On Windows, you can enable “fast startup” to speed up the boot time, allowing the device to start and load the desktop more quickly than when using the traditional startup process. It’s a mode (part of the hibernate feature) that combines the hibernation and shutdown processes to accomplish faster boot times.
Windows should come with fast startup enabled by default, but if your computer is taking a long time to boot, you may need to turn on the feature to speed up the process. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to enable (or disable) fast startup on your computer. If the option is missing, we also outline the steps to make it available in the power settings.
What is fast startup on Windows?
The best way to understand how the feature works is to step back and briefly explain hibernation. When using hibernation, Windows saves the data in memory to the hiberfil.sys file onto the hard drive, allowing you to resume the previous session even after power loss. Fast startup works similarly, but with one difference.
Instead of saving the entire session onto the hard drive, the user gets logged off before the state is saved into the hibernation file, requiring less storage space and allowing quicker resume. You can speed up the boot process with a great solid-state drive, or by trying fast startup.
How to enable fast startup on Windows
To enable Windows fast startup, use these steps:
- Open “Settings”.
- Click on “Power & sleep”.
- Under the “Related settings” section, click the “Additional power settings” option.
- Click the “Choose what the power button does” option.
- Click the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option.
- Under the “Shutdown setting” section, check the “Turn on fast startup” option.
- Click the “Save changes” button.
Once you complete the steps, the next time you start the device, you should notice faster boot times.
How to disable fast startup on Windows
Although fast startup is a nifty feature to make Windows boot a lot faster, it’s important to note that fast is not always a good thing depending on your system configuration, and sometimes you may want to keep it turned off. For example, fast startup could be the root of boot issues. It’s also not recommended to enable the feature on systems with limited hard drive space since it may not work correctly.
Also, if you create a data partition on a dual-boot setup running Windows, data that you try to save using another version of Windows or Linux won’t commit to the storage. This setup could also cause data loss as fast startup will try to protect your primary system’s file structure from being changed. To disable fast startup on your computer, use these steps:
- Open “Settings”.
- Click on “Power & sleep”.
- Under the ‘Related settings’ section, click the ‘Additional power settings” option.
- Click the “Choose what the power button does” option.
- Click the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option.
- Under the “Shutdown setting” section, clear the “Turn on fast startup” option.
- Click the “Save changes” button.
After you complete the steps, when using the ‘Shut down’ option, the computer will power off without saving the current state, causing the boot time to take longer but preventing issues in specific scenarios.
How to fix missing fast startup on Windows
To make the fast startup option available in the ‘Control Panel’ settings, use these steps:
- Open “Start”.
- Search for “Command Prompt”.
- Right-click the top result and select the “Run as administrator” option.
- Type the command powercfg /hibernate on to enable hibernation, which makes fast startup available in “Control Panel” and press the “Enter” key.
After you complete the steps, the fast startup should now be available in the “Shutdown settings”. If the option is still not available in Control Panel, then the device may not include support for the feature since only devices with support for the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) state of “S4” can use fast startup. You can confirm the available power states available on your computer with these instructions.
