How to run the SFC command at boot in Windows 10

SFC stands for System File Check and is a set of commands built into the core of Windows to verify file integrity. SFC is very handy for fixing and troubleshooting issues with the operating system so it’s useful to know how it works. Here is a quick overview of how to run the SFC command at boot in Windows 10.

Why boot? It is often where we end up if something goes seriously wrong with Windows. It is also where we go if Windows has issues booting or loading core files. As most of the files are not loaded, the system can modify and repair them without triggering file protection.

Run the SFC command at boot in Windows 10
1. Boot your machine from Windows 10 installation media.
2. Select the option to Troubleshoot and load the command prompt.
3. Type or paste ‘sfc /scannow’ into the command window to check the integrity of the OS files.
4. Once the operation complete, you will see one of three responses.
• Windows did not find any integrity violations
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and repaired them
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some (or all) of them

If you see ‘Windows did not find any integrity violations’ you need to troubleshoot further using other options.

If you see ‘Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and repaired them’ try a normal reboot to see if the issue has indeed been fixed. Repeat ‘sfc /scannow’ if not.

If you see ‘Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some (or all) of them’ you will need to run the Deployment Image & Servicing Management tool (DISM).

5. Type or paste ‘DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth’. Allow the process to complete which could take a while.
6. Reboot your machine into command prompt mode once more and run the ‘sfc /scannow’ command once more.

If your issue is still present after following these steps, you may have to consider a system restore or reset.

More useful Windows 10 commands can be found here:
How to get into advanced startup options in Windows 10
How to perform a repair installation for Windows 10
How to uninstall and reinstall Windows 10 built-in apps

View all of our Windows 10 Tutorials

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