How to Fix Your PC Did Not Start Correctly Message in Windows 11

You press the power button, expect your PC to boot into Windows, but instead, you’re greeted with a blue recovery screen saying: “Your PC did not start correctly.”

This message usually appears when Windows 11 fails to boot properly after a system crash, incomplete update, driver issue, or corrupted startup file. The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to reinstall Windows — there are several reliable ways to get your PC back up and running.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through step-by-step methods to fix the “Your PC did not start correctly” error in Windows 11.

Fix Your PC Did Not Start Correctly Message

Before you begin, make sure you have administrator access and, if possible, a stable internet connection. Some of these fixes also benefit from having a bootable Windows 11 installation USB or recovery drive in case the system won’t start at all.

Tip: If your PC automatically boots into the “Automatic Repair” or “Recovery” screen, you can perform most of these steps right from there.

Step 1: Restart Your Computer (Yes, Really)

Sometimes, the “Your PC did not start correctly” message is triggered by a one-time startup glitch.

1. On the recovery screen, click Restart.
2. Wait for Windows to attempt booting normally again.

If the system successfully boots, you can stop here. If the error reappears, continue with the following fixes.

Step 2: Boot Into Safe Mode

Safe Mode loads Windows with only essential drivers and services, making it easier to identify the root cause of the problem.

1. When you see the “Your PC did not start correctly” message, click Advanced options.
2. Select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
3. When your PC restarts, press 4 (or F4) to boot into Safe Mode.

Once in Safe Mode, observe your system. If it boots successfully, a third-party driver, startup program, or recent update might be causing the issue.

You can now uninstall recent drivers or updates from Control Panel → Programs → View installed updates, or disable problematic startup apps using Task Manager.

Step 3: Use Startup Repair

Windows 11 includes a built-in recovery utility that can fix most startup problems automatically.

1. On the “Your PC did not start correctly” screen, click Advanced options → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Repair.
2. Choose your user account and enter your password if prompted.
3. Windows will now scan your system for boot-related issues and attempt to repair them automatically.

If the repair completes successfully, restart your PC to see if it boots normally.

Step 4: Run System File Checker (SFC) and DISM

Corrupted or missing system files are one of the most common causes of boot failures in Windows. You can repair them using the SFC and DISM tools from the recovery environment.

1. On the Advanced options screen, choose Command Prompt.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one at a time and press Enter after each: sfc /scannow Once complete, run: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
3. Wait for both scans to finish, then close the Command Prompt window and restart your computer.

If corrupted system files were the cause, your PC should now start normally.

Step 5: Rebuild the Boot Configuration Data (BCD)

If Windows can’t locate or load the boot files, you’ll often see the “Your PC did not start correctly” error. Rebuilding the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) can fix this.

1. From the Advanced options screen, open Command Prompt.
2. Run the following commands one by one: bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /scanos bootrec /rebuildbcd
3. After these commands finish, type exit and press Enter.
4. Restart your computer.

This will repair or recreate the system’s boot records, which often resolves startup failures.

Step 6: Check for Disk Errors

If your system drive has bad sectors or file system errors, Windows may fail to start properly. You can check and repair the disk using the chkdsk utility.

1. Open Command Prompt from the recovery menu.
2. Type the following command and press Enter: chkdsk C: /f /r
3. If asked to schedule a scan at next boot, type Y and press Enter.
4. Restart your PC.

This will scan for and fix disk errors that may have caused the boot failure.

Step 7: Uninstall Recent Windows Updates

Sometimes a new Windows update can introduce conflicts that prevent startup. If your PC started failing to boot after a recent update, uninstalling it can help.

1. On the Advanced options screen, click Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Uninstall Updates.
2. Choose Uninstall the latest quality update or Uninstall the latest feature update depending on which was installed last.
3. Follow the prompts and restart your PC.

After uninstalling, Windows will roll back to the previous stable build.

Step 8: Perform a System Restore

If your PC was working fine recently, a System Restore can roll it back to a previous configuration without affecting your personal files.

1. Go to Advanced options → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → System Restore.
2. Choose your user account and enter your password.
3. Select a restore point dated before the issue started.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the restoration.

Afterward, restart your PC. In most cases, System Restore resolves startup-related issues quickly.

Step 9: Disable Automatic Repair (Optional)

If the error keeps looping into the “Automatic Repair” screen, you can disable automatic repair temporarily to boot manually and troubleshoot further.

1. Boot into Command Prompt from the Advanced options menu.
2. Type this command and press Enter: bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No
3. Restart your PC.

This prevents Windows from automatically launching repair mode every time. Once fixed, you can re-enable it by running the same command and changing No to Yes.

Step 10: Perform a Startup Reset or Repair Installation

If none of the previous steps work, you may need to perform a repair install of Windows 11. This keeps your files intact while reinstalling the core operating system.

1. Boot using a Windows 11 installation USB drive.
2. Choose your language and click Next.
3. Select Repair your computer → Troubleshoot → Reset this PC.
4. Choose Keep my files and follow the prompts.

This will reinstall Windows while preserving your personal data. After the reset, your PC should boot normally again.

Wrapping Up

The “Your PC did not start correctly” message in Windows 11 can look intimidating, but it usually points to a boot configuration or system file issue — both of which are fixable.

Start with the basic options like restarting and running Startup Repair, then move on to rebuilding the BCD or restoring from a previous point if needed. For severe corruption, a repair install usually restores full functionality without data loss.

Once your system is working again, consider creating a recovery drive and setting up regular restore points. That way, if Windows stumbles again, you’ll have a fast path back to normal.