Hi Brian, I work with a lot of seniors and S mode certainly has its place. Although, Google is something we teach and recommend they use, and as you know, it’s not available in S mode. Good old Microsoft.
Definitely not! Why do they have to keep messing with things? We’re not all computer wizards and I’m losing the will to even bother with computers now 😵💫🤯
If this doesn't work, try disabling Secure Boot in BIOS/UEFI. That fixed it for me. When I logged back into windows S-mode was disabled. I tried following the steps in this video but SkuPolicyRequired was already set at 0.
Windows S Mode should actually be an account option (Whereby the user can switch to if they so desire) rather than the current situation of it being a system wide requirement.
If you are attempting this on a hp and can't access the C: drive - this is what i did and it fixed it 1. reset the laptop 2. during the installation process when you would usually sign-in to your microsoft account - press Win + R (spam it if you have to) 3. when the dialogue box comes up type: "ms-settings:" this will open the normal settings 4. in settings go to recovery options > advanced startup and select restart now 5. once it restarts it will bring you back to the blue screen @3:23 follow the video from there and all should be good! hope this helped!
S Mode: the "security and performance version" of Windows - in Microsoft "speak." Or, in plain language, an attempt by Microsoft to restrict users to their own products..... I knew S Mode existed in the US but it's difficult to believe that the UK and EU would allow MS to do this in Europe....
very helpful and straight to the point. thank you troubleshoot option wasn't there, i used Hiren's BootCD PE and load the command prompts from there and followed your instructions. worked perfectly for me.
This didn't work for my Windows 11 22H2 Lenovo OEM install by itself. I had to disable Secure Boot by using the same recovery option (or use the BIOS key) to access UEFI and turning it off there. Once booted into Windows and verifying that S mode is off in the Activation screen, you can repeat the same steps and turn on Secure Boot on and S Mode will remain off.
it's funny how nobody actually asked for the "S" mode and winderz decided to install it anyways. sad thing is folks will see nothing wrong with it and never even question the company
Thank you!!! I tried soo many different things and it was locked down so far it wouldn't let me do anything. I followed the steps you showed about going into the files, and it actually worked! Every time I would try something new and then go to the Microsoft store to switch out I kept getting an error message that said try again. But this worked.
Tried but didn’t work. Checked again in registry and it said it equals 0 but still no joy( yes I was in the correct c drive registry). Does it make a difference if your connected to the internet or not.
I must say that this is the only method that worked. The Microsoft Store refused to update even after fully updating the latop and the BIOS/UEFI method did nothing. This method worked preety well
Hi Brian, Just tried this on a new win 11 laptop 22H2 and it won't unlock from S Mode. Perhapps MS has changed something again. Thanks for the great videos. Keep up the good work.
@Richard Hart I have been trying to disable Windows 11 s mode on a new Lenovo. Can you re-enable SB after going through the steps to switch off s mode or would that mean you go back to s mode when you turn on SB?
Just put in your information Microsoft will unlock it for you now you cannot go back to s mode but least you will be locked into getting other apps on to Windows 11.
normal i can pass it when i start up some laptops afhter choosing the keyboard layout with shift F10 ore shift+fn+F10 and then oobe\bypassnro but with the s mode i dont have that option, so i need to get it off before starting up you know how ? otherwise i need to login with some test account then remove s mode then make the client account and remove the test account to much assel to start a pc up
My PC will not even allow me to download the Switch out of S Mode option from the Microsoft Store let alone follow your guidelines to remove it, Brian. I just don’t know what to do next. 🤯
This only works on some revisions of Windows. Just last week I was setting up a brand new Lenovo laptop and found it was in "S" mode (Sucker Mode). I honestly don't see how an OEM can sell someone a PC that is already in S mode. This should be illegal as it is definitely an anti-trust issue. If companies what to keep their employees from accessing functions and software that's fine, but to sell a consumer a laptop that is in S mode should be illegal unless the customer specifically asks for it. I tried this method but it did not work. I tried another, simpler method that did work, simply go into the BIOS and shut off Secure Boot. I was surprised this worked, but apparently it also only works for certain revisions. The best advice is to get your revision, and then do a google search for how to shut off Sucker Mode in that particular revision.
If this doesnt work for you, you probably need to disable secureboot. Go to the BIOS settings. If secureboot can not be disabled from the BIOS, then set an admin password in BIOS. Then disable secureboot. Hit F10 to save and quit. Afterwards, your edits to the registry should function as normal. Secureboot can then be renabled for the added security, windows S mode will not re-activate.
Tried the microsoft store method, didn't work. Followed the regedit method... STILL didn't work. Even went back in afterwards to make sure, and the "SkuPolicyRequired" value data was indeed saved as 0. I'm just stuck in safemode hell with this laptop I guess.
I had a lot of issues at work getting someone out of S mode. They bought a cheap laptop that we didn't approve that had S mode and when I tried to do a version update it went to windows 10 pro (S mode) the edition upgraded but the S mode remained. This was in windows 11.
did not work for me either ... tried both offline and online, neither worked. 3rd time; after loading the hive the reg key was already at 0 and when rebooting, still in S mode.
actually, reinstalling different version of windows while windows that are installed on the pc are in S mode, doesn't get you out of S mode. i had a batch of Lenovo tablets at work that came with win 10 home in S mode (i didn't know that they are in S mode) , we were gonna put win 10 ltsc version of windows on them, but i made a mistake of booting up one of them into windows that came on them. i installed windows 10 ltsc on that tablet and they were still in S mode
I am having an issue where my Acer Laptop wont show me the C drive. Is there a way to have it show me the drive? It does this when I partition the OS on the drive aswell. I have to Load A file to have it display it to me.
I had an issue where I was installing Windows 10 on a laptop with Windows 11S. I tried multiple installs in the end I disabled TPM check and secure boot. Now it's on regular windows.
Like a few others, I tried this and it did not work. (Yes, I checked that the policy had actually been set to zero using the same method again.) But then I disabled secure boot, and S mode was gone!
Linux Mint, has WINE which allows running MS apps on a virtusl C drive. apps have desktop icons and menu. as MS.. Linux is downloaded as an ISO which is then put on a DVD or Thumb drive, you csn boot off these and play with this as a live session not installed or touching the HD.
I wish there was a way to turn S Mode back on. I'd like to be able to set up computers for the elderly or for those who are technically challenged and that way it would cut down on the support calls for malware and otehr things.
If you have people with poor computer understanding who need to order groceries & Amazon etc on their PC, they will get glassy eyed if you try toexplain all the threats out there. S mode is very helpful for them. It doesn't cut down on much they would do.
i dunno on my friends laptop that has gray get nit win s mode, so i cant get out of S mode on microsoft store, and i done this thing 2 times, even checked and followed every step exatly, but my friends laptop is still in s mode
Used the Microsoft store approach to disable S Mode and ended up with a system that perpetually kept me disconnected from WiFi. First time I've ever returned a computer. ☹
I do prefer getting firefox from the store rather than the old method as it insures you always have the latest updates even when the browser is not running which is what it should have done in the first place, firefox has to be open for it to check for updates normally so this is a big plus for the windows store version
my windows already had that policy value set to 0, but s mode is still present, and i cannot do the regular method because the laptop i installed windows in doesnt have the network drivers for wifi, which i cannot install because windows wont run unapproved apps. Ive been trying to make this work for more than a week and im close to crying now...
Maybe you could try using an Ethernet Cable which is far better than WiFi, from your router to your PC to get internet access and then you don't need WiFi except maybe for your phone, I do not use WiFi for my PC and you'll get much faster internet speed
@@christop_bader the laptop is a slim model without ethernet port. I was thinking about using my phone as a hotspot through usb thetering as a workaround
It's time for someone to write a utility program which will enable the switching on and off of windows s mode without an internet connection. Sold to technicians and administrators. Or maybe provide it free.
