How to Add or Remove Safe Mode to Desktop Context Menu on Windows 11/10?

In Windows 11/10, Safe Mode is a special troubleshooting mode for Windows. That is a mode that starts Windows with only a minimal set of files, drivers, and services. Thus, it disables third-party startup programs and services.

You can access Safe Mode by selecting Startup Settings > Restart in Windows Recovery Environment. You can set up a Safe Mode context menu shortcut for quicker access. When you add the Safe Mode to the Desktop right-click menu, whenever needed, you can quickly boot into a different state of Safe Modes, such as Safe Mode with Networking or Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

In this risewindows post, we will learn about adding or removing Safe Mode to the Desktop context menu in Windows 11/10.

How to Add or Remove Safe Mode to/from Desktop Context Menu?

You must sign in as an administrator to add, remove, and use the Safe Mode context menu. And for Windows 11 users, you will need to click on Show more options to access these options. Since this is a registry operation, it is recommended that you back up the registry or create a system restore point as necessary precautionary measures.

To add Safe Mode on the Desktop context menu, do these steps:-

Step 1. Firstly, invoke the Run dialog by hitting Windows + R keys on the keyboard.

Step 2. Now, type notepad in the Run box, and hit Enter to open Notepad.

Step 3. Then, copy and paste the following texts into the Notepad app:-

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode]
"icon"="bootux.dll,-1032"
"MUIVerb"="Safe Mode"
"Position"=-
"SubCommands"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode\shell\001-NormalMode]
@="Restart in Normal Mode"
"HasLUAShield"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode\shell\001-NormalMode\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot & bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safebootalternateshell & shutdown -r -t 00 -f' -Verb runAs\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode\shell\002-SafeMode]
@="Restart in Safe Mode"
"HasLUAShield"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode\shell\002-SafeMode\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal & bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safebootalternateshell & shutdown -r -t 00 -f' -Verb runAs\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode\shell\003-SafeModeNetworking]
@="Restart in Safe Mode with Networking"
"HasLUAShield"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode\shell\003-SafeModeNetworking\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,bcdedit /set {current} safeboot network & bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safebootalternateshell & shutdown -r -t 00 -f' -Verb runAs\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode\shell\004-SafeModeCommandPrompt]
@="Restart in Safe Mode with Command Prompt"
"HasLUAShield"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode\shell\004-SafeModeCommandPrompt\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal & bcdedit /set {current} safebootalternateshell yes & shutdown -r -t 00 -f' -Verb runAs\""

Step 4. After that, click on the File menu and select Save as option.

Step 5. Next, select the location where you want to save the file. Enter the file’s name with the “.reg” extension (e.g., Add-Safe-Mode-To-Desktop.reg). Lastly, choose All Files from the “Save as type” drop-down list.

Step 6. After completing the above steps, you should have a file name with “Add-Safe-Mode-To-Desktop. reg” on the preferred location. Now, double-click the saved .reg file to merge it.

Step 7. If prompted by UAC, click on the Yes button.

Step 8. Then, hit on OK to exit.

To remove Safe Mode from Desktop Context Menu, repeat the above steps and in step 3 above, copy and paste the following lines:-

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\SafeMode]

Then name the file as “Remove-Add-Safe-Mode-To-Desktop.reg” in step 5.

Double-click on the above .reg file will delete the “Safe Mode” context menu.

That’s how to add or remove Safe Mode on the Desktop context menu on Windows 11/10.

I hope you understood this risewindows post.

Good luck & Stay healthy.