Fast Startup is a feature introduced in Windows 8 and has been carried over to subsequent versions, including Windows 11. Essentially, it blends the traditional shutdown and hibernation processes, ensuring that your PC boots up faster after a shutdown. When you shut down your computer with Fast Startup enabled, Windows saves some of your system’s files to a hibernate file, which speeds up the startup process the next time you turn on your PC.
In this article, we’ll discuss how you can turn the Fast Startup feature on or off in Windows 11. But first, it’s essential to understand the benefits and potential drawbacks.
Advantages of Fast Startup
- Faster Boot Time: The primary advantage is the reduced boot time. This is especially noticeable on traditional hard drives (HDDs) as opposed to solid-state drives (SSDs).
- Efficiency: It saves energy by avoiding the need to reload the entire kernel and system state afresh.
Potential Drawbacks
- Disk Space: The hibernation file (hiberfil.sys) can consume a considerable amount of disk space.
- Dual Boot Issues: If you’re dual-booting with another OS, it may not properly read Windows partitions with Fast Startup enabled.
- Updates: Some updates and installations might require a full shutdown to complete.
Now, let’s get into how you can turn on or off Fast Startup in Windows 11.
Steps to Turn On/Off Fast Startup in Windows 11
- Open Control Panel: Although Windows 11 introduces a revamped Settings app, the traditional Control Panel is where you can access power settings.
- Right-click on the Start button and select ‘Run.’
- Type “control panel” and press Enter.
- Navigate to Power Options: In the Control Panel, find and click on “Power Options.”
- Choose what the power buttons do: On the left sidebar, you will see a link named “Choose what the power buttons do.” Click on it.
- Change settings that are currently unavailable: At the top, there will be a section named “Shutdown settings” which might be grayed out. Click on the link “Change settings that are currently unavailable” to make changes.
- Toggle Fast Startup: Under “Shutdown settings,” you’ll find the “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” option.
- To enable, check the box beside it.
- To disable, uncheck the box.
- Save changes: After making your selection, click on the “Save changes” button at the bottom.
Summary
Fast Startup can be a beneficial feature for users who want their PCs to boot quickly. However, there might be specific scenarios where it’s better to have it turned off, especially if you encounter issues related to updates or dual boot setups. Now that you know how to toggle this feature in Windows 11, you can decide what’s best for your computing needs.