Windows Stuck on Please Wait Screen? How to Fix It Easily

Quick Answer

If your Windows PC is stuck on the “Please Wait” screen, restart your computer and disconnect unnecessary devices. If the issue persists, boot into Safe Mode and use Startup Repair, repair corrupted system files, or utilize System Restore.

Why Is Windows Stuck on Please Wait screen?

Windows 11/10 stuck on Please Wait screen when it cannot complete startup processes. This can be triggered by various reasons.

What to Do Before Fixing Windows Stuck on Please Wait

Here are some basic checks to perform before attempting any advanced fixes:

• Verify whether any external USB devices are connected, as they might interfere with the startup process.
• Allow 10 to 30 minutes if Windows appears to be processing updates.
• Examine the disk activity to determine if the system is currently installing updates.
• Refrain from force restarting the computer unless it is completely frozen.

If the issue persists after these checks, you can proceed with the fixes listed below.

How to Fix Windows Stuck on Please Wait Screen

Users on forums like Reddit and Microsoft recommend solutions for Windows Update stuck on Please Wait. If you’re facing this on Windows 10 or 11, check out these tips.

Fix 1. Disconnect External Devices and Restart Your PC

Sometimes, connected devices such as USB drives, printers, or external hard drives can prevent Windows from starting normally.

1. Turn off your computer.
2. Disconnect unnecessary external devices.
3. Restart your PC.

If Windows starts normally, reconnect your devices one by one to identify the problematic hardware.

Fix 2. Boot Windows into Safe Mode

Safe Mode starts Windows with only essential drivers and services, helping resolve driver or software conflicts. If your system is stuck on the Please Wait screen, you can’t access the desktop normally. In this case, boot into Safe Mode to troubleshoot and fix the issue.

1. Enter Windows Recovery Environment.
2. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings.
3. Click Restart.
4. Press F4/F5/F6 to enter Safe Mode.

In Safe Mode, you can safely apply the following fixes.

Fix 3. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter (Safe Mode Recommended)

If you meet this situation – Windows 10 upgrade stuck on please wait, you can choose to run a troubleshooter in the system for troubleshooting.

Step 1: Open the Settings app via the key combination – Win & I and click Update & Security.

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Step 2: Under the Troubleshoot tab, locate Windows Update and click on the Run the troubleshooter button. This troubleshooter starts detecting problems and if some are found, follow the on-screen instructions to fix them.

Fix 4. Install Pending Windows Updates (Safe Mode Recommended)

Incomplete updates may cause Windows to freeze on the Please Wait screen.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Windows Update.
3. Check for available updates.
4. Install pending updates and restart your PC.

Fix 5. Disable Problematic Windows Services (Safe Mode Recommended)

In Safe Mode, you can try to turn off some Windows services like Windows Error Reporting Service, Network List Service, and Network Location Awareness. See how to do the task:

Step 1: Right-click on the Windows icon and choose Run.

Step 2: Type services.msc into the text box and press Enter to open the Services window.

Step 3: Locate the services mentioned above one by one and double-click on one to open the Properties window. If the service is running, stop it and then change Startup type to Disabled.

Step 5: Save the changes by clicking Apply and then OK. Then, restart your PC to see if the issue of Windows stuck on please wait is resolved. If not, go on troubleshooting.

Fix 6. Run SFC, DISM, and CHKDSK Scan (Safe Mode Recommended)

Corrupted or damaged Windows system files could get Windows 10 stuck on please wait. To get rid of the stuck screen from Windows 10/11, you can perform some scans like SFC and DISM in Safe Mode.

Step 1: Type cmd into the search box, locate Command Prompt, and right-click on it to choose Run as administrator.

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Step 2: In the CMD window, input sfc /scannow and press Enter.

After an SFC scan, you can try to perform a DISM scan. DISM, short for Deployment Image Servicing and Management, is used to service and prepare Windows images. If images are damaged, system issues like Windows stuck on please wait can appear. To get rid of this screen, perform a scan.

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt window.

Step 2: Execute the following commands one by one and press Enter after each command.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

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Besides, if there is something wrong with the file system or disk errors appear, the issue – Windows 11/Windows 10 stuck on please wait may be triggered and you can perform a CHKDSK scan. In the CMD window, type chkdsk /f /r and press Enter.

Fix 7. Run Startup Repair

Startup Repair can automatically fix problems preventing Windows from loading.

