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How to Turn Off Fast Startup in Windows 10

Windows 11 has kept many of the useful features from its predecessor, including Fast Startup. As the name suggests, Fast Startup allows your computer to start up faster after a shutdown.

Hibernate capable Windows 11 systems come with Fast Startup enabled by default. If you want to turn on or off Fast Startup in Windows 11 manually, this guide will show you how.

Why Should You Enable or Disable Fast Startup?

With the release of Windows 8, Microsoft updated and renamed the default shutdown scenario as Fast Startup. It begins with the shutdown process by writing data to disk, similar to the hibernate process.

However, unlike hibernation, it logs off all the user sessions and writes the remaining boot information to the hiberfile. So, instead of loading everything from scratch, Windows loads data from the Hiberfil.sys into memory when you restart your computer, significantly reducing the boot time.

That said, Fast Startup is not without its shortcomings. For example, according to Microsoft, you may face difficulties installing Windows updates on Fast Startup-enabled systems. Another reason is the missing dual boot option because of the disabled delayed start function. To learn more, read our explainer on how Fast Startup works and why you should disable it.

To turn on Fast Startup, you must have Hibernate feature enabled on your computer. First, go to Start > Power and check if the Hibernate option is available. If not, follow these steps.

How to Enable Hibernation in Windows 11

Fast Startup is only available on systems compatible with the Hibernate feature available on almost all modern computers. However, this option is often disabled by default on lower-end systems.

To enable Hibernate on Windows 11:

  1. Type cmd in the Windows search bar.
  2. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
  3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and hit enter to turn on Hibernate: 
                  Powercfg –h on

Now that you have enabled hibernate feature, follow these steps to enable Fast Startup.

How to Turn On or Off Fast Startup in the Control Panel

The easiest way to turn on Fast Startup is via the Control Panel's power settings. Here's how to do it.

  1. Press Win + R to open Run.
  2. Type control and click OK to open the Control Panel.
  3. Go to System and Security and then click on Power Options.
  4. In the left pane, click on Choose what the power buttons do.
  5. Next, click the Change settings that are currently unavailable link.
  6. Under the Shutdown settings section, check the Turn on fast startup (recommended) option to turn on the feature.
  7. Uncheck the Turn on fast startup option to turn it off.
  8. Click Save changes to apply the changes.

How to Turn On or Off Fast Startup Using the Registry Editor

The next set of methods involves modifying the Windows registry. If something goes wrong, it can be hard to get your system back to normal again manually. So, create a restore point before attempting to edit your registry entries. This will allow you to undo the changes if something goes wrong.

Once done, perform the following:

  1. Press Win + R to open Run.
  2. Type regedit and click OK. Click Yes when prompted by UAC.
  3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following location: 
                  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power
  4. You can also copy/paste the above path for quicker navigation.
  5. In the right-pane, scroll down and locate the DWORD value HiberbootEnabled.
  6. Right-click on HiberbootEnabled and select Modify.
  7. Type 1 in the Value data field and click OK to save the changes.
  8. To turn off Fast Startup, enter 0 in the Value data field and click OK.
  9. Close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer.

How to Turn On or Off Fast Startup Using a Registry File

If you don't want to work with the Registry Editor, you can create a REG file and run it to achieve the same. Here's how to do it.

  1. Search for the Notepad app and open it.
  2. To enable Fast Startup, copy and paste the following code in the Notepad file: 
                  Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power]
    "HiberbootEnabled"=dword:00000001
  3. To disable fast startup, copy and paste the following code instead. 
                  Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power]
    "HiberbootEnabled"=dword:00000000
  4. Click on File and select Save As.
  5. Enter file name as Enable_fast_startup.reg or Disable_fast-startup.reg.
  6. Click on Save as type drop-down and select All Files.
  7. Next, click Save.
  8. Double-click on the Enable_fast-startup.reg file to run. Then click Yes, and Yes to confirm the action.

How to Enable or Disable Require Fast Startup in the Group Policy Editor

Group Policy Editor allows you to configure your Group Policy settings to allow or restrict features as required. You can use it to enable or disable the Fast Startup feature on your Windows computer.

Follow these steps to turn on Fast Startup on Windows 11.

  1. Press Win + R to open Run.
  2. Type gpedit.msc and click OK to open Group Policy Editor.
  3. In Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following location: 
                  Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Shutdown
  4. In the right pane, right-click on Require use of fast startup and select Edit.
  5. Select Enabled or Disabled, and click Apply and OK to save the changes.

How to Turn Off Fast Startup Using the Command Prompt

Since fast startup depends on the Hibernate feature, you can disable Hibernate to turn off Fast start. However, this will also turn off Hibernate in Power options, so tread carefully.

  1. Press Win + R to open Run.
  2. Type cmd into the box and then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Command Prompt as administrator.
  3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and hit enter: 
                  Powercfg -h off
  4. This will disable the Hibernate feature and also turn off Fast Startup.

Making Your Windows 11 PC Boot Better

The Fast Startup feature works like a charm on the older and slower systems with traditional HDDs or hybrid configurations. While you can shave off a few seconds even on an SSD, the incompatibility with dual boot and issues with Windows updates is an annoyance for many.

Whether you want to turn Fast Startup on or off depends on what problem you are trying to solve. Try experimenting with the feature to see if it works for you. If not, you can always undo the changes.

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About The Author

Tashreef Shareef (52 Articles Published)

Tashreef is a technology writer at MakeUseOf. With a bachelor's degree in Computer Applications, He has over 5 years of writing experience and covers Microsoft Windows and everything around it. When not working, you can find him tinkering with his PC, trying some FPS titles or explore animated shows and movies.

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How to Turn Off Fast Startup in Windows 10

Source: https://www.makeuseof.com/windows-11-turn-on-or-off-fast-startup/