still works :D on my case i had to disable secure boot - use the windows folder that was on my D drive which i had windows installed on C drive but did it anyway and it got me out of S mode
here is how i did it. i tried everything on youtube but nothing worked. you need to reset the pc or laptop completely after that continue with instalation. then when asked to sign in just click i have no account and enter a name just name then click next, later on you need internet connection sign in but do not click connect automatically, after accept the extra options like location and diagnostics all of them when done installing do not do anything except going straight to the microsoft store from the start menu and nothing else go to switch s mode and select get. it will ask to sign in your ms account then sign in but only then. after that it either you will get error message because you would get disconnected (reconnect internet_ )and try again that is how it worked for me I believe there is something wrong with newer version of the store. if you try to download anything and run it it would start ms store update and run it newer version of crap store. i hope this will help
They must have updated the system to where this method does not work. After step two in this it looks completely different. But it had a way to type in the word recovery, then that's where it absolutely stopped. No options from there.
The method did not work for me . However I disable secure boot and shut down the laptop , remember you should login with Microsoft account before this method because when you restart your pc it will ask for device ID , you will login to your registered account and see the device id and put in it. When your computer is ready you will be out of S mode . Now you can install any application.
My laptop has a different Troubleshoot menu. Instead of Reset This PC and Advanced options I have Startup Settings and UEFI Firmware Settings. Oh well. Just have to login with Ms Account and then delete the account later.
I bought a new computer preinstalled with Windows 10 S mode (that was before Windows 11 was released). I simply switched out of S mode the normal way (I do have a Microsoft Account by the way), though I don't remember whether I was in Microsoft Account or Local Account when I switched out from S mode.
Hope this helps, do you like s mode? let me know below.
NO
Hi Brian, I work with a lot of seniors and S mode certainly has its place. Although, Google is something we teach and recommend they use, and as you know, it’s not available in S mode. Good old Microsoft.
No
Definitely not! Why do they have to keep messing with things? We’re not all computer wizards and I’m losing the will to even bother with computers now 😵💫🤯
Duck S Mode.
If this doesn't work, try disabling Secure Boot in BIOS/UEFI. That fixed it for me. When I logged back into windows S-mode was disabled. I tried following the steps in this video but SkuPolicyRequired was already set at 0.
Yeah. Same thing but I can't fix it.
nice works for me
okay and how do i do that?
so s-mode is for security, but secure boot prevent s-mode?
Tried the fix in the video and the value was already 0 and it didn't work. Went in to the BIOS and disabled Secure Boot and that worked.
New machine, just watched six videos on this and yours was hands down the clearest most concise of all of them!
Windows S Mode should actually be an account option (Whereby the user can switch to if they so desire) rather than the current situation of it being a system wide requirement.
If you are attempting this on a hp and can't access the C: drive - this is what i did and it fixed it
1. reset the laptop
2. during the installation process when you would usually sign-in to your microsoft account - press Win + R (spam it if you have to)
3. when the dialogue box comes up type: "ms-settings:" this will open the normal settings
4. in settings go to recovery options > advanced startup and select restart now
5. once it restarts it will bring you back to the blue screen @3:23
follow the video from there and all should be good!
hope this helped!
S Mode: the "security and performance version" of Windows - in Microsoft "speak." Or, in plain language, an attempt by Microsoft to restrict users to their own products..... I knew S Mode existed in the US but it's difficult to believe that the UK and EU would allow MS to do this in Europe....
Correct
....and the same BS from MS in Australia too !!
@@AndyM... it's maybe due to something in europe
very helpful and straight to the point. thank you
troubleshoot option wasn't there, i used Hiren's BootCD PE and load the command prompts from there and followed your instructions.
worked perfectly for me.
Hiren's BootCD PE is pretty nice
This didn't work for my Windows 11 22H2 Lenovo OEM install by itself. I had to disable Secure Boot by using the same recovery option (or use the BIOS key) to access UEFI and turning it off there. Once booted into Windows and verifying that S mode is off in the Activation screen, you can repeat the same steps and turn on Secure Boot on and S Mode will remain off.
How can I go to this uefi
This video was very helpful as i was stuck in S. Mode.
Keep up the good work
it's funny how nobody actually asked for the "S" mode and winderz decided to install it anyways. sad thing is folks will see nothing wrong with it and never even question the company
Thank you!!! I tried soo many different things and it was locked down so far it wouldn't let me do anything. I followed the steps you showed about going into the files, and it actually worked! Every time I would try something new and then go to the Microsoft store to switch out I kept getting an error message that said try again. But this worked.
