{"id":42249,"date":"2025-02-05T21:56:29","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T21:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/?p=42249"},"modified":"2025-10-13T20:07:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T20:07:27","slug":"ultimate-guide-how-to-turn-off-fast-startup-in-windows-10-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/ultimate-guide-how-to-turn-off-fast-startup-in-windows-10-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Windows Fast Startup: How to Enable or Disable It (And Why You Should)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Windows Fast Startup helps your computer boot up more quickly by saving the system state when you shut it down. This allows your PC to pick up where it left off, saving time and improving productivity for those who need quick access to their workstations.<\/p>\n

However, the fact that your system does not fully shut down can cause problems, such as preventing updates from being installed correctly. So if you are experiencing issues with Windows updates or dual boot, you might want to disable Fast Startup.<\/p>\n

Read on as we explain what Fast Startup is, how to turn it off, and the pros and cons to consider before you do so.\u00a0 Let\u2019s begin.<\/p>\n

What Is Fast Startup in Windows 10\/11?<\/h2>\n

Fast Startup is a feature in Windows that helps your computer to start up faster after shutting it down. It combines elements of the shutdown and hibernation <\/a> processes.<\/p>\n

This means it doesn\u2019t fully power off your system like a regular shutdown, nor does it save everything like hibernation.\u00a0 Instead, it does a bit of both to speed up the next startup process.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s the difference between Fast Startup and Hibernate?<\/div>\r\n\t
Hibernation saves everything you are working on (your open programs and files) and turns off your computer.<\/p>\n

When you turn it back on, everything is just as you left it. Fast Startup only saves important system files like the system kernel and drivers to make the computer start up faster. It does not save your open programs or files. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n

How Does Windows Fast Startup Actually Work?<\/h2>\n

When you shut down your PC <\/a> with Fast Startup enabled, Windows closes all programs and logs off users but doesn\u2019t fully power off the system.\u00a0 Instead, it saves important system components like the system kernel (the core component that provides basic services for all parts of the OS) and drivers in a special file called hiberfil.sys.<\/p>\n

This file acts as a snapshot of your system\u2019s core components. When you turn your PC back on, Windows loads the hiberfil.sys file, which saves time because it doesn\u2019t have to start everything from scratch.

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Need help with your PC?<\/div>\r\n\t
Try our Ask a Question<\/a> service — our experts will diagnose and resolve your PC issues completely free of charge.<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/p>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Feature<\/b><\/th>\nFast Startup on<\/b><\/th>\nFast Startup off<\/b><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Boot speed<\/strong><\/td>\nFaster<\/td>\nNormal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dual-boot support<\/strong><\/td>\nLimited<\/td>\nFully supported<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Update processing<\/strong><\/td>\nCan be delayed<\/td>\nNormal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accessing BIOS\/UEFI<\/strong><\/td>\nDifficult<\/td>\nEasy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shutdown behavior<\/strong><\/td>\nHybrid shutdown (hibernation-like)<\/td>\nFull shutdown (complete power off)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power consumption<\/strong><\/td>\nLower during boot<\/td>\nHigher during boot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Drive integrity checks<\/strong><\/td>\nSkipped or delayed<\/td>\nPerformed normally<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
System stability<\/strong><\/td>\nCan cause driver issues<\/td>\nMore stable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
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Windows Fast Startup does not work when you click restart. In this process, the system completely shuts down, reloads the operating system, and initializes drivers from scratch. This ensures that any updates, system changes, or driver installations take effect properly, which wouldn\u2019t happen if the system simply resumed from a hibernated state. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

How Does Fast Startup Affect HDDs and SSDs?<\/h2>\n

HDDs<\/b>Fast Startup is particularly useful for computers with hard disk drives (HDDs) <\/a> because it reduces the time needed for the drive to spin up and load Windows. For example, the typical boot time for hard drives without Fast Startup is around 30-60 seconds. You can reduce it to 20-30 seconds by enabling Fast Startup.<\/p>\n

SSDs<\/b><\/p>\n

For solid-state drives (SSDs), the improvement is less noticeable because SSDs already boot quickly due to their use of flash memory, which allows near-instant data access.<\/p>\n