1. Enter Windows Recovery Environment.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Fix 8. Use System Restore

System Restore can revert Windows to a working state. If the issue started after installing updates, drivers, or software, try this fix to return Windows to a previous working state.

Step 1. Open Windows Recovery Environment.

Step 2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.

Step 3. Choose a restore point and confirm restoration.

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Fix 9. Reset This PC

If all of these ways fail to fix Windows stuck on please wait, the last resort is to reset your PC. This operation can help to reinstall Windows and fix many issues.

PC Backup Before You Do

Before PC resetting, you had better create a backup for your important files, especially data saved on the Desktop although you choose to keep your files during the process since files may get lost due to potential errors.

To back up your critical files, you can use the professional and free backup software – MiniTool ShadowMaker. It is designed to back up files, folders, the operating system, disks, and partitions within simple steps. It allows you to create a bootable USB drive or external drive to boot the PC once it fails to start up and then perform data backup and system recovery.

When your computer gets stuck on the please wait screen in Windows 10/11, you need to get MiniTool ShadowMaker Bootable Edition – download & install Trial Edition and use Media Builder to get the bootable drive, boot the PC from it and then enter the main interface of this software.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: After MiniTool ShadowMaker Bootable Edition opens, go to the Backup page.

Step 2: In Backup, click SOURCE to find the items you want to back up and click DESTINATION to choose an external hard drive or another device as the storage path.

Step 3: Click Back Up Now to start the data backup.

After file backup, start resetting your PC.

How to Reset PC

Step 1: In WinRE, go to Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.

Step 2: Choose Keep my files or Remove everything.

Step 3: Click Cloud download or Local reinstall.

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Step 4: Follow the wizards on the screen to finish the resetting operation.

“After trying these solutions here, you can easily solve the issue of Windows stuck on please wait. You can share them with those persons who also have the same issue. Twitter is a good option.”Click to Tweet

Back up Windows

After reading so much information, you can find it troublesome to fix your system issues. You will spend much time on that thing. If you are not familiar with the Windows operating system, you may be confused and don’t know what to do although you follow the given guide. Thus, we strongly recommend you to back up your Windows when it is in a normal state.

Once something gets Windows 10 stuck on please wait, you can use the created backup to directly restore the PC to the previous state. To do this work, you can also use MiniTool ShadowMaker Trial Edition.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Launch this software and click Keep Trial to continue.

Step 2: Go to the Backup page, system partitions are selected as the backup source and a path is also selected. To create a system image, you should choose another disk to save the backup image.

Step 3: Click Back Up Now to execute the system backup.

Further Reading: Remote Desktop Stuck on Please Wait Windows 10

According to users, another situation – Remote Desktop may get stuck on please wait when remotely accessing your work computer on your home PC (both use Windows 10). What should you do in this case? Some methods can be tried.

1. Update to the Latest Windows Version on the Client PC: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Check for updates and download & install available updates.

2. Run Windows PowerShell and execute the command:

Command Line:

$ID=query session /SERVER:WSMC027|select -skip 1|%{$_.Split(‘ ‘,[System.StringSplitOptions]::RemoveEmptyEntries)}

Disconnect-RDUser -HostServer WSMC027 -UnifiedSessionID $ID[8] -Force

exit 0

3. Run CMD with admin rights and execute the command – taskkill /f /im msrdc.exe. Then, restart the PC.

4. Perform a clean boot (Related article: How to Clean Boot Windows 10 and Why You Need to Do So)

How to Prevent Windows from Getting Stuck on Please Wait Again

To prevent Windows from getting stuck on Please Wait screen again, follow these steps:

• Keep Windows and drivers updated
• Avoid interrupting Windows updates
• Regularly check disk health
• Avoid installing unknown or incompatible software
• Remove unnecessary startup programs
• Keep enough free disk space for system operations
• Create system restore points or backups

Windows Stuck on Please Wait Screen FAQ

Conclusion

Windows stuck on the Please Wait screen is usually caused by update failures, corrupted system files, or startup conflicts. Start with basic checks like disconnecting external devices, then move to Safe Mode and apply repair tools such as SFC, DISM, Startup Repair, or System Restore.

Additionally, we strongly recommend that you back up your Windows when it is in a normal state. If you have any ideas or encounter any issues while using MiniTool software, contact [email protected].