If you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 from older versions like Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, you may have noticed that the F8 function key you pressed during startup to enter Safe Mode no longer works.
The F8 key is still available on your keyboard, but it works with other key combinations to perform certain functions, especially when your touchpad or mouse isn’t working and you need to use keyboard shortcuts instead.
In this guide, we’re going to show you what to do when you find F8 not working in Windows 10, but first, let’s look at why this happens.
Why Is F8 Not Working In Windows 10?
Safe Mode is a native Windows feature in all versions of the operating system, which is used to troubleshoot various problems such as driver installation issues, problems booting into Windows, and malware or virus-related issues among others.
The F8 boot menu was removed in order to improve system boot time. This is because Windows 10 boots much faster than previous versions, so you won’t have enough time to press the F8 key and enter Safe Mode during startup. Plus, it can’t recognize the key press during the boot process, which prevents access to the boot options screen from where you can select the Safe Mode option.
Instead, Microsoft provided a new Advanced Boot Options menu feature that lets you access troubleshooting options such as Safe Mode and others.
You can still access the Safe Mode feature by pressing the F8 key, but you have to re-enable it manually using a few simple steps, and there are other methods that can also get you into Safe Mode, but they’re not as straightforward.
Fix F8 Not Working In Windows 10
1. Manually Re-enable F8 Key
- Type CMD in the search bar and click Run as Administrator.
- Type this command in the Command Prompt: bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy and press Enter ..
Note : BCD or Boot Configuration Data Edit command is a native tool in Windows that controls how the operating system starts. It also helps you easily re-activate the F8 boot menu.
- Restart your PC, and press the F8 key repeatedly on the keyboard while it starts up and you’ll see the Advanced Boot Options menu, from where you can select Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking , or Safe Mode with Command Prompt .
To disable the F8 key again, open the elevated Command Prompt and type this command: bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard
2. Enter Safe Mode From Start Menu
- Click Start and select Settings .
- Next, click Update & Security in the Settings menu.
- On the left pane, click Recovery and then click Restart now .
- Windows will restart automatically and display the Choose an Option screen. Click Troubleshoot .
- Click Advanced Options .
- Next, click Startup Settings .
- A screen will appear showing different startup options.
- On your keyboard, press the F4 key or number 4 key to enter Safe Mode , or the corresponding key to enter Safe Mode with Networking or with Command Prompt depending on what you want to do.
Note : You can also click Start , right-click the Power button, and hold down the Shift key when you click Restart . This automatically restarts Windows and brings up the Choose an Option screen, after which you can continue with the steps to access Safe Mode.
3. Start Safe Mode By System Configuration
System Configuration also known as msconfig, is a system utility used when troubleshooting the Windows startup process. It can disable or re-enable device drivers and programs that run during the boot process to figure out why the problem you’re experiencing occurred. It saves time compared to other methods that require you to repeat 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 click OK .
- Click Boot and mark the checkbox next to Safe Boot . Select Minimal and click OK . There are other options available such as Alternate Shell (Safe Mode with Command Prompt), Active Directory Repair , and Network (Safe Mode with Networking support) , so you can pick the one you need.
- Click Apply > OK for the changes to take effect and Windows will restart in Safe Mode.
To exit Safe Mode from System Configuration, open the Boot options window again, 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 Can’t Boot Normally
Safe Mode loads with a minimum set of programs and drivers. If Windows can’t start normally, you won’t have a problem entering Safe Mode, because you can restart the PC twice and go to the Automatic Repair screen from where you can enter Safe Mode.
- Make sure your PC is off and then press and hold down the Power button until the computer goes off. Repeat this about two or three times (to trigger the boot recovery mechanism) until the Preparing Automatic Repair screen appears.
- If you see the Preparing Automatic Repair screen when you power on the computer the first time, skip to the next step, and the Diagnosing Your PC screen will appear. This will be followed by the Attempting repairs message.
- Windows will show the Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PC message and give you the Shut down and Advanced options in the Startup Repair screen. Click Advanced options .
- Click Troubleshoot in the Choose an option screen.
- Next, click Advanced Options .
- Click Startup Settings .
- Your PC will restart and show different startup options on the next screen.
- Press the F4 key or number 4 key on your keyboard to enter Safe Mode . You can also press the corresponding key to enter Safe Mode with Command Prompt or with Networking depending on what you want to do.
Note : If you have a Windows 10 bootable USB drive or setup disc, you can use that to start your PC in Safe Mode if Windows can’t load. Boot the PC using the bootable drive or setup disc, select Repair your computer and you’ll get to the Choose an option screen from where you can take the steps above to enter Safe Mode.
