How to Disable Windows Automatic Restart on System Failure

Stop the auto restart after a BSOD in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP

By
Tim Fisher
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Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Updated on July 21, 2023
Windows

What to Know

  • Go to Control Panel and select System and Security > System > Advanced system settings.
  • In the Startup and Recovery section, choose Settings.
  • Uncheck the box next to Automatically restart.

This article describes how to disable Windows' automatic restart on system failure, which gives you time to note the error so you can troubleshoot. The process below is similar across all versions of Windows, although it might vary slightly among them.

How to Stop Automatic Restart on Windows System Failure

You can disable the automatic restart on system failure option in the Startup and Recovery area of System Properties, accessible via Control Panel.

  1. Open Control Panel. In newer versions of Windows, the quickest way is to search for control from the Start menu or Run dialog box.

    Control Panel in Start menu for Windows 11

    If you're using Windows 7 or before, go to Start > Control Panel.

    If you're unable to boot into Windows 7 following a BSOD, you can disable auto restart from outside the system via the Advanced Boot Options menu.

  2. In Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7, select System and Security.

    System and Security icon in Control Panel for Windows 11

    In Windows Vista, choose System and Maintenance.

    In Windows XP, select Performance and Maintenance.

    If you don't see this option because you're viewing Control Panel applets by their icon, open System instead, and then skip down to Step 4.

  3. Choose the System link.

    System link in System and Security for Windows 11 Control Panel

  4. Select Advanced system settings from the panel on the left of the screen (Windows 11 shows this link on the right).

    Advanced system settings link in Windows 11 settings

    Windows XP only: Open the Advanced tab of System Properties.

    A much quicker way to reach System Properties is with the sysdm.cpl command. Enter it in a Command Prompt window or the Run dialog box.

  5. In the Startup and Recovery section near the bottom of the new window, choose Settings.

    Settings button in System Properties window

  6. Select the box next to Automatically restart to remove its check mark.

    Automatically restart checkbox

  7. Select OK to save the changes, and then OK again on the System Properties window.

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