Safe Mode is a built-in diagnostic mode in Windows that starts your computer in minimal mode. i.e., only essential drivers, processes, and services. We use the Safe Mode to troubleshoot the system, uninstall problematic drivers & programs, etc. Depending on how you access the Safe Mode, you won’t have access to the internet. However, if you require internet in Safe Mode, you can start Safe Mode with network access. That way, you can browse the internet to better troubleshoot your computer. For example, maybe you trying to change a specific setting, registry key, or policy, and forget where it is located. Rather than rebooting the system into normal mode, you can start Safe Mode with network access, connect to the internet, and get the details you want.
In this quick and easy tutorial, I will show the exact steps you should follow to connect to the internet in Safe Mode on Windows 11 and Windows 10. Let’s get started.
Connect to the Internet in Safe Mode on Windows 11 & 10
- Press the “Start” button on your taskbar.
- Click the “Power” icon.
- Hold down the “Shift” key and click the “Restart” option.
- Select “Troubleshoot” in the “Choose an option” screen.
- Click “Advanced options“.
- Select the “Start-up Settings” option.
- Click the “Restart” button.
- Press “5” in the “Startup Settings” screen.
- The system will restart into Safe Mode with internet access.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, we need to boot into Advanced Startup. To do that, press the “Start” button to open the Start menu. In it, click the “Power” icon, hold down the “Shift” key, and then click the “Restart” option. This action restarts your computer and puts it on the Advanced Options screen.
In the “Choose an option” screen, click the “Troubleshoot” option.
Next, click the “Advanced options” > “Start-up settings” option.
Click the “Restart” button to start the Safe Mode start-up process.
The above action restarts your computer and shows the start-up options. Here, press the “5” key on your keyboard. This action selects the “Enable Safe Mode with Networking” option and makes your computer boot into Safe Mode with internet access.
That is all. Once the system restarts and enters Safe Mode, the Edge browser automatically opens you can access the Internet. Along with the internet, you can also access local network drives.
Wrapping Up — Safe Mode with Internet
As you can see, booting into Safe Mode with internet access is very simple. All you have to do is select the appropriate option in the Start-up settings screen. When in safe mode, be very careful of the websites you visit and files you download as there is minimal protection to protect you from viruses and malware. Once you are done, restart as you would normally to exit the Safe Mode.
Important note: Also, if you cannot boot into Windows to trigger the Advanced options screen, use the Windows installation media to boot into repair mode and then access the Start-up settings screen. Here’s the detailed tutorial on booting into Safe Mode using Windows installation media.
