How to exit safe boot without display Windows 11

Question

How to exit safe boot without display Windows 11

ryan davies 20

Recently my laptop started only showing bright flashing colours over the whole screen. Looking online this seems to be a problem with either the display drivers or the display. Connecting to an external monitor worked and I was able to use this to try to fix it.

I looked at rolling back the display drivers, however this option was greyed out. I was preparing to do a factory reset but saw some people mention trying to start in safe mode. Using the shift-restart method didn't work so I used sysconfig to always boot into safe mode.

The problem is now I cannot get the display to show on the external monitor and cannot find any guide on how to exit safe boot without a functioning display. Is there a way to navigate safe mode to a point I can do a factory reset/ not boot in safe mode using arrow keys.

Thanks

Leina Abdelgalil 0 Reputation points

2025-12-06T21:11:22.7133333+00:00

1. Boot the laptop and wait ~1 minute

(Wait until Windows has fully reached Safe Mode login/desktop.)

2. Open Run dialog

Press: Windows key + R

3. Launch System Configuration

Type blindly:

msconfig

Press:

Enter

Wait 5 seconds for the window to open.

4. Go to the "Boot" tab

Press:

Ctrl + Tab to move between tabs Repeat 2–3 times until you're on the Boot tab. (If you overshoot, keep pressing — it loops.)

5. Turn off “Safe boot”

Press:

Alt + B This selects the "Boot" tab and highlights the Safe Boot checkbox.

Then press:

Spacebar This toggles OFF the “Safe boot” checkbox.

6. Apply and Restart

Press:

Alt + A (Apply) Alt + O (OK)

If that doesn’t restart automatically, then press:

R (Windows will ask if you want to restart now; "R" selects Restart.)

After reboot:

Your laptop will start normally (not in Safe Mode), and the external monitor will work again.
ryan davies 20 Reputation points

2025-12-08T08:54:16.5466667+00:00

Thanks for your help. As it turned out my laptop was having a problem with my PIN so wasn't even booting into safe mode. I've managed to reset from the login screen

Answer accepted by question author

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Leina Abdelgalil 0 Reputation points

2025-12-06T21:11:22.7133333+00:00

1. Boot the laptop and wait ~1 minute

(Wait until Windows has fully reached Safe Mode login/desktop.)

2. Open Run dialog

Press: Windows key + R

3. Launch System Configuration

Type blindly:

msconfig

Press:

Enter

Wait 5 seconds for the window to open.

4. Go to the "Boot" tab

Press:

Ctrl + Tab to move between tabs Repeat 2–3 times until you're on the Boot tab. (If you overshoot, keep pressing — it loops.)

5. Turn off “Safe boot”

Press:

Alt + B This selects the "Boot" tab and highlights the Safe Boot checkbox.

Then press:

Spacebar This toggles OFF the “Safe boot” checkbox.

6. Apply and Restart

Press:

Alt + A (Apply) Alt + O (OK)

If that doesn’t restart automatically, then press:

R (Windows will ask if you want to restart now; "R" selects Restart.)

After reboot:

Your laptop will start normally (not in Safe Mode), and the external monitor will work again.
ryan davies 20 Reputation points

2025-12-08T08:54:16.5466667+00:00

Thanks for your help. As it turned out my laptop was having a problem with my PIN so wasn't even booting into safe mode. I've managed to reset from the login screen

Answer 1

Sin-D 5,835 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum. I understand you’re stuck in Safe Mode on Windows 11 without a functioning display, and the usual Shift + Restart method didn’t work.

If you can access an external monitor or the Recovery Environment:

Open Command Prompt.

Type:

   bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot

Press Enter, then restart your PC. This removes the Safe Boot flag.

If no display works:

Press Win + R to open Run.
Type msconfig and press Enter.
Use Tab to move to the Boot tab.
Use Right Arrow to select it.
Press Tab until the Safe Boot checkbox is highlighted.
Press Space to uncheck it.
Press Tab until OK is highlighted, then press Enter.
Restart when prompted.

The initial response might not address the problem. So, if your problem persists or you need any assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Post Answer" if you cannot add comment. This helps me can read your follow up. Thanks for your effort.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Best regards.

Sin-D 5,835 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-08T07:04:26.56+00:00

Hi,

I just wanted to check in and see if the steps worked for you. If everything is set, it would be greatly appreciated if you could mark the answer as Accepted. This helps others facing similar issues and keeps things organized.

If you need any further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out by clicking "Add Comment" or "Post Answer" (If you cannot add comment)! This helps me can read your follow up! Thank you.
ryan davies 20 Reputation points

2025-12-08T08:54:43.59+00:00

Thanks for your help. As it turned out my laptop was having a problem with my PIN so wasn't even booting into safe mode. I've managed to reset from the login screen
Sin-D 5,835 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-09T00:55:27.4766667+00:00

Hi,

Thanks for your response. I glad to hear your issue was resolved.

Have a good day.

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How to exit safe boot without display Windows 11

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