What is Safe Mode and when should I use it?

Safe Mode starts Windows with only the bare essentials—no extra programs, no extra drivers, just the absolute basics needed to run. It's a diagnostic tool to figure out what's causing a problem.

Safe Mode is a special startup option that loads Windows with only essential drivers and core services. Everything else that normally loads is turned off—no third-party programs, no extra drivers, no fancy features. This strips away complexity so you can test if a problem only happens during normal startup. If the problem disappears in Safe Mode, you know something that runs normally is causing it.