5. Start In Safe Mode When You Can’t Login to Desktop
This is another method you can use if you find Windows 10 Safe Mode not working. If you can access your login screen (welcome or sign-in screen) but can’t access or login to Desktop, use these steps to restart your computer in Safe Mode.
- Click on Power at the bottom right side of the Windows 10 Login screen.
- Press and hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and select Restart . You’ll see the Please Wait screen appear briefly, and the Choose an Option screen. Click Troubleshoot .
Click Advanced Options .
In the Advanced Options screen, click Startup Settings .
In the Startup Settings screen, press the key(s) corresponding to the Safe Mode option you want to use.
More Ways To Boot To Safe Mode
We hope you found this guide useful in helping you boot into Safe Mode when you find F8 not working in Windows 10. If you know of other methods you can use to access Safe Mode, you’re welcome to share them with us.
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Elsie is a technology writer and editor with a special focus on Windows, Android and iOS. She writes about software, electronics and other tech subjects, her ultimate goal being to help people out with useful solutions to their daily tech issues in a simple, straightforward and unbiased style. She has a BCom degree in Marketing and currently pursuing her Masters in Communications and New Media. Read Elsie’s Full Bio
Windows Hello is a more secure way of logging into your Windows 10 device without struggling to remember your password . The futuristic login technology uses biometric authentication that’s faster, more secure and easier to access your computer using fingerprint or facial recognition, with enterprise-grade security to boot.
These biometric markers allow you to sign into online devices, apps or networks, plus you can pair a Bluetooth device like your smartphone to your computer and use the Dynamic Lock feature in Windows Hello to lock your computer automatically.
As great as this service sounds, you may sometimes find that the Windows Hello fingerprint is not working because of hardware issues, system corruption, software conflicts, incorrect settings, or faulty, obsolete and incompatible drivers.
If your computer’s fingerprint sign-in with Windows Hello isn’t working, maybe after an update or other changes on your computer, try some of the workarounds in this guide to help you restore the function.
Fixes For Windows Hello Fingerprint Not Working In Windows 10
- Install updates manually.
- Run Hardware & Devices troubleshooter.
- Reset fingerprint & facial recognition options.
- Enable Biometrics in Group Policy Editor.
- Modify Windows Hello Group Policy settings.
- Update System Drivers.
- Perform a Windows Reset.
- Turn off Fast Startup.
- Check for & uninstall updates that caused the problem.
- Reset fingerprint login.
- Reinstall fingerprint software.
- Repair System Files.
- Restart Credentials Manager Service.
How To Fix Windows Hello Not Working In Windows 10
Many reported cases of fingerprint malfunction in Windows Hello are experienced after installing Windows updates, like the 1809 version that caused many issues like system crashes, data loss, failure to boot up, and application crashing among other problems.
Before you use any of the fixes below, check for the following:
- Your device is running Windows 10 and not another version of the operating system; otherwise you can’t use Windows Hello. Consider upgrading to Windows 10 in this case.
- Check that your device has a fingerprint sensor or reader. Some machines may have but they’re probably too old and there’s no available Windows 10 driver for it so the service won’t work.
- Check that your device is compatible with Windows Hello service.
- Check that your internet connection is strong and your device is connected, otherwise Windows Hello won’t work.
- Check for any dust or dirt on the fingerprint scanner as this would affect the reading. If it has any scratches on the sensor, get the machine repaired.
- Use the same finger and position you used when registering your fingerprint with Windows Hello to sign in.
Install Updates Manually
With the Windows Hello fingerprint sign-in not working, you’ll need to revert to using your password or PIN to login and check for Windows Updates manually.
- Once signed in, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
- Install all pending and detected updates, and restart your computer. Try signing in with fingerprint authentication again.
Run Hardware & Devices Troubleshooter
This will scan and detect any possible hardware and devices issue in the system.
- Click Start > Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot .
Reset Fingerprint & Facial Recognition Options
- Click Start > Settings > Accounts .
- Click on Sign-in options .
- Find Facial Recognition or Fingerprint options, and click on the Fingerprint option.
- Select Remove , and do the same for Facial Recognition .
- Next, click Get Started and follow the instructions to reset the Facial Recognition and Fingerprint sign-in options, and then restart your computer.
Enable Biometrics In Group Policy Editor
- Type gpedit in the search box and click Edit Group Policy .
- Click Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates .
- Double-click Windows Components .
- Double-click Biometrics in the right pane and check whether all its settings are configured.
