If you have been using Windows for a long time, I am sure you know the advanced recovery mode. A blue screen that provides options for troubleshooting, recovery, recovery, command line option, etc. This is the screen that Microsoft calls Windows RE where Windows Recovery Environment. In this guide, we will share more about Windows RE and how to boot into the Windows Recovery Environment.
What is Windows RE
Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is a companion operating system installed with Windows 11/10, in a separate section. It can help us troubleshoot, recover, or boot from external media, such as a USB drive. Windows RE can fix common problems that cause the operating system not to boot. Microsoft has also allowed the IT administrator to customize it. They can add additional drivers, languages, and diagnostic tools, and they can also include parts of Windows PE (Windows Preinstallation Environment). It is available on all Windows 10 and Windows Server installations.
Windows RE comes preinstalled with the operating system, so you don’t need to create a bootable USB or ISO while troubleshooting.
Since Windows RE is preinstalled in Windows 11/10, you can boot into it. There are several ways to do this.
- If you are stuck at the login screen, click the Power off button, then choose Restart while holding down the Shift key.
- In Windows 10, go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > under Advanced startup, click Restart now.
- You can use recovery media to boot into Windows RE.
- He runs
reagentc /boottoreAt an elevated command prompt and restart the machine to boot into WinRE. - He runs
shutdown /r /oAt an elevated command prompt and restart the machine to boot into WinRE instead of Windows 10.
Some OEMs offer a hard recovery button or combination to boot directly into Windows RE. This comes in handy when you are facing a BSOD issue and you don’t have recovery media available.
After following one of these steps, you will have two options in the boot menu. The first is to boot into Windows RE, and the second is to boot normally into Windows.
In Windows 10, the local copy of Windows RE receives an update as part of operating system updates. Usually, a newer version of the Windows RE image replaces the current one.
Read: The recovery environment could not be found in Windows 10.
Windows RE can be started in an emergency situation:
There are specific scenarios in which the boot process can identify a problem. When that happens, it will boot your computer directly into Windows RE. they:
- Two consecutive failed attempts to start Windows.
- When the computer suddenly shuts down more than twice and within two minutes of the boot process.
- Safe boot error.
- BitLocker error on touch devices only.
These tips should help you get started in the Windows recovery environment.
What can Windows RE do?
- Automatic repair and general troubleshooting.
- Troubleshoot startup or startup problems
- Reset Windows 10 completely for desktop versions
- System image recovery for Windows Server 2016, Server 2012 R2, and Server 2012 only.
- And more!
Here you will see options like:
- System Restore: Useful if you want to restore your Windows 10 PC.
- System Image Restore: This allows you to restore Windows using a system image file.
- Startup Repair: Startup Repair
- Command Prompt: With CMD, you can access more advanced Windows built-in tools like SFC, DISM, ChkDsk, and Regedit. Gpedit, etc.
- Startup Settings: Allows you to change Windows startup options
- Uninstall updates: This allows you to uninstall problematic updates
- UEFI Firmware Settings
- Go back to the previous version.
Can I delete the Windows RE Tools partition?
If you open the Disk Management tool, you may see a file Windows RE . Tools to divide. This is the Windows recovery environment and you should not remove it because you never know when you will need it.
See this article if Windows RE is not working as expected and you receive the message The recovery environment cannot be found in Windows 11/10.
Related: How to access and use advanced startup options in Windows.
