F8 Not Working In Windows 10? 5 Things To Try

If you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 from older versions such as Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, you may have noticed that the F8 function key that you pressed during startup to enter Safe Mode no longer works.

The F8 key is still available on the keyboard, but it works with other keyboard shortcuts to perform certain functions, especially when the touchpad or mouse isn’t working and you need to use keyboard shortcuts instead.

In this guide, we’ll show you what to do if you find that F8 doesn’t work on Windows 10, but first, let’s see why this is happening.

Why isn’t F8 working in Windows 10?

Safe Mode is a built-in Windows feature in all versions of the operating system that is used to troubleshoot various problems such as driver installation problems, Windows boot problems, and malware or virus-related issues, among others.

The F8 boot menu has been removed to improve system boot times. This is because Windows 10 boots much faster than previous versions, so you won’t have enough time to hit the F8 key and enter Safe Mode during startup. In addition, it cannot recognize a key press during the boot process, which prevents you from accessing the boot options screen where you can select a safe mode option.

Instead, Microsoft has provided a new Advanced Boot Options menu feature that lets you access troubleshooting options such as Safe Mode and others.

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You can still access the Safe Mode feature by pressing the F8 key, but you have to manually re-enable it by following a few simple steps, and there are other methods that can put you in Safe Mode too, but they are not that simple.

1. Manually re-enable the F8 key

Enter CMD in the search bar and click Run as administrator.

Fix F8 not working in Windows 10

1. Manually re-enable F8 key

Type CMD In the search bar and click on Run as administrator.

Enter this command at the command line: bcdedit / set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy and press Enter.

Note. The BCD, or Boot Configuration Data Edit Command, is a built-in Windows tool that controls the startup of the operating system. It will also help you reactivate the F8 boot menu easily.

Restart your computer and press the F8 key on your keyboard a few times at startup, and you will see the Advanced Boot Options menu. where you can select Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Network Driver Loading, or Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

To disable the F8 key again, open an elevated command prompt and enter the following command: bcdedit / set {default} bootmenupolicy standard

2. Enter Safe Mode from the Start Menu

Click “Start” and select “Settings”.

Then click “Update & Security” in the “Settings” menu.

In the left pane, click Recovery and then click Restart Now.

Windows will automatically restart and display the selection screen. Click Troubleshoot.

Click Advanced Options.

Then click Launch Options.

A screen with various startup options appears.

On your keyboard, press the F4 key or the number 4 key to enter Safe Mode, or the corresponding key to enter Safe Mode with Networking or Command Prompt, whichever you want to do

Note. You can also click Start, right-click the Power button and hold down the Shift key while clicking Restart. This automatically restarts Windows and opens the Select an Option screen, after which you can continue with the steps to enter Safe Mode

3. Starting Safe Mode depending on your system configuration

System configuration, also known as msconfig, is a system utility used in troubleshooting the Windows startup process. It can disable or re-enable device drivers and programs that run at boot time to figure out why the problem is occurring. This saves time compared to other methods that require repeating several steps just to enter Safe Mode

Press the Windows logo key + R to open the Run dialog box and type msconfig Then press Enter or OK.

Click Boot and check the Secure Boot box. Select Minimal and click OK. There are other options available such as alternate shell (safe mode with command line), Active Directory recovery and network (safe mode with networking), so you can choose the one you want.

Click Apply> OK for the changes to take effect and Windows to restart in Safe Mode

To exit Safe Mode from System Configuration, reopen the Boot Options window, uncheck the box next to Safe Boot, and click OK. Click Restart to apply the changes and restart your computer normally.

4. Enter Safe Mode when Windows does not boot normally

Safe Mode is loaded with a minimal set of programs and drivers. If Windows does not start normally, you will have no problem going into Safe Mode because you can restart your computer twice and go to the Auto Repair screen from where you can enter Safe Mode

Make sure your computer is turned off, and then press and hold the power button until the computer turns off. Repeat this about two or three times (to start the boot repair mechanism) until the “Prepare for Automatic Repair” screen appears.

If you see the Prepare for Automatic Repair screen when you turn on your computer for the first time, go to the next step and the Diagnose Your PC screen appears. After that, the message “Attempting to repair” will appear.

Windows will display the message “Automatic Repair could not repair your computer” and will prompt you for “Shut down” and “Advanced options” on the Startup Repair screen. Click Advanced Options.

Click Troubleshoot on the Choose an Option screen.

Then click Advanced Options.

Click Launch Options.

Your computer will restart and the next screen will display various startup options.

Press the F4 key or the number 4 key on your keyboard to enter Safe Mode You can also press the appropriate key to enter Safe Mode using Command Prompt or Network, depending on what you want to do.

Note. If you have a bootable USB drive or Windows 10 installation disc, you can use that to start your computer in Safe Mode if Windows won’t boot. Boot your computer using a boot disk or installation disk, select “Repair your computer” and you will be taken to the “Select an option” screen where you can follow the above steps to enter Safe Mode

5. Run in safe mode when unable to enter desktop

This is another method that you can use if you find that Windows 10 Safe Mode is not working. If you can access the logon screen (welcome screen or logon screen) but cannot access or log into the desktop, follow these steps to restart your computer in safe mode.

Click the Power button in the lower right corner of the Windows 10 logon screen.

Press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard and select Restart. You will see a “Please Wait” screen and a “Select an Option” screen appear briefly. Click Troubleshoot.

Click Advanced Options.

On the Advanced Options screen, click Startup Options.

In the On the Startup Settings screen, press the key (s) corresponding to the Safe Mode setting you want to use.

More Ways to Run in Safe Mode

We hope you have found this guide useful as it will help you boot into Safe Mode when you find that F8 does not work in Windows 10. If you know of other methods that you can use to access Safe Mode, feel free to share them. with us. –