How to access the Windows Recovery Environment in Windows

Windows Recovery Environment

Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) is a recovery environment that can repair common causes of unbootable operating systems.

How to Access Windows RE

When the computer is turned off:

• Press and hold the Windows Key and press the power button.
• Release both keys.

From the Windows Logon screen:

• Click the Power Button icon.
• Hold the SHIFT Key and click Restart.

From the Windows Desktop:

• Select Start, Power, and then press and hold the Shift key while clicking Restart.
• Select Start, Settings, Update, and Security, Recovery. Under Advanced startup, click Restart now.
• At the command prompt, run the Shutdown /r /o command.
• Use the following steps to boot the System.

USB Recovery Media:

To create USB recovery media, see Create Windows Recovery Media for Your Dell Computer.

1. Insert the recovery media into a USB port or a DVD drive, depending on the format you used to create the recovery media.
2. Power the computer off.
3. Power the computer on. At the Dell logo screen, tap the F12 key several times until you see Preparing one-time boot menu in the upper right corner of the screen.
4. At the boot menu, select the device under UEFI BOOT that matches your media type (USB or DVD).

Recommended Articles

Here are some recommended articles related to this topic that might be of interest to you.

• Create Windows Recovery Media for Your Dell Computer
• How to Run Windows Startup Repair on a Dell computer
• Booting to the Advanced Startup Options Menu in Windows 11, and Windows 10
• How to Boot into Safe Mode in Windows 11 or Windows 10
• How to Resolve the Windows 10 Infinite Boot Loop Problem