How to access Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11

• You can access the Windows 11 Advanced Startup options (WinRE) through the Settings app, the Quick Link menu, the Command Prompt, USB installation media, or automatic repair if the operating system fails to boot.
• Once inside, you can reset Windows 11, repair startup issues, restore backups, uninstall updates, and use tools such as Safe Mode and the Command Prompt for troubleshooting.

UPDATED 9/3/2025: On Windows 11, you can access the Advanced Startup options, also known as the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), in several ways. These include using the Settings app, the Quick Link menu, Command Prompt, a USB installation media, or automatically through the repair process. This guide walks you through each method step by step.

At some point, you will likely need to troubleshoot a serious problem or change a system setting that is not available while Windows 11 is running. This is when the Windows Recovery Environment becomes essential. WinRE loads a dedicated recovery mode outside of the main operating system, giving you access to powerful tools to diagnose and repair your computer.

Inside the recovery environment, you can reset the operating system, repair startup issues, restore the system from a backup, uninstall updates, open Command Prompt for advanced commands, and more. Since problems can appear in different ways, Microsoft includes multiple paths to access WinRE, allowing you always to reach the recovery tools when you need them most.

In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to access the Windows 11 Advanced Startup options on your computer.

• Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Settings
• Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Quick Link
• Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Command Prompt
• Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Setup
• Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Automatic Repair
• Using Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11

Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Settings

To access the Advanced Startup (Windows Recovery Environment) using Settings on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

2. Click on System.

3. Click the Recovery page on the right side.

4. Click the Restart now button in the “Advanced Startup” setting under the “Recovery options” section.

   

   Quick note: The Advanced Startup option in the Settings app isn’t available through a Remote Desktop Connection.

5. Click the Restart now button again.

Once you complete the steps, you will be logged out immediately from the current session to access the startup experience.

Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Quick Link

You can also access the Advanced Startup options quickly from the power menu in the Start menu, Task Manager, and Lock screen.

Start menu

To use the power menu in the Start menu to access WinRE on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Click the Power button.

3. Press and hold the Shift key and click the Restart button.

   

After completing the steps, the action will enable Windows 11 to access the Advanced Startup menu.

You can also use this method in the power menu available in the “Quick Link” menu (Windows key + X).

Task Manager

To use Task Manager to boot into the recovery environment, follow these steps:

1. Use the “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” keyboard shortcut to open the Windows 11 menu.

2. Click the Power button in the bottom-right corner.

3. Press and hold the “Shift” key and click the Restart button.

   

Once you complete the steps, you will be logged out, and Windows 11 will open the Advanced Startup options.

Lock screen

To access the Advanced Startup Options from the Lock screen, follow these steps:

1. Open Lock screen (“Windows key + L” shortcut).

2. Access the Sign-in screen.

3. Click the Power button in the bottom-right corner.

4. Press and hold the “Shift” key and click the Restart button.

   

Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Command Prompt

To enter Advanced Startup (Windows Recovery Environment) with Command Prompt, follow these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command and press Enter:

   shutdown /r /o /f /t 00

   

After you complete the steps, Windows 11 will access the recovery environment.

Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Setup

If you cannot boot Windows 11, you can use a USB media to access the Windows Startup Settings. You will first need to create a bootable installation media and then follow these steps:

1. Start the PC with the Windows 11 USB flash drive.

2. Press any key to continue.

3. Choose the installation language and format.

   

4. Click the Next button.

5. Choose the keyboard and input method.

   

6. Click the Next button.

7. Select the “Repair my PC” option.

   

8. Click the Next button.

Once you complete the steps, the Windows 11 Setup will open the Advanced Startup environment.

Enter Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11 using Automatic Repair

If Windows 11 fails to start and you don’t have the operating system installation files, you can still access the recovery environment through the Automatic Repair feature.

To enter Windows Recovery Environment (Advanced Startup Options) from Automatic Repair on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Press the power button.

2. Immediately after the Power-On Self-Test (POST), and you see the blue Windows logo, press the power button again to shut down.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 twice. During the third restart, Windows 11 should enter the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE), where various diagnostics will be performed to resolve any booting issues, including Quick Machine Recovery.

   

4. Select your Windows 11 account.

5. Confirm the account password.

6. Click the Continue button.

7. Click the Advanced Startup button to continue. 

   

After you complete the steps, Windows 11 will open the Advanced Startup environment.

Using Advanced Startup (WinRE) on Windows 11

On the first “Advanced Startup” screen, select the Troubleshoot option. On the “Troubleshoot” page, you will find access to the “Reset this PC” feature to reinstall Windows 11 without losing your files, settings, and apps, or a clean install of the operating system.

You can access several troubleshooting features in the Advanced options screen, including “System Restore,” to restore the computer to a previously good working condition.

You can also access the “System Image Recovery” tool to recover Windows 11 with settings and programs from a previous system backup. Additionally, you can use “Startup Repair” to resolve common issues, such as bootloader problems.

While in the Advanced Startup options, you can open Command Prompt to troubleshoot different problems. 

The “Startup Settings” option enables you to boot into “Safe Mode” to repair issues with specific drivers or applications.

Finally, you can uninstall quality or feature updates if you installed one of them recently and it is causing problems. The “UEFI Firmware Settings” option enables access to the motherboard’s firmware settings.

If you use BitLocker, you must disable the feature before accessing the Advanced Startup options.

Update September 3, 2025: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.