As a frequent user of Windows 11, you may have heard of the feature called “Fast Startup.” This feature is designed to speed up the boot process of your computer. However, it can sometimes cause issues like system crashes and freezes. In this article, I will explain what Fast Startup is, the issues it can cause, and how to turn it on or off.
What is Fast Startup on Windows 11?
Fast Startup is a feature that was first introduced in Windows 8 and is still available in Windows 11. It is designed to help your computer boot up faster by saving some system information to a file called “hiberfil.sys” during shutdown. When you turn on your computer again, Windows can use this file to quickly restore your system to its previous state, instead of going through a full boot process.
Fast Startup is different from the traditional shutdown process because it doesn’t completely shut down your computer. Instead, it puts your computer in a hibernation-like state. This means that some system processes and services are still running in the background, which allows your computer to start up faster.
Issues With Fast Startup on Windows 11
While Fast Startup can help your computer start up faster, it can also cause some issues. For example, if your computer is experiencing hardware or software problems, Fast Startup can sometimes prevent you from accessing the Advanced Startup Options menu. This menu is used to troubleshoot and fix issues with your computer.
Another issue with Fast Startup is that it can cause system crashes and freezes. This is because some drivers and services may not be able to resume properly from the hibernation state. If you are experiencing issues with your computer, it’s a good idea to turn off Fast Startup to see if that resolves the problem.
Turn Fast Startup On or Off on Windows 11
Now that you know what Fast Startup is and the issues it can cause, let’s take a look at how to turn it on or off on Windows 11.
Method 1: Turn Fast Startup on or off via Control Panel
- Open Control Panel by searching for it in the Start menu.
- Click on “Power Options.”
- Click on “Choose what the power buttons do” on the left side of the window.
- Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”
- Scroll down to the “Shutdown settings” section and check or uncheck the “Turn on fast startup” option.
- Click “Save changes” to apply the changes.
Method 2: Turn Fast Startup on or off via Registry Editor
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type “regedit” and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
- Navigate to the following key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power
- Double-click on the “HiberbootEnabled” value on the right side.
- Change the value data to “0” to turn off Fast Startup or “1” to turn it on.
- Click “OK” to save the changes.
Method 3: Turn Fast Startup on or off via Command Prompt
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Type the following command to turn off Fast Startup:powercfg -h off
- Type the following command to turn on Fast Startup:powercfg -h on
