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When Windows 10 was released, it brought a new feature called “Fast Startup” enabled by default and designed to speed up the OS boot process by combining elements of a common, regular shutdown and hibernation together.
However, most users who have quite slow disk drives find this feature beneficial and helpful but on the other hand, users who have fast disk drives like an SSD back in the time never found it useful because their OS was already booting up quickly benefiting from the writing and most importantly the reading speed of the SSD.
Fast Startup can be a pain especially on older hardware with compatibility issues and most of the time it interferes with dual-boot setups.
For these reasons, all people seem to disable it to ensure a boot with no errors and more consistent experience.
In this article, we’ll show you how to turn off Fast Startup in Windows 10, along with the reasons why doing so might be necessary.
What is Fast Startup?
As I said, “Fast Startup” is a feature intended to reduce the time it takes for your computer to boot up to the OS you installed.
When the Fast Startup feature is enabled, Windows saves the kernel and drivers in a special file called the hibernation file (hiberfil.sys) instead of shutting down completely.
You could say your computer is in a state between sleep and awake at the same time.
This allows the system to load these components quickly during the next boot, skipping certain “Start off” steps and speeding up the process.
Fast Startup is typically turned on by default in Windows 10 as a default shutdown behavior for most users.
Reasons to Turn Off Fast Startup
Old Hardware Compatibility
Some older hardware and drivers as I said may not function correctly with Fast Startup being enabled which leads to errors or performance issues.
Unable To Access Your “BIOS/UEFI”
Fast Startup skips the full shutdown process which makes it harder for you to enter the BIOS/UEFI setup by pressing the designated key during startup.
Dual-Boot System Issues
Fast boot can disrupt dual-boot configurations. If you use multiple operating systems, Fast Startup may lock the Windows partition preventing you from accessing other systems you installed.
Troubleshooting and Maintenance
As we know Fast Startup prevents a full system shutdown, which may be necessary to resolve certain issues, such as Windows 10 system updates not installing properly.
External Device Issues
Fast Startup may cause problems with external drives or USB devices that need proper initialization during a complete shutdown and complete boot process.
Low Storage Issues
Fast Startup relies on the hibernation file (hiberfil.sys) which is a quite big file and can take up a significant amount of storage space especially on SSDs with low storage.
How To Turn Off Fast Startup in Windows 10
Turn Off Fast Startup Using Control Panel
Step 1: Open the Control Panel
First, locate the search bar in the Windows 10 taskbar or simply press Windows + S on your keyboard to open the search bar. Next, Type “Control Panel” and click on it in the search results.
Step 2: Navigate to Power Options
Once you are in the Control Panel window, select Hardware and Sound.
Under the Power Options section and beside the battery icon, click on “Change what the power buttons do”.
Step 3: Unlock Shutdown Settings
Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable” at the top of the window.
Ensure that you are an Administrator. Without this step you can’t edit the grayed-out options under the Shutdown settings.
Step 4: Disable Fast Startup
Now, Uncheck the box next to “Turn on fast startup”. Click “Save changes” at the bottom of the window.
Step 5: Restart Your Computer
Finally, Restart your computer for the changes to take effect. You can test the new startup behavior to confirm Fast Startup is disabled.
Turn Off Fast Startup Using CMD (Advanced Users)
This method is fast and has less steps but it’s for advanced users who know how to use the “Command Prompt”.
Step 1: Open the CMD (Command Prompt)
First, locate the search bar in the Windows 10 taskbar or simply press Windows + S on your keyboard to open the search bar. Next, Type “CMD” and click on it in the search results, you should open it as administrator.
Step 2: Type The Command
Type the following command on the Command Prompt and press Enter “powercfg -h off”. This command will disable both hibernation and Fast Startup for you.
Step 3: Restart Your Computer
Finally, Restart your computer for the changes to take effect. You can test the new startup behavior to confirm Fast Startup is disabled.
Conclusion
Fast Startup is an extremely helpful feature in Windows 10 for improving the time it takes the system to load and boot, but it’s not always ideal for every case, user or hardware.
Fast Startup can be have problems especially on older hardware with compatibility issues, most of the time Fast Startup interferes with dual-boot setups and will make your multiple OSs lifestyle a lot more harder.
You may find yourself in a scenario where you want it to be disabled. This guide is all you need to do so. This guide is well structured and you can fine the information you need more easily.
Remember that you can always re-enable Fast Startup if needed by re-enabling every setting i disabled in this blog post.
