How to enable or disable automatic repair on Windows 11 and 10

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You can prevent Windows' self-repair mechanism from running automatically. In this guide, I will show you how.

Windows 11 automatic repair settings
Windows 11 automatic repair settings (Image credit: Future)
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On Windows 11 (and 10), automatic repair is a feature designed to troubleshoot and fix common problems preventing your computer from loading correctly.

If your device fails to start two consecutive times during the third boot, the self-repair mechanism will trigger, and the system will run several diagnostic tests to detect and repair common startup problems.

However, if you would instead troubleshoot and fix startup problems manually or the automatic repair is causing unexpected loops, it's possible to turn off the feature on Windows 10 (and on Windows 11).

In this how-to guide, we walk you through the steps to turn off automatic diagnosis and repair in the operating system. In addition, if the automatic repair was previously disabled, or you want to revert the changes, I will also outline the steps to re-enable the feature.

How to disable automatic repair

To disable automatic repair during the third unsuccessful boot of Windows 11 or 10, use 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: bcdedit
  4. Confirm the "reoveryenabled" and "identifier" values under the "Windows Boot Loader" section are set to "{current}" and "yes."

(Image credit: Future)
  1. Type the following command to disable automatic repair and press Enter: bcdedit /set {current} recoveryenabled no

In the command, I'm using "{current}" to specify the target operating system option in the boot loader and the no value to disable the automatic repair.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Once you complete these steps, the diagnostic and repair feature will no longer run automatically after the third unsuccessful boot of your computer.

How to enable automatic repair

If the automatic repair feature is disabled, you can use these steps to re-enable it:

  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: bcdedit
  4. Confirm the "reoveryenabled" and "identifier" values under the "Windows Boot Loader" section are set to "{current}" and "no."

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Type the following command to enable automatic repair and press Enter: bcdedit /set {current} recoveryenabled yes

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

In the command, I'm using "{current}" to specify the target operating system option in the boot loader and the "yes" value to enable automatic repair again.

After completing these steps, if the device is having problems, the system will proceed to diagnose the issue, and it'll try to repair common problems that may prevent Windows 11 (or 10) from loading correctly.

More resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources: 

Mauro Huculak
Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.