Thank you! I have been trying to turn off S mode for hours and this fixed it 🎉🎉🎉
The only video that actually helped me disable s mode. Thanks man! My cousin can finally use her pc
IF THIS DOESN'T WORK. open your EUFI and disable secure boot. This didn't work for me until I did this. Worked great with that extra step though.
Tried but didn’t work. Checked again in registry and it said it equals 0 but still no joy( yes I was in the correct c drive registry). Does it make a difference if your connected to the internet or not.
Ran into the same issue but I had to disable Secure boot in UEFI and it worked
Same here. Disabling Secure Boot allows me to install apps.
Thank you so much. I couldn't install the drivers I needed to connect to the internet because of S mode
I must say that this is the only method that worked.
The Microsoft Store refused to update even after fully updating the latop and the BIOS/UEFI method did nothing.
This method worked preety well
Hi Brian, Just tried this on a new win 11 laptop 22H2 and it won't unlock from S Mode. Perhapps MS has changed something again. Thanks for the great videos. Keep up the good work.
I ran into the same issue. I had to disable secure boot from UEFI and it worked
@@cesarkamunga1547Did you do this on Windows 10, or 11? If Windows 11, Could you please explain how you did this? & What does UEFI stand for?
@Richard Hart I have been trying to disable Windows 11 s mode on a new Lenovo. Can you re-enable SB after going through the steps to switch off s mode or would that mean you go back to s mode when you turn on SB?
Just put in your information Microsoft will unlock it for you now you cannot go back to s mode but least you will be locked into getting other apps on to Windows 11.
@@cesarkamunga1547 bro yo a genius tenx alot 💯
Thank you so much, fantastic video, easy to follow and it solved my wi-if issue.
normal i can pass it when i start up some laptops afhter choosing the keyboard layout with shift F10 ore shift+fn+F10 and then oobe\bypassnro but with the s mode i dont have that option, so i need to get it off before starting up you know how ? otherwise i need to login with some test account then remove s mode then make the client account and remove the test account to much assel to start a pc up
Is MS totally Nuts? Really. This is 100% unbelievable, still kinda stunned.
Yes
@@Britec09did an edit
Not if you ha è bitlocker and bios password security, for me before this it asked it to me
Thanks very helpful. quickest way I've seen
I like that you called it streamlined, Brian. Hobbled to the Microsoft Store, came to my mind. lol
My PC will not even allow me to download the Switch out of S Mode option from the Microsoft Store let alone follow your guidelines to remove it, Brian. I just don’t know what to do next. 🤯
This is GOLD thank you
You're welcome
This only works on some revisions of Windows. Just last week I was setting up a brand new Lenovo laptop and found it was in "S" mode (Sucker Mode). I honestly don't see how an OEM can sell someone a PC that is already in S mode. This should be illegal as it is definitely an anti-trust issue. If companies what to keep their employees from accessing functions and software that's fine, but to sell a consumer a laptop that is in S mode should be illegal unless the customer specifically asks for it.
I tried this method but it did not work. I tried another, simpler method that did work, simply go into the BIOS and shut off Secure Boot. I was surprised this worked, but apparently it also only works for certain revisions.
The best advice is to get your revision, and then do a google search for how to shut off Sucker Mode in that particular revision.
Hallelujah🙌🏼it worked perfectly
Thank you very much for the help, it worked perfectly. Greetings from Venezuela
this didnt work.. laptop is still in s mode.. I attemped this 3 times.. and .. well what am I doing wrong?
Hello yes I noticed that this video was uploaded 10 months ago does this method still work in 2023
If this doesnt work for you, you probably need to disable secureboot.
Go to the BIOS settings.
If secureboot can not be disabled from the BIOS, then set an admin password in BIOS. Then disable secureboot. Hit F10 to save and quit.
Afterwards, your edits to the registry should function as normal.
Secureboot can then be renabled for the added security, windows S mode will not re-activate.
Tried the microsoft store method, didn't work. Followed the regedit method... STILL didn't work. Even went back in afterwards to make sure, and the "SkuPolicyRequired" value data was indeed saved as 0. I'm just stuck in safemode hell with this laptop I guess.
I had a lot of issues at work getting someone out of S mode. They bought a cheap laptop that we didn't approve that had S mode and when I tried to do a version update it went to windows 10 pro (S mode) the edition upgraded but the S mode remained. This was in windows 11.
did not work for me either ... tried both offline and online, neither worked. 3rd time; after loading the hive the reg key was already at 0 and when rebooting, still in S mode.
It's the same for me, Microshaft bellends!
actually, reinstalling different version of windows while windows that are installed on the pc are in S mode, doesn't get you out of S mode. i had a batch of Lenovo tablets at work that came with win 10 home in S mode (i didn't know that they are in S mode) , we were gonna put win 10 ltsc version of windows on them, but i made a mistake of booting up one of them into windows that came on them. i installed windows 10 ltsc on that tablet and they were still in S mode
Does clearing TPM switch out of S mode?
Nice video! Keep up the good work!
Thanks, will do!
I am having an issue where my Acer Laptop wont show me the C drive. Is there a way to have it show me the drive? It does this when I partition the OS on the drive aswell. I have to Load A file to have it display it to me.
While I found it useful to access the hive with regedit from Recovery the hex setting of 0 was what I found rather than 1 so I couldn't change that.
Same thing happened to me. So what do I do now?
Same thing for me
I had an issue where I was installing Windows 10 on a laptop with Windows 11S. I tried multiple installs in the end I disabled TPM check and secure boot. Now it's on regular windows.
I did the bio thing and it worked for a few days. Now it’s blocking the google app completely.
Can you please tell me how to connect airpods on pc without bluetooth and soundwire application because both does not work for me
Thank yo u so much.... it works after going to BIOS and disable Secure boot...I owe you one beer....👍
Like a few others, I tried this and it did not work. (Yes, I checked that the policy had actually been set to zero using the same method again.) But then I disabled secure boot, and S mode was gone!
Linux Mint, has WINE which allows running MS apps on a virtusl C drive. apps have desktop icons and menu. as MS..
Linux is downloaded as an ISO which is then put on a DVD or Thumb drive, you csn boot off these and play with this as a live session not installed or touching the HD.
I wish there was a way to turn S Mode back on. I'd like to be able to set up computers for the elderly or for those who are technically challenged and that way it would cut down on the support calls for malware and otehr things.
You can use the little app Microsoft provide
@@Britec09 which app
If you have people with poor computer understanding who need to order groceries & Amazon etc on their PC, they will get glassy eyed if you try toexplain all the threats out there. S mode is very helpful for them. It doesn't cut down on much they would do.
yeah, except s mode prevents me from installing internet driver on my computer, and I can't access the microsoft store because I don't have internet.
i dunno on my friends laptop that has gray get nit win s mode, so i cant get out of S mode on microsoft store, and i done this thing 2 times, even checked and followed every step exatly, but my friends laptop is still in s mode
Used the Microsoft store approach to disable S Mode and ended up with a system that perpetually kept me disconnected from WiFi. First time I've ever returned a computer. ☹
Do I loose all files when doing this?
Win11 S mode does not let you enter the recovery mode anymore... :(
does it work on hp 23h2? it didn't let me enter to disc C :(
how do we get around s mode on a new laptop or recovery? it seems like its tough to get around without a account
Like I showed
@@Britec09 on a brand new machine you cannot get around the login without a account. it continually loops you back to the login.
Hi..With new Winows 11,,this way dose NOT work.. Pls Help..
we need to back up the files to pen drive or hard disk before doing this process or it is not necessary please anyone help with this
this did nothing for me on laptop win 10 s mode.windows bootup is crippled and ask for a key code to start win boot up
Windows 11 requires registry to bypass Microsoft account, please help
Thank you sooooo much it really worked thank you
It fvking worked.thanks a ton man.
Bro, LIFESAVER!
