Is Windows 10 Stuck in Tablet Mode? Full Solutions Are Here!

Overview of Tablet Mode in Windows 10

In the Windows 10 operating system, Microsoft offers a feature that allows users with touchscreen-enabled PCs to touch the screen instead of using a keyboard and mouse to use the machines. This feature is called Tablet Mode.

That is, if you enable this mode, you can interact with your PC using its touch screen, just like a tablet. In Tablet Mode, you can see large buttons, a back button is next to the Cortana button and app icons are gone (can be seen in Settings).

How to enable Tablet Mode? Go to Action Center and choose Tablet Mode. If you want to disable Tablet Mode in Windows 10 and go back to desktop mode, you can repeat the same operation.

Windows 10 Stuck in Tablet Mode

Tablet Mode is useful when you are using a Surface Pro or Surface Book since it can make Windows 10 mode user-friendly. However, your PC may get stuck on the mode and it is useless to try turning this feature off conventionally.

In most case, the issue is reported when installing a Windows update if Tablet Mode is enabled. Additionally, this problem can be caused in many other situations:

1. Notification button is flickering
2. Start Full Screen is enabled
3. Surface Pro devices enter a glitch-loop
4. Tablet Mode is being forced by a Registry key
5. System file gets corrupted

Fortunately, you can fix this issue. These fixes for laptop stuck in Tablet Mode will be given below.

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Solutions to Stuck in Windows 10 Tablet Mode

Method 1: Disable Tablet Mode via System Tab

If the Tablet Mode icon present inside the notification window is flickering, you cannot exit Tablet Mode in Windows 10 when the PC is stuck in this mode. This case is typically reported after installing a Windows update.

You can disable Tablet Mode via the Settings app by following the guide:

Step 1: Press these two keys – Win and R to open the Run box.

Step 2: Input ms-settings:tabletmode in the box and press Enter.

Step 3: In the Table mode window, choose Use desktop mode from the When I sign in section.

Step 4: After that, restart your computer and see if the PC can boot up directly to the desktop mode. If the PC still enters to Tablet Mode, go to another solution.

Method 2: Perform a Two-Button Restart

Some Surface Pro users reported that they could go back to desktop mode from stuck Tablet Mode after doing a two-button restart. Now, you can have a try by following these steps below:

Step 1: Press and hold the Power button on your Surface Pro 4 device for 30 seconds. Release the button immediately after a period.

Step 2: At the same time, press and hold the Volume up button and the Power button for at least 20 seconds.

Step 3: Wait at least 10 seconds after releasing two buttons.

Step 4: Turn on your device by pressing and releasing the Power button at once.

Step 5: The PC should boot to the desktop mode after completing the startup.

If this method isn’t suitable for your device, you can use another solution to fix Windows 10 stuck in Tablet Mode.

Method 3: Do a Full Shutdown

A full shutdown can sign out all users, close all your apps, and fully turn the PC off. And it can bypass hibernation, fast startup or other similar features. According to users, they said a full system shutdown could be helpful to fix the Windows 10 stuck in Tablet Mode issue.

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Step 1: In the Run interface, input cmd and click OK.

Step 2: Type shutdown /s /f /t 0 in the Command Prompt window and press Enter. Then, your device will shut down immediately.

After a few minutes, restart your PC to check if you easily turn off Tablet Mode.

Method 4: Disable Use Start Full Screen

Some users have reported that they resolved the issue of Windows 10 stuck in Tablet Mode and exited this mode after they disabled the Use Start full screen option.

How to get out of Tablet Mode in Windows 10 by this way? See the following quick guide:

Step 1: Launch the Run window and type ms-settings:personalization-start, press Enter to the Start setting. Alternatively, you can press the Win and I keys, and click Personalization > Start.

Step 2: Scroll down through the settings list, find the Use Start full screen option and disable the toggle to let it inactive.

After restarting your computer, see if the issue of Windows 10 Tablet Mode stuck is fixed. If this problem still exists, let’s move on to another method.