That said, it can still shave off a few seconds from the boot time.<\/p>\n

For example, solid-state drives usually take 15-20 seconds to boot.<\/p>\n

Fast Startup can decrease it to 10-15 seconds.<\/p>\n

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The boot times for both HDDs and SSDs are general estimates, so the actual time can vary based on specific hardware and system configurations. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Here\u2019s a comparison table that outlines how Fast Startup works, specifically in relation to SSDs and HDDs:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Aspect<\/b><\/th>\nHow Fast Startup works<\/b><\/th>\nSSD<\/b><\/th>\nHDD<\/b><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Mechanism<\/b><\/td>\nCombines a hybrid shutdown and hibernation process to save the system state.<\/td>\nSaves kernel sessions and drivers to hiberfil.sys. On boot, reads from the file for a faster startup.<\/td>\nSimilar process, but slower due to slower read\/write speeds of HDDs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boot process<\/b><\/td>\nUses a partial hibernation file to speed up boot without fully shutting down.<\/td>\nSince SSDs are fast, the reduced boot time is already noticeable without further optimization.<\/td>\nSSDs perform better here as the HDDs take longer to read from the hibernation file.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Speed<\/b><\/td>\nFaster startup since the system doesn\u2019t fully shut down.<\/td>\nExtremely fast boot times due to high read\/write speeds of SSDs.<\/td>\nSlower boot times due to slower read\/write speeds of HDDs, even with Fast Startup.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Durability<\/b><\/td>\nNo major impact on physical durability, as normal operations (like pagefile usage) cause more wear than Fast Startup.<\/td>\nMinor additional wear due to writing system states to hiberfil.sys on every shutdown. However, modern SSDs have high endurance, so this isn\u2019t a real concern.<\/td>\nLess wear during startup since Fast Startup reduces the number of disk reads\/writes compared to a full boot.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Efficiency<\/b><\/td>\nMore energy-efficient as the system doesn\u2019t completely shut down.<\/td>\nHigh efficiency due to quick access and low power consumption.<\/td>\nLess efficient than SSDs due to slower access times and higher power consumption.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Why Disable Fast Startup on Windows 10\/11?<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a good reason to disable the Fast Startup feature for SSD users, whether on Windows 10 or 11, since it doesn\u2019t significantly affect them. But why should HDD users turn off this feature when it helps load their OS faster? There are several reasons why you might want to consider disabling Fast Startup either on your hard disk drive or solid-state drive.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go through them:<\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"IMG\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
Windows and driver update issues<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/strong><\/p>\n

Windows updates <\/a> often need a full restart to complete their installation. Fast Startup may prevent some updates that require a full restart to complete properly because the system state is not fully reset.<\/p>\n

Disabling the feature can help solve Windows Update errors, especially those related to system file conflicts or issues with the update process, like the error 0x80070002 <\/a> or 0x80070003.<\/p>\n

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\r\n \"IMG\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
Problems with dual-boot systems<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/strong><\/p>\n

When you shut down with Fast Startup enabled, Windows locks the disk, preventing other operating systems from accessing the drive. As a result, if you have a dual-boot system <\/a>, you may face issues when trying to access the Windows partition from the other operating system.<\/p>\n

Turning off Fast Startup allows the system to perform a complete shutdown, which clears the system state and allows other operating systems to properly access the drive without any conflicts.<\/p>\n

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Dual boot refers to the setup where two or more operating systems are installed on a single computer, allowing the user to choose which one to boot into at startup. For example, you might have both Windows and Linux installed on separate hard drive partitions <\/a> of the same PC. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

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\r\n \"IMG\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
Encrypted disk images<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fast Startup can cause problems for disk encryption methods, like BitLocker <\/a>, which are used to protect sensitive data on your hard drive. Since the system doesn\u2019t fully shut down, the encrypted disk may not be unlocked properly when you start the computer again.<\/p>\n

As a result, you might face difficulties accessing the encrypted data, as the system is still in a hybrid state. In extreme cases, the system might ask you to enter a recovery key <\/a> to access the system.<\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"IMG\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
Difficulties with accessing BIOS settings<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/strong><\/p>\n

When Fast Startup is enabled, it may be difficult to access the BIOS <\/a> settings, as the system skips over the complete shutdown and restart process.<\/p>\n

Disabling Fast Startup forces the computer to perform a full reboot, ensuring that the BIOS settings are loaded properly, and you can access them without issues.<\/p>\n

This is particularly useful when you need to change boot order <\/a>, update firmware, or troubleshoot hardware problems.<\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"IMG\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
Incorrect system uptime tracking<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/strong><\/p>\n

IT professionals may run into problems because the Fast Startup doesn\u2019t fully reset the system\u2019s uptime when the computer shuts down. The system\u2019s kernel is saved when the feature is enabled.<\/p>\n

As a result, when the computer starts up again, it doesn\u2019t fully restart, and the uptime continues from the previous session. This can make it harder to diagnose performance issues or slow system problems.<\/p>\n

To get an accurate picture of how long the system has really been running since the last shutdown, you might want to turn off Fast Startup .<\/p>\n

How to Disable Fast Startup On Windows 10\/11<\/h2>\n

Method 1: Using the Control Panel<\/h3>\n

One of the simplest methods to disable Fast Startup is to use the Control Panel <\/a>. Let\u2019s go through how it works:<\/p>\n

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Note<\/div>\r\n\t
The steps are essentially the same, whether on Windows 10 or 11. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n