5 Ways to Fix Windows 11 Stuck on Restarting Screen

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Try Basic Fixes

Fix 1: Boot Windows Into Safe Mode

If your PC is still stuck on restarting and you can’t access Windows in normal mode, trybooting it into Safe Mode. Here’s how:

Step 1:Press and hold the physicalpower buttonuntil your PC shuts down. Wait for a minute or two before turning it back on.

Step 2:As your PC starts booting, press and hold thepower buttonfor a few seconds until your PC restarts. Repeat this process to interrupt the boot process three times. On the fourth occasion, when Windows greets you with the Automatic Repair screen, selectAdvanced options.

Step 3:Go toTroubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings.

Step 4:HitRestartto access the Startup Settings menu.

Step 5:Press4orF4on your keyboard to restart your PC in Safe Mode.

After booting your PC in Safe Mode, continue with the following solutions to fix the underlying issue.

Fix 2: Uninstall Recent Windows Updates

Is your Windows 11 PC taking too long to restart after an update? If so, you can try uninstalling the recent update to see if that helps.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Ito open the Settings app and head toWindows Update > Update history.

Step 2:Click theUninstalloption next to the recently installed update.

Fix 3: Empty the Software Distribution Folder

Windows stores all update files in the SoftwareDistrubution folder before installing them. If those files have become inaccessible for some reason, you can try deleting them to fix the issue.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Rto open the Run dialog box. TypeC:\Windows\SoftwareDistributionin the text field and pressEnter.

Step 2:Select all files in theSoftware Distribution folderand click thetrash iconto delete them.

Fix 4: Run Startup Repair

Running the Startup Repair tool on Windows effectively addresses issues causing your Windows 11 PC to get stuck while restarting during an update. So, use these steps to run the Startup Repair tool if the issue remains.

Step 1:Open theStart menu> click thepower icon> hold down theShiftkey > selectRestart.

Step 2:Wait for your PC to boot into the Windows Recovery Environment and click onTroubleshoot.

Step 3:Go toAdvanced options> selectStart-up Repair.

Follow the on-screen prompts to run Startup Repair and see if that solves the problem.

Fix 5: Run the SFC Scan

Corrupt or missing system files can also hamper the Windows boot process andprevent it from shutting down. To fix issues with your PC’s system files, you can try running the SFC (System File Checker) scan. Here’s how to use it.

Step 1:Right-click on theStart iconand selectTerminal (Admin)from the resulting menu.

Step 2:Type the command mentioned below and pressEnter.

Try restarting your PC after the scan is complete and check if the issue persists.

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Last updated on 31 July, 2024

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