Share this article

Improve this guide

How to Exit Windows Recovery Mode if You’re Stuck

Exiting the Recovery Mode is simple as clicking a button

7 min. read

Updated onSeptember 25, 2024

updated onSeptember 25, 2024

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Windows Recovery Environment is a special segment of Windows that allows you to repair various issues. However many users get stuck in it, and they are wondering how to exit Windows Recovery Mode.

The easiest way to get out of the Windows Recovery mode is to press and hold the Power button on your PC. However, this only works if there aren’t any major problems with Windows.

How do I exit Windows Recovery Mode?

1. Using the Continue option

Keep in mind that this method will only work if there aren’t any issues with your system.

2. Use Startup Repair

This feature doesn’t require any user input, but it can only help with minor issues, such as missing or damaged system files, so it’s not as useful as others in Windows Recovery Environment.

3. Use System Restore

This feature is rather simple to use, and it can help if issues started appearing after installing a certain update, software, or driver. By using this feature, you’ll restore your system to a different point in time and hopefully fix the problem.

Do keep in mind that this isn’t an all-powerful feature, so it can’t help with major issues. It’s also worth mentioning that to use this feature, you need to create a system restore point beforehand.

Usually, Windows does that automatically, but it’s not always reliable.

4. Use System Image Recovery

In case you’re not familiar, a system image is an exact copy of your hard drive. With it, you can restore your entire drive to the exact state it was while creating a drive image.

This is an incredibly powerful recovery feature, and it can fix almost any problem on your PC. However, it’s not enabled by default, and to use it, you need to manually create a system image and store it on a secure drive.

5. Use Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a special mode of Windows that starts with limited drivers and files. As such, you can use it to troubleshoot issues with any third-party apps and drivers.

If an issue appears in Safe Mode, it means that the issue you’re dealing with is caused by a damaged installation or hardware.

To complete these steps, you need a working keyboard. In case you’re having issues, we have a guide that can help ifkeyboard is not working in Recovery Mode.

6. Use Command Prompt

In Command Prompt, you can use SFC scan to fix your system:

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=d: /offwindir=d:\windows

Keep in mind that you might have to change the drive letters in Windows Recovery Environment in order for this command to work.

You can use the DISM command from the Windows image to repair your system:

Dism /Image:C:\offline /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:c:\test\mount\windows

Remember that you need to replace the Source path with the path that matches the location of the Windows image file on your installation media.

You can also use Command Prompt to repair scan your hard drive and repair damaged files with this command:

chkdsk /r C:

Lastly, you can fix boot records by running these commands:

bootrec /RebuildBcd

bootrec /fixMbr

bootrec /fixboot

7. Uninstall recent updates

This method is useful if your PC can’t boot anymore after a bad update, so you might want to try this feature.

8. Perform a Windows reset

How can I disable Automatic Repair Tool?

In case the command doesn’t work runbcdeditcommand and use it to find the identifier in Windows Boot Loader. Use that identifier instead of {default}.

Many users choose to disable this feature because it starts automatically after Windows crashes a couple of times. Unfortunately, automatic repair doesn’t usually fix any problems. However, users still have to wait every time for the scan to finish before they can access Windows Recovery Environment.

This is why some are choosing to disable this feature to get faster to the troubleshooting process.

What is Windows Recovery Mode?

Why is my PC booting into Recovery Mode?

Keep in mind that sometimesWindows won’t enter Recovery Mode, but we covered that in a separate guide.

How can I troubleshoot hardware issues with Recovery Mode?

Hardware issues are hard to diagnose, but you can use the Recovery Mode and Command Prompt to scan your hard drive with chkdsk command as we discussed earlier.

If you notice many damaged files, your drive is probably damaged and needs to be replaced. You can also use diskpart command to check if your drive is showing on your PC.

Lastly, you can use Safe Mode to remove any incompatible drivers from your PC

How can I avoid getting stuck in the Windows Recovery Mode?

As you can see, you can exit Windows Recovery Mode easily, but if you’re stuck inside it, you can always use the recovery tools from this guide to repair your PC and fix any underlying issues you might have.

These tools are also helpful for advanced troubleshooting, so you should familiarize yourself with them.

Although this guide mostly covers Windows 11, it’s just as easy toenter Recovery Mode on Windows 10and use it to repair your PC. We also have a great guide on how toenter into Recovery Mode in Windows 11, so don’t miss it.

We hope you found this guide informative, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section below.

How to Exit Windows Recovery Mode if You’re Stuck#

How do I exit Windows Recovery Mode?#

1. Using the Continue option#

2. Use Startup Repair#

3. Use System Restore#

4. Use System Image Recovery#

5. Use Safe Mode#

6. Use Command Prompt#

7. Uninstall recent updates#

8. Perform a Windows reset#

How can I disable Automatic Repair Tool?#

What is Windows Recovery Mode?#

Why is my PC booting into Recovery Mode?#

How can I troubleshoot hardware issues with Recovery Mode?#

How can I avoid getting stuck in the Windows Recovery Mode?#