△ Performance
Windows stuck on "Please wait" — How to fix
Windows hanging on "Please wait" after sign-in is almost always Fast Startup leaving the user profile half-loaded, a slow Group Policy retrieval, or a corrupted user profile. Each fix targets a specific cause.
- Time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Applies to
- Windows 11, Windows 10
- Updated
- May 25, 2026
Symptoms
- ▸Sign-in screen accepts password but Windows sits on "Please wait" for minutes
- ▸Eventually reaches desktop but everything is slow
- ▸Different on a fresh user account
Likely causes
- ▸Fast Startup loading a corrupted hibernation state
- ▸Group Policy retrieval timing out (domain-joined PCs)
- ▸User profile corruption
- ▸Windows trying to mount an unavailable network drive
How to fix it — step by step
- 01
Disable Fast Startup
Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do → Change settings that are currently unavailable→ untick Turn on fast startup. Reboot fully. - 02
Create a new user profile to test
Settings → Accounts → Other users → Add account. If the new account signs in instantly, the original profile is corrupted. - 03
Disconnect mapped network drives
Computer → right-click each mapped drive → Disconnect. Sign out and back in. - 04
Run sfc and DISM
Repair any damaged Windows files.
sfc /scannow DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth