How To Enable Or Disable Fast Startup In Windows

Fast Startup is a feature introduced in Windows 8 and carried forward to subsequent versions, including Windows 10 and Windows 11. It allows your PC to boot up more quickly after a shutdown by using a combination of a traditional shutdown and hibernation. While this can be convenient for most users, some may want to disable it due to compatibility issues or other reasons.

This guide will walk you through understanding what Fast Startup is, the pros and cons of using it, and how you can enable or disable it in your Windows system.

What is Fast Startup?

Fast Startup is a hybrid shutdown feature that speeds up the boot process. When enabled, it doesn't completely shut down your system but instead saves some of the system state to a hibernation file (hiberfil.sys). This allows Windows to boot more quickly by reloading this state rather than starting the operating system and drivers from scratch.

When you shut down a computer with Fast Startup enabled, the following occurs:

1. Windows closes all open applications and logs off all users.

2. The system session (kernel session) is not shut down but saved to a hibernation file.

3. When you turn the computer back on, Windows restores the system session from the hibernation file, significantly reducing the time required to boot.

However, this feature does not affect a system restart, as a restart performs a complete shutdown and then boots up the system again without using the hibernation file.

Benefits of Fast Startup

1. Faster Boot Times: The most significant benefit is that your computer starts up faster. This is particularly useful for older systems or devices with slow hard drives.

2. Energy Efficiency: Fast Startup helps save time and energy by reducing the time your system takes to boot up from a shutdown state.

3. Convenience: For users who shut down their computers regularly, enabling Fast Startup ensures that boot-up times are as short as possible without moving to sleep or hibernate modes.

Drawbacks of Fast Startup

While Fast Startup is useful, there are several situations where you may want to disable it:

1. Driver and Hardware Issues: Some older drivers and hardware may not be compatible with Fast Startup, which could cause them to malfunction. External USB devices, especially, might not function correctly after shutting down and restarting the system.  

2. Dual Boot Systems: If you have a dual boot setup (for instance, Windows and Linux), Fast Startup can cause problems with accessing files from the non-Windows OS due to improper shutdown of file systems. 

3. Windows Updates: Some users report that when Fast Startup is enabled, Windows doesn't apply certain updates after shutting down, as the system doesn’t fully reset.

4. Disk Encryption Issues: If you use disk encryption software like BitLocker, Fast Startup may interfere with its operation.

5. Wake-on-LAN: Wake-on-LAN (WOL) doesn’t work well when Fast Startup is enabled because WOL requires the system to shut down completely.

How to Enable or Disable Fast Startup

Step 1: Access Power Options 

To enable or disable Fast Startup, you need to access your system’s Power Options. Here's how:

1. Press `Windows Key + X` or right-click the Start button.

2. Select Power Options from the list.

3. In the Power Options window, click on Additional power settings on the right side or bottom of the window. This will open the classic Power Options window from the Control Panel.

Alternatively, you can directly access this window by opening the Control Panel, selecting System and Security, and then clicking on Power Options.

Step 2: Access Shutdown Settings

Once you're in the Power Options window, follow these steps:

1. On the left-hand side of the Power Options window, click on Choose what the power buttons do.

2. Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable to unlock the shutdown settings options.

Step 3: Enable or Disable Fast Startup

After you've accessed the shutdown settings, you will see a section called Shutdown settings. In this section, there will be an option labeled Turn on fast startup (recommended).

• To enable Fast Startup: Make sure the checkbox is selected.
• To disable Fast Startup: Uncheck the box.

Once you've made your choice, click Save changes. 

Step 4: Verify Your Changes

After enabling or disabling Fast Startup, it’s a good idea to verify that your change has taken effect. Here's how to confirm:

• Reboot the system: If you have disabled Fast Startup, you should notice a slightly longer boot time. If you have enabled it, the next shutdown and startup cycle should be faster.
• Check for issues: If you disabled Fast Startup due to hardware or software conflicts, use your PC normally for a few days to see if the problems persist.

Alternate Method: Using the Command Prompt

You can also enable or disable Fast Startup using the command prompt by following these steps:

1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator. You can do this by typing "cmd" in the Start menu search bar, right-clicking on Command Prompt, and selecting Run as administrator. 

2. Type the following command to enable Fast Startup:

   ```

   powercfg /hibernate on

   ```

 

   Then type:

 

   ```

   powercfg /h /type fast

   ```

 

   This enables both hibernation and Fast Startup.

 

3. To disable Fast Startup, type the following command:

 

   ```

   powercfg /hibernate off

   ```

 

This method is especially useful if the Fast Startup option is grayed out in the Power Options menu.

Managing the Hibernation File (hiberfil.sys)

Fast Startup relies on a system file called hiberfil.sys, which stores the system state before shutdown. This file can sometimes consume significant disk space, especially if you have limited storage. If you want to free up space, you can disable Fast Startup (and hibernation), which will delete the file.

To manage hiberfil.sys:

1.Open the Command Prompt as an administrator.

2.To delete the hibernation file and disable hibernation, type:

   ```

   powercfg -h off

   ```

 

3.To recreate the hibernation file and re-enable hibernation and Fast Startup, type:

 

   ```

   powercfg -h on

   ```

 

Be cautious when deleting hiberfil.sys, as this will disable both hibernation and Fast Startup.

Conclusion

Fast Startup is a convenient feature for many users, reducing boot time by combining aspects of shutdown and hibernation. However, it’s not ideal for everyone. You may experience issues with certain hardware devices, dual-boot setups, and software updates. By following the steps in this guide, you can easily enable or disable Fast Startup to suit your preferences.

If you run into any issues after enabling or disabling Fast Startup, you can always revert the changes and troubleshoot specific hardware or software problems accordingly. Knowing how to control this feature gives you flexibility and control over your system’s startup behavior.