You just saved a life 🤝🏽
This worked, but now I am unable to reset the computer. It will go through the motion but then it will give me an error message
you can actually get firefox from the microsoft store now, as well as opera and yandex browsers
Nice
I do prefer getting firefox from the store rather than the old method as it insures you always have the latest updates even when the browser is not running which is what it should have done in the first place, firefox has to be open for it to check for updates normally so this is a big plus for the windows store version
Great video! Keep up!
Thanks, will do!
my windows already had that policy value set to 0, but s mode is still present, and i cannot do the regular method because the laptop i installed windows in doesnt have the network drivers for wifi, which i cannot install because windows wont run unapproved apps. Ive been trying to make this work for more than a week and im close to crying now...
Maybe you could try using an Ethernet Cable which is far better than WiFi, from your router to your PC to get internet access and then you don't need WiFi except maybe for your phone, I do not use WiFi for my PC and you'll get much faster internet speed
@@christop_bader the laptop is a slim model without ethernet port. I was thinking about using my phone as a hotspot through usb thetering as a workaround
@@carintus908 Well good luck
It's time for someone to write a utility program which will enable the switching on and off of windows s mode without an internet connection. Sold to technicians and administrators. Or maybe provide it free.
I hear you, would make it super easy.
@@Britec09 Maybe Microsoft could offer the function in their own PC Manager utility.
What should I type
Didn't work, still stuck in Windows 11 S mode.
I try it but it did not work?
still works :D
on my case i had to disable secure boot - use the windows folder that was on my D drive which i had windows installed on C drive but did it anyway and it got me out of S mode
here is how i did it. i tried everything on youtube but nothing worked.
you need to reset the pc or laptop completely after that continue with instalation.
then when asked to sign in just click i have no account and enter a name just name then click next,
later on you need internet connection sign in but do not click connect automatically, after accept the extra options like location and diagnostics all of them
when done installing do not do anything except going straight to the microsoft store from the start menu and nothing else go to switch s mode and select get.
it will ask to sign in your ms account then sign in but only then. after that it either you will get error message because you would get disconnected (reconnect internet_ )and try again that is how it worked for me
I believe there is something wrong with newer version of the store. if you try to download anything and run it it would start ms store update and run it newer version of crap store. i hope this will help
They must have updated the system to where this method does not work. After step two in this it looks completely different. But it had a way to type in the word recovery, then that's where it absolutely stopped. No options from there.
The method did not work for me . However I disable secure boot and shut down the laptop , remember you should login with Microsoft account before this method because when you restart your pc it will ask for device ID , you will login to your registered account and see the device id and put in it. When your computer is ready you will be out of S mode . Now you can install any application.
My laptop has a different Troubleshoot menu. Instead of Reset This PC and Advanced options I have Startup Settings and UEFI Firmware Settings. Oh well. Just have to login with Ms Account and then delete the account later.
Thank you for your help
thanks ! it worked.
Brilliant!
S mode. Stupid mode. 👍
I agree
am not seeing what you wrote in cmd
Microsoft store is missing from my laptop???
This only works on certain versions of Windows 10, if the system is fully updated you can not do this reg work around.
I already had value 0 in the box so this did nothing and I'm still in s mode
Many thanks
S mode is Microsoft's attempt at making your computer like a chrome book. It failed.
Far to many restrictions for me Windows S
I'm gonna do it on build 19100 with Team Edition (Because if I remember correctly, it has S mode on default)
it was already set to 0 and doesn't seem to do anything for me
you have to disable secure boot in UEFI
Definitely helped.
Mine already shows 0 (zero) to begin with, but it's still in S mode.
Try to disable secure mode
just doesn't work for me, i've tried countless times, it just doesn't budge !
I did everything and it didn't work
Tysm❤
It doesn't work on my laptop
It keeps saying you need Internet for this, but I am on Internet. I have a strong connection.
didnt work for me i had to create an random outlook account
thank you bro
Welcome
no c drive available only x boot drive
Cool!
Tanks ☘
Thank you too
I bought a new computer preinstalled with Windows 10 S mode (that was before Windows 11 was released).
I simply switched out of S mode the normal way (I do have a Microsoft Account by the way), though I don't remember whether I was in Microsoft Account or Local Account when I switched out from S mode.
Thank you
You're welcome
I hate S mode can’t download the printer drive