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Hibernation and Fast Startup

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Recommendation

By device type

On a gaming desktop without hibernation, disable it and Fast Startup. On a laptop, leave them enabled if you use Hibernate or hybrid sleep.

Disabling removes hiberfil.sys and ensures a full shutdown, but removes Hibernate, hybrid sleep and fast startup after shutdown.

Desktop PC
Often disable
Laptop
Usually leave enabled
Disk space
Freed up

What changes

Section titled “What changes”

Hibernation saves the memory state to hiberfil.sys so that the session can be restored after a complete power loss. Hybrid sleep uses the same