How to Turn Off Fast Startup on Windows 11
Fast startup is a pivotal feature I can’t do without on Windows 11, albeit there are conjectural concerns that it can cause some disruptions in the system backlog and BIOS. If you don’t know your way around these kinds of stuff should they spring up, you might be prompted to disable fast startup on your PC to be on the safer side.
But considering the amount of time this handy Windows 11 PC feature saves me, it’s important to highlight what it does and clear some misconceptions about it before walking you through how to disable it should you still want to go ahead with it.
How Does Fast Startup Work?
Fast startup is a feature introduced by Microsoft in Windows 8 to aid the boot process. The feature is enabled by default, so some users might not even know that they have it.
Fast startup, when enabled, logs off all users and closes some processes when you shut down your PC. However, it retains some critical drivers and kernel needed for a system to boot and the current state of your PC and then saves them on a hibernation file.
When next you boot your device, it will boot up from the hibernation state rather than from scratch, thereby aiding quick boot-up.
Does Fast Startup Drain Battery?
In contrast to conventional Windows sleep mode, Fast Startup doesn’t retain the current state of your PC and relies on the battery to keep it running. Instead, it saves your PC’s current state on a hibernation file which loads only when your PC is powered on with its embedded battery.
Is Fast Startup Bad?
The only major disadvantage of Fast Startup that I can think of comes with Windows update. When updating your Windows version, the system needs your systems to shut down completely when rebooting in order to implement the changes.
However, with fast boot enabled, this can be a problem and can adversely affect the operating system.
The other disadvantage that comes to mind is a dual boot when Fast Startup locks your hard drive. And, unless you’re running another operating system alongside Windows on your PC, you won’t have to worry about it.
Turning to Turn Off Fast Startup on Windows 11
With misconceptions and mechanisms of Fast Startup out of the way, you can use the following steps if you want to disable it for reasons best known to you.
- Press Windows Key + S to open Windows search
- Enter Control Panel in the search box and click on the relevant result
- Once in the Control Panel window, navigate to and click System and Security
- Under System and Security, click On Power Options
- Next, on the left pane, click Chose What the Power Buttons Do
- In the following window, click Change Settings That Are Currently Available
- Next, under the Shutdown Section, uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended)
Your system will shut down completely when next you put it off and boot from scratch when powered on.
Final Notes
Fast Startup is a handy feature that saves time. Unless you’re a dual OS user, there’s absolutely no need to turn it off. If you have concerns about disruptions when updating Windows version, you can turn off Fast Startup before the update and turn it back on.
