You could boot into a recovery command prompt and manually edit the registry to swap the Default and LastKnownGood control sets, but this is dangerous. It is much safer to use the "Uninstall Updates" tool. While it feels nostalgic to hit F8 and select "Last Known Good Configuration," the new Windows 11 system is objectively safer. Automatic Repair is harder to mess up, and the "Uninstall Updates" workflow handles 90% of the cases where you would have used LKGC.
Stop looking for F8. Next time Windows 11 refuses to boot, hold Shift + Restart or just turn it off mid-boot twice. The blue recovery menu is your new best friend. windows 11 last known good configuration
If you’ve been working with Windows for a long time—say, since the days of Windows XP, 7, or even 10—you probably remember a specific safety net. It was called Last Known Good Configuration (LKGC). You could boot into a recovery command prompt
So, where is it in Windows 11?
The short answer: Microsoft removed the legacy F8 menu and the classic LKGC feature years ago. Automatic Repair is harder to mess up, and
You’d mash during boot, see the Advanced Boot Options menu, and select "Last Known Good Configuration" to roll back your registry and driver settings to the last time the PC actually started successfully. It saved many a system from a bad driver or a misconfigured registry tweak.