Since Windows 8, a feature called fast start-up has been added to Windows that helps your PC start up faster after shutdown. Fast start-up works by saving a part of your PC’s kernel session and device drivers to a special file on your hard disk so that they don’t need to be reloaded when you start up your PC.
When you shut down your PC, Windows 11 automatically saves your kernel session and device drivers to a file. When you start up your PC, Windows 11 loads your kernel session and device drivers from the file, so that your PC can start up faster.
If you have a fast start-up enabled, your PC will start up faster after shutdown. However, you will not be able to use your PC’s hibernation feature.
Enabling Fast Start-up setting Using Command Prompt
In some cases, the enable/disable fast startup option may be missing from the powercfg
menu in which case you will not be able to use the feature. To enable fast startup settings on your Windows 11 device, follow these steps.
- Open the Command Prompt by clicking on Start and typing cmd into the search bar.
- Type
powercfg.exe /hibernate on
and press Enter. - Close all open programs and windows.
- Click on Start and then click on the Power icon.
- Click on Hibernate. Your computer will now enter hibernation mode.
Enabling/disabling Fast Start-up in Windows 11 From Control Panel
Control Panel was the default go-to settings before the Settings app was made a thing in Windows OS. However, the control panel still provides a greater range of service customization than the Settings app.
To enable fast start-up in Windows 11 from Control Panel, follow these steps.
- Go to the Start menu and search Control Panel.
- Click on System and Security.
- Go to Power options.
- Click on the Choose what the power buttons do option on the left-hand side of the panel.
- Select the Change Settings that are currently unavailable option.
- Checkmark the Turn on Fast Startup (Recommended) option.
- Click on Save changes.
To disable fast start-up in Windows 11 from Control Panel, follow these steps.
- Go to the Start menu and search Control Panel.
- Click on System and Security.
- Go to Power options.
- Click on the Choose what the power buttons do option on the left-hand side of the panel.
- Click on the Change Settings that are currently unavailable option.
- Uncheck the Turn on Fast Startup (Recommended) option.
- Click on Save changes.
Enabling/Disabling Fast Start-up in Windows 11 From Group Policy Editor
The Group Policy Editor is a tool that allows you to manage the Group Policy settings for a computer or user account. You can use the Group Policy Editor to control which users have access to which features of the operating system, as well as to configure security settings and software installation options.
This tool also allows you to enable/disable fast start-up in Windows 11. Follow these steps to enable fast start-up in Windows 11 from Group Policy Editor.
- Press the Win and R keys simultaneously.
- Type in
gpedit.msc
and hit the Enter key. - Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Shutdown.
- Double-click on the Require use of fast startup setting.
- Select Enabled, click on Apply, and click OK.
- Close the Group Policy Editor and restart your computer. Fast Startup should now be enabled.
To disable fast start-up in Windows 11 from Group Policy Editor, follow these steps.
- Press the Win and R keys simultaneously to open Run.
- Type in
gpedit.msc
and hit the Enter key. - Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Shutdown.
- Double-click on the Require use of fast startup setting.
- Select Disabled, click on Apply, and click OK.
- Close the Group Policy Editor and restart your computer. Fast Startup should now be enabled.
Enabling/disabling Fast Start-up in Windows 11 From Registry Editor
The Registry Editor is used to modify the Windows Registry, which is a database that stores low-level settings for the Microsoft Windows operating system and for applications that opt to use the Registry. The Registry Editor allows the user to view, create, and modify keys and values in the Registry.
We recommend you to make a backup of your registry before making any changes to it.
To enable fast start-up in Windows 11 from Registry Editor, follow these steps.
- Open Registry Editor. You can do this by opening the Start menu, then typing
regedit
into the Run dialog. - Find the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power
- Select the key, then in the right pane, double-click on the setting named
HiberbootEnabled
- Change the value from 0 to 1 to enable it.
- Close Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
To disable fast start-up in Windows 11 from Registry Editor, follow these steps.
- Open Registry Editor by pressing the Windows key + R, typing
regedit
into the Run dialog, and pressing Enter. - In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power
- In the right pane of the Power key, double-click the
HiberbootEnabled
value to open it. - In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, change the Value data to 0, and click OK.
- Close Registry Editor.
- Reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.