When the OS fails to boot multiple times or if it crashes on each reboot, Windows 11 automatically launches the built-in Automatic Repair mechanism and you will see the “preparing automatic repair” or “diagnosing your PC” text on the screen. It does all the initial checks and restores and recovers corrupted or missing system files. While useful, if you don’t want Automatic Repair to start at system startup for any reason, you can disable or stop automatic repair on Windows 11 from the Command Prompt or Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
For instance, maybe the automatic repair is causing boot loop issues, you are seeing it every time you boot into Windows, it didn’t fix the underlying problem, or you want to use a third-party repair tool. Whatever the reason, if you don’t want to use Automatic Repair, you can disable it. This step-by-step guided tutorial shows you how. Let’s get started.
Stop automatic repair on Windows 11
If can boot into Windows 11, you can use the Command Prompt or Terminal application to disable or stop automatic repair on boot failure. If you are unable to boot into Windows 11, follow the second method.
To start off, open the Command Prompt or Terminal application as an administrator on Windows 11. To do that, press the Start key on your keyboard and type Terminal. Right-click on the Terminal option and choose Run as Administrator. Once the Terminal window opens, press the dropdown icon on the title bar and select the Command Prompt option.
Type bcdedit in the terminal window and press the Enter key on your keyboard. This command will list the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) of your Windows 11 computer. From the configuration data, take a look at the “identifier” and “recoveryenabled” labels under the Windows Boot Loader section. Both should say, “{current}” and “Yes” respectively. It means the automatic recovery is enabled on the currently running operating system.
Type bcdedit /set {current} recoveryenabled no and press the Enter key on your keyboard. You should immediately see the “The operation completed successfully” response. In means, that you’ve disabled or stopped automatic repair on Windows 11.
Let’s break down the command:
bcdedit: Invokes the BCD (Boot Configuration Data) tool./set: This flag lets you modify or set a BCD option.{current}: A special identifier representing the currently running operating system.recoveryenabled no: Settingrecoveryenabledparameter tonowill stop automatic repair.
You can close the Terminal or Command Prompt window by pressing the X icon on the title bar or by typing quit.
Disable automatic repair from WinRE
If you are unable to boot into Windows 11 because of the automatic repair boot loop problem then you have to use the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to disable automatic repair. Here’s how:
First, make sure that you have a Windows 11 bootable USB drive. If you don’t, you can create one by downloading Windows 11 ISO and using software such as Rufus. Once you have the bootable drive, proceed to the next step.
Plug the USB drive into an empty USB port and restart your computer/laptop. It should automatically boot into the Windows 11 USB drive. If it didn’t then ensure that your USB drive is at the top of boot priority in UEFI/BIOS. You can get into the UEFI/BIOS screen by repeatedly pressing F2, F12, or Del keys on your keyboard as soon as you turn on the computer. Next, go to the Boot menu and change the boot order such that the USB drive is at the top. Press F10 to save and exit the UEFI/BIOS screen.
Press the “Next” button in the Windows Setup window and then click on the “Repair your computer” option at the bottom to launch the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
Open the Command Prompt window by choosing the “Troubleshoot” > “Command Prompt” option in the WinRE screen.
Type bcdedit in the Command Prompt window and press the Enter key on your keyboard. Take note of the “identifier” value under the “Windows Boot Loader” section. It says “{default}”.
Now, type the bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled no command and press the Enter key. This command will turn off automatic repair on Windows 11. Once the command has been successfully executed, you will see the “The operation completed successfully” message.
Let’s break down the command:
bcdedit: Invokes the BCD (Boot Configuration Data) tool./set: This flag lets you modify or set a BCD option.{default}: Since you are in WinRE, this special identifier represents the current default operating system.recoveryenabled no: Settingrecoveryenabledparameter tonowill stop automatic repair.
Close the Terminal window and click on the “Continue to Windows 11” option. Since the automatic repair feature is disabled, you can boot normally into Windows 11.
Using Registry Editor
As an alternative method, you can also stop Windows 11 automatic repair using the Registry Editor. This method is useful when you can boot into Windows 11 but don’t want to use the Command Prompt or Terminal. While not as easy as the command-line method, it gets the job done. Backup the registry and follow the steps:
On Windows 11, open Registry Editor by typing “regedit” in the run window (Windows key + R). You can also open the Start menu, search for Registry Editor, and click on the top result.
Go to the below path in the registry.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl
In the CrashControl folder, right-click on the “AutoReboot” value and choose “Modify”. Change its, Value Data to “0” and press the “Ok” button. Close the registry window and restart to apply the changes.
Restore automatic repair on Windows 11 (enable)
If you want to restore automatic repair and enable it on Windows 11, open Terminal or Command Prompt as admin and run the bcdedit /set {current} recoveryenabled yes command.
To do it via registry, go to the “Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl” folder in the Registry Editor, open the AutoReboot value, and set its value data to “1”.
Conclusion
That is it. You can follow any of the three methods given above to completely stop automatic repair on Windows 11. If are able to boot into Windows then follow the first or third method. If you cannot then follow the second method. I hope it solves the problem you are facing with the automatic repair feature.
If you are stuck or need help, send an email or comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.
Most of the time auto recovery fails and continue the same process without any success! Thank you for the help.