Top 5 Ways to Fix Windows 10 Stuck on Welcome Screen

It is common for Windows computers to get stuck during use or at either end of the power spectrum – startup and shutdown. Previously, we have prepared a detailed guide on how to fix PC stuck on shutdown screen. In this article, we’ll cover some proven troubleshooting ideas to fix a Windows 10 computer that won’t go past the Start or Sign-in screen after booting.

A quick way to fix this problem is to force shutdown your PC by holding the power button until it turns off. Turn it back on and check if you can now connect. If the affected PC has a removable battery, disconnect the battery and reconnect it. If this also does not give a positive result, proceed to the solutions below.

1. Unplug external devices

External devices such as mouse, keyboard, USB sticks, etc. may interfere with the startup process of your Windows 10 computer. If there is an external device connected to your PC, remove it from the port (s) and restart your computer. Now check if you can get past the welcome screen when the PC turns back on.

2. Disconnect the PC from the Internet

There are both simple and complex ways to fix Windows 10 PC stuck on Start or Sign in screen. Another simple solution is to disconnect the device from the Internet. Note, the effectiveness of this solution depends on two premises:

1. That your PC is connected (automatically) to an Internet connection at startup.
2. You can move the cursor.

If both of these conditions are met, continue with the steps below. Otherwise, restart your PC until you can move the cursor or use an external mouse. You can also review other troubleshooting methods.

Step 1: On the Home or Sign In screen, tap the Wi-Fi or Ethernet icon in the lower right corner of the screen.

2nd step: Select the wireless network to which your PC is connected and press Disconnect.

Check if you can sign in to your profile from the home screen. If your PC is still stuck on the welcome screen, repeat step 1 and tap the airplane icon to put your PC in airplane mode. Restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved.

For a wired Internet connection, unplug the Ethernet cable from the Ethernet port on your PC.

3. Run the Windows Startup Repair Tool

Some weird software glitches can also cause your Windows 10 PC to freeze on the welcome screen. This is where the Windows Startup Repair Tool comes in. It checks for missing or corrupted files and configuration settings that are preventing your PC from starting properly.

Follow the steps below to run the Windows Startup Repair Tool from the Welcome screen.

Step 1: Tap the power icon in the lower right corner of the Home screen.

2nd step: Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and press Restart.

This will restart your PC in the Advanced Recovery Options menu.

Step 3: Select Troubleshoot.

Step 4: Then select Advanced options.

Step 5: Select Startup Repair. On some versions of Windows 10, the option is titled Automatic Repair.

Your computer will restart and it will provide prompts to help you with the repair process.

Step 6: Select an account to repair.

Step 7: Enter your password and click the Continue button to continue.

If your computer is not password protected, leave the password dialog box blank and tap Continue.

The Startup Repair Tool will diagnose your computer and remove any errors that cause your PC to hang on the Welcome screen.

4. Use the command prompt

You can also use Bootrec commands to troubleshoot and resolve startup issues on your Windows 10 computer. Restart your PC in the Advanced Recovery Environment (see Step 1 – Step 3 above) and follow the steps below.

Step 1: Select Command Prompt.

2nd step: Enter the following commands (separately) and press the Enter button after each command.

bootrec /fixmbr

bootrec /fixboot

bootrec /scanos

bootrec /rebuildbcd

These commands rebuild your PC’s boot configuration data and remove corrupt files that cause boot problems. The console may take a few minutes to complete each command. Let each take its course before grabbing another.

Finally, you also need to run the commands below individually.

sfc /scannow

chkdsk c: /f /r/

The first command will run the Check Disk Utility (CHKDSK), which scans your PC’s disk for errors, bad sectors and fixes them. The second command will run the System File Checker (SFC) and replace any corrupt or missing system files with cached copies.

5. Perform system restore

Your computer may get stuck on the Welcome screen if you recently installed a corrupt or incompatible application, operating system update, or driver. You can resolve this issue by restoring your computer to a previously created backup point using the Advanced Recovery menu. Start your computer in the advanced recovery environment and select System Restore.

Follow the instructions on the System Restore page to complete the process; it is quite simple. You will receive an error message like the one below if you have created a restore point on your disk.