Method 5: Disable Tablet Mode Windows 10 via Windows Registry

If you couldn’t solve the issue of laptop stuck in Tablet Mode after trying the above methods, you still have a chance to get out of Tablet Mode. You can choose to change Windows Registry to exit Table Mode in Windows 10. This is proved to be effective.

How to get Windows 10 out of Tablet Mode via Registry? Follow the guide:

Step 1: Input regedit in the Run dialog box and press Enter to launch Registry Editor.

Step 2: Locate the following path:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell

Step 3: Double-click on the SignInMode entry, set Base to Hexadecimal and change the Value data to 1.

Step 4: Click OK.

Step 5: Double-click on TabletMode, set the Value data to 0 and set Base to Hexadecimal. Then, save the change.

Step 6: Reboot your machine and you can see if you have exited Tablet Mode. If the PC still goes to Tablet Mode, move to the next solution.

Method 6: Perform a System Restore

System Restore, a utility in the Windows operating system, can help you to restore the system to a state where everything can function normally. If you have a restore point, you can perform a system restore while you are bothered by the issue – Windows 10 stuck in Tablet Mode.

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Step 1: Input rstrui in the Run window before pressing Enter.

Step 2: Choose a restore point from the list and click Next.

Step 3: Confirm your restore point and click Finish. After clicking Yes, the PC will restart and go back to the previous state.

If the restore point you have created still fails to fix the issue of laptop stuck in Tablet Mode, perhaps your PC has something wrong at that time. How to get Windows 10 out of Tablet Mode? The only one you should do is to perform a repair or clean install.

Method 7: Perform a Repair/Clean Install

Reinstalling Windows can be realized by multiple ways and the common two methods are clean install and repair install.

The former can delete everything on your PC including personal files, settings, applications, Windows system files, etc. This is a destructive method. The latter can also reset all your Windows components but it doesn’t have an impact on your programs and personal data, which is a non-destructive method.

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Which method should be used? This depends on you.

If you want to perform a Windows repair installation, click Start > Settings > Update & Security. Under the Recovery tab, click Get started from the Reset this PC section. Then, click Keep my files and follow the on-screen instructions to finish PC resetting.

To make a clean install, you can prepare an installation disc of Windows 10 and boot the PC from it. Clean the system drive or the entire hard drive during the setup process. Then, continue to perform the installation by following the instructions on the screen.

If you need to make a clean install, you should first back up your important files with professional backup software – MiniTool ShadowMaker. It can be used in Windows 10/8/7 to back up files, folders, disks, partitions, and Windows system well. Now, get it from the following button for data backup.

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Step 1: Run this backup program for a local backup.

Step 2: Choose files that you want to back up and specify where you want to save the backup.

Step 3: Click Back up Now to start the file backup.

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Suggestion: Create a System Backup

After finishing fixing the issue of stuck in Windows 10 Tablet Mode and returning to the desktop mode, you should create a system backup so that you can restore the PC to a normal state in case system goes wrong again. This is our suggestion.

To do this work, you can also ask MiniTool ShadowMaker for help. As mentioned above, we have said this backup software supports file backup, disk/partition backup, and system backup. Incremental, differential backup and automatic backup are also supported.

So, download this excellent backup software now for a trial (30-day free use).

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Step 1: Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker, keep using the Trial Edition and choose the Local section.

Step 2: By default, this freeware chooses all the system partitions as the backup source. You need to choose a destination path – a USB drive, external hard drive, etc.

Step 3: Start the system backup by clicking Back up Now.

Bottom Line

Is Windows 10 stuck in Tablet Mode? How to turn off Tablet Mode? After trying these methods mentioned in this post, you can easily get Windows 10 out of Tablet Mode and go back to the desktop mode.

On the other hand, we will be appreciated if you tell us when you have any suggestion or question. You can choose to write your idea in an email and send to [email protected] or leave a comment in the following part.

Windows 10 Stuck in Tablet Mode FAQ