- If they show Not Configured , this is probably why the Windows Hello fingerprint sign-in isn’t working.
- Right-click each Biometric setting, select Enabled and then click Apply > OK .
- Double-click Allow user to login using biometrics and select Enabled .
- Click Apply > OK .
Modify Windows Hello Group Policy Settings
A Windows Update may have made some changes to some important Group Policy settings, so you may want to check Windows Hello settings in the Group Policy Editor. The first four steps are the same as the example above.
- Right-click Start > Run . Type gpedit and press Enter .
- Click Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates .
- Next, double-click Windows Components .
- Double-click Biometrics .
- Double-click Facial Features .
- Right-click Configure enhanced anti-spoofing and select Edit .
- Disable Configure enhanced anti-spoofing and restart your computer to see if it resolves the Windows Hello fingerprint sign-in problem.
Update System Drivers
Some drivers, in this case the fingerprint reader driver, may have been corrupted at some point, either during an update or other process, causing the fingerprint sign-in to malfunction.
- To resolve that, you can update the drivers by right-clicking Start > Device Manager .
- Find the relevant drivers under Biometric devices , right-click your device and select Remove driver software .
- Do this for all drivers related to Windows Hello and restart your device.
- Right-click and select Scan for hardware changes and the system will detect and install the drivers again.
- You can also roll back the corrupted or outdated driver to its previous version by double clicking Biometric Devices and select Roll Back Driver in the properties section.
- Click OK once it’s done.
Perform a Windows Reset
When you reset your Windows device, it repairs damages to all the system files so that Windows Hello can work normally again. It also resets your device settings to the default Windows settings.
- To refresh the device, go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PC and click Get Started .
Note: This action will permanently erase your computer data so ensure you backup or copy your data to external or cloud storage before doing anything.
Turn Off Fast Startup
- Click Start > Settings > System > Power & Sleep
- Click Additional Power Settings .
- Next, click Choose what Power button does .
- Click Change Settings that are unavailable and uncheck the Fast Startup box if it’s selected, and click Save changes .
Check For & Uninstall Updates That Caused The Problem
If the fingerprint sign-in issues first started after installing Windows Updates, check for the installed updates and uninstall them.
- Click Settings > Update & Security > Windows Updates .
- Go to View Update History .
- Click the Uninstall Updates link.
- A new screen will open showing the Installed Updates . Right-click each and select Uninstall .
- Restart your computer and check if Windows Hello fingerprint sign-in works again.
Reset Fingerprint Login
If the issue persists, you can reset your fingerprint login and see if that helps.
- In the search box, type sign-in and press Enter to open the Accounts menu.
- Go to Sign-in options and click Set up under the Windows Hello Fingerprint section.
- Click Get Started and follow the instructions to set up your fingerprint sign-in again.
Reinstall Fingerprint Software
- Click Start > Settings > Apps . In Apps and Features .
- Find your fingerprint reader and click on it. Click Uninstall and confirm the action.
- Right-click Start > Device Manager and expand the Biometric devices category.
- Find your fingerprint reader, right-click, then select Uninstall device, and confirm the action.
- Restart your computer to apply the changes and check if fingerprint works again.
- You can prevent your computer from disabling the fingerprint reader by going to Device Manager > Universal Serial Bus Controllers category and find the USB Root Hub .
- Double-click USB Root Hub to open its Properties .
- Uncheck the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power option box under the Power Management tab. Repeat for all USB Root Hub entries.
Repair System Files
File corruption is one of the causes of the fingerprint reader malfunctioning when you’re trying to sign in using the Windows Hello service. you can use the built-in System File Checker to rectify things.
- Type CMD in the search box and select Command Prompt>Run as administrator.
- In the Command Prompt dialog box, type sfc /scannow and press enter to run the command.
The system files will be scanned, after which you can restart your computer and see if the fingerprint issue is resolved.
Restart Credentials Manager Service
- Right-click Start > Run and type services.msc. Press Enter to open the Services window and search for the Credential Manager Service .
- Double-click the Credential Manager Service to open the Properties window and go to Service Status .
- Click Stop , and then click the Start button again to restart the service.
- Click Apply>OK and check if the fingerprint works again.
If nothing else works, you can switch to a different fingerprint reader.
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Elsie is a technology writer and editor with a special focus on Windows, Android and iOS. She writes about software, electronics and other tech subjects, her ultimate goal being to help people out with useful solutions to their daily tech issues in a simple, straightforward and unbiased style. She has a BCom degree in Marketing and currently pursuing her Masters in Communications and New Media. Read Elsie’s Full Bio
