To disable Fast Startup in Windows 11, open Control Panel, go to Power Options, select “Choose what the power buttons do,” then “Change settings that are currently unavailable,” and uncheck “Turn on fast startup (recommended).” Fast Startup cuts boot time by pre-loading essential components, but it can cause issues with updates or dual-boot setups.
Disabling Fast Startup in Windows 11
Turning off Fast Startup can help solve various boot-related problems. Here’s how to do it in Control Panel.
- Open Control Panel. Type “Control Panel” in the Start menu search, and click it when it appears.
- In Control Panel, click “Power Options.” This is where you manage your computer’s energy use.
- On the left sidebar, click “Choose what the power buttons do.” This page controls what happens when you press the power button or close your laptop lid.
- Click “Change settings that are currently unavailable.” This unlocks settings that are usually grayed out.
- Uncheck “Turn on fast startup (recommended),” then save your changes.
After you disable Fast Startup, your computer will shut down completely rather than partially hibernate. This ensures that any updates or changes take effect the next time you power on your device. If you want to keep your open apps when you power off, use Hibernate in Windows 11 instead. If the slow part comes after you sign in rather than during boot, changing your startup programs in Windows 11 is more likely to help.
Tips for disabling Fast Startup in Windows 11
- Backup First: Always back up your data before making system changes.
- Understand Impacts: Disabling Fast Startup might slow down boot time slightly.
- Check Updates: Ensure your system is updated before making changes.
- Consider Dual Boot: If you’re dual-booting, this change could help with OS selection issues.
- Test After Changes: Restart your PC to ensure changes have been applied correctly.
What Fast Startup actually does
Fast Startup is a hybrid of shutdown and hibernation. When you click Shut down, Windows 11 closes your apps and signs you out, but saves the Windows kernel and loaded drivers to the hibernation file (hiberfil.sys). On the next power-on, Windows reloads that saved state instead of starting from scratch. It only affects Shut down followed by a cold boot; Restart always performs a full restart and ignores Fast Startup. Turning it off matters most when you run Linux next to Windows 11, because Linux may refuse to open a Windows drive left in a half-saved state.
Why you might turn it off
- Dual booting: with Fast Startup on, the Windows drive is left in a locked, hibernated state, so Linux or another Windows install may not be able to write to it safely.
- Updates and drivers: some updates and driver installs only finish after a full shutdown.
- BIOS/UEFI access: the fast boot path can make it harder to press the firmware key at startup.
- Wake-on-LAN and USB devices: some network cards and USB devices do not come back correctly after a hybrid shutdown.
- Troubleshooting: a driver problem can persist across shutdowns because the kernel state is restored rather than rebuilt.
Other ways to disable Fast Startup
Turn off hibernation with Command Prompt
Fast Startup depends on hibernation, so turning hibernation off also turns Fast Startup off and deletes hiberfil.sys. Open Command Prompt as administrator (or Terminal (Admin)) and run:
powercfg /h off
To turn hibernation and Fast Startup back on, run powercfg /h on. Turning hibernation off also removes the Hibernate option from the power menu.
Use the Registry Editor
Press Windows + R, type regedit, and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power. Double-click HiberbootEnabled and set its value to 0 to disable Fast Startup (1 turns it back on). Back up the registry before editing it.
Do a one-time full shutdown
If you only need a full shutdown once, hold Shift while you click Power > Shut down, or run shutdown /s /f /t 0 from Command Prompt. Fast Startup stays enabled for future shutdowns.
Troubleshooting
“Turn on fast startup” is missing
The checkbox only appears when hibernation is enabled. Run powercfg /h on as administrator, then reopen Choose what the power buttons do. Some PCs with Modern Standby or older firmware may not offer the option at all.
The checkbox is greyed out
Click Change settings that are currently unavailable first; this requires administrator rights. On work or school PCs, an administrator may control the setting through Group Policy.
Fast Startup turns itself back on
Major Windows feature updates can reset power settings. Check the setting after big updates, or use powercfg /h off if you never use hibernation.
Frequently asked questions
Will disabling Fast Startup affect my PC’s performance?
It might increase boot time but won’t affect performance once your system is running.
Can I re-enable Fast Startup later?
Yes, you can easily re-enable it by following the same steps and checking the box.
Does Restart use Fast Startup?
No. Restart always does a full shutdown and boot, which is why “restart your PC” fixes problems that shutting down does not.
Is Fast Startup the same in Windows 10?
Yes. The setting is in the same place in Control Panel, as shown in turning Fast Startup on or off in Windows 10.
Another startup setting you may want to change is keeping Num Lock on in Windows 11.
Matt Jacobs writes and maintains the guides on Support Your Tech, which he started in 2017. He spent most of his career keeping small-business PCs running and still takes the occasional consulting job, so the steps here come from fixing the same problems on other people’s computers. Every guide is checked on his own Windows 11, Windows 10, Mac, iPhone and iPad before it goes up.