

Using this guide, you could have gained an understanding of how to resolve the error. You may need to do a clean installation if none of the alternatives described above are successful in resolving the problem of the DNS server.

Also Read: How to Fix DNS_PROBE_FNISHED_BAD_CONFIG Error on Windows 10

On the whole, reinstalling the operating system is able to resolve the majority of issues including the DNS Server Not Authoritative for Zone error. Nevertheless, if you have the same problem, you should give these alternatives a go. Please share your thoughts in the comment section if you have a more effective approach to repair it.

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