How to disable the Fast Startup feature on Windows

To partially overcome the slow system startup of Windows computers, Microsoft has introduced a feature called 'Fast Startup'. Fast Startup helps reduce Windows computer startup time significantly, but can also prevent the system from actually shutting down completely. Learn more about this issue below.

Fast Startup - a form of putting the system to 'sleep'

Normally, you don't need to shut down your PC anytime it's not in use. Sleep mode (Sleep or Hibernation) can put your PC into a low-power state so it can quickly reboot whenever you need to keep working.

When not using the computer for a long time, you may want to shut down the system completely. This forces your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC to completely reload on the next boot.

With a feature called Fast Startup, which was introduced first in Windows 8 and is still present in Windows 10 and Windows 11, many PCs that support hibernation are only really brought back to the same state. like hibernate when off. At that time, the operating system state (in RAM) will be saved to a file named hiberfil.sys. This allows Windows to quickly reload when you next start your PC.

It can be said that TFast Startup is a combination of hibernation mode (Hibernate) and shutdown process (Shutdown), helping the system to significantly reduce startup time. In simple terms, Windows PC will not be able to shut down completely when the 'Fast Startup' feature is enabled.

Disable Fast Startup feature on Windows

By default, the Fast Startup feature will be enabled after you finish installing Windows 10. However, it should be noted that not all PCs support Fast Startup. Here's how you can check if Fast Startup is enabled on your PC, as well as how to disable it.

First access the Control Panel in Windows 10 or Windows 11 by opening the Start menu and entering the keyword 'control panel'. Then, click the corresponding Control Panel icon in the returned results.

On the Control Panel interface that opens, click the 'Hardware and Sound' item.

Next, under 'Power Options', click 'Change what the power buttons do'.

On the 'Define power buttons and turn on password protection' page, first click the 'Change settings that are currently unavailable' link near the top of the page.

Then look down to the 'Shutdown Settings' section near the bottom. If you see 'Turn on fast startup (recommended)', click to clear the check next to this option.

(Note: If you don't see Fast Startup option, it means your PC doesn't support this feature, You don't need to make any changes.

Click 'Save Changes' and close Control Panel.

The next time you 'Shut Down' your Windows PC, the system will shut down completely.

Jessica Tanner

Update 08 March 2022