Windows 10 is quite a flexible operating system that it even offers a tablet mode to make it easier to use on tablets that run on this system. This is particularly useful in 2 in 1 laptops that have a detachable screen as the Tablet mode automatically activates when you detach the screen from its base or dock. The Start menu then goes full screen as do Windows Store apps and Settings. Sometimes though certain issues can occur such as when windows 10 gets stuck in tablet mode. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will show you how to fix this problem.
What to do when Windows 10 gets stuck in tablet mode
Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your computer and router first. This action refreshes the operating system and remove any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the problem.
Make sure the Tablet Mode is off
The first thing you will need to do in this case is to make sure that the tablet mode is turned off in the computer settings.
- Click on Start
- Click on Settings
- Click on System
- Click on Tablet Mode
- In the When I sign in option choose Use Desktop Mode
- In the When this device automatically switches tablet mode on or off choose Always ask me before switching.
Restart the PC then check if your computer is still stuck in tablet mode.
Disable the Use Start full screen
Disabling the Start full-screen option has been reported to fix this particular problem so it’s worth a try.
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box.
- Type “ms-settings:personalization-start” and press Enter to open the Personalization page directly at the Start tab.
- Inside the Start tab, scroll down through the list of settings and locate Use Start full screen. When you see it, disable the toggle so the option is inactive.
- Press Windows key + R to open up the Run dialog box
- Type “ms-settings:tabletmode” and press Enter to open up the Tablet Mode tab of the System Category .
- Inside the Tablet mode menu, change the drop-down menu associated with When I sign in to Use desktop mode.
- Restart your computer
Check if the Windows 10 stuck in tablet mode issue still occurs.
Perform a full shutdown
Doing a full shutdown on your PC will refresh the software and remove any glitch that could be causing the problem.
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “cmd” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an elevated Command Prompt. When prompted by the UAC (User Account Control), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.
- Inside the elevated Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter to execute a full shutdown sequence: shutdown /s /f /t 0
- Your computer will immediately shut down.
- Wait for a few minutes before starting your computer.
Check if the tablet mode issue still occurs.
Disable tablet mode via registry editor
In cases where the issue is caused by a software glitch then you can try to use the Registry Editor to disable the Tablet Mode.
- Press Windows Key + R to open Run.
- Type regedit and hit Enter.
- In registry editor, Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion >ImmersiveShell.
- When you select Immersiveshell, You will see a DWORD/entry type option named “Tablet Mode”.
- To turn off tablet mode, Set its value to 0. To turn on, Set the value to 1.
- Restart your PC.
Try to check if the problem still occurs.
Do a clean install of Windows 10
If the above steps fails to fix the problem then you should consider performing a clean install of Windows 10. Make sure to backup your phone data before doing this step. Please refer to this Microsoft link for instructions on how to do a clean install: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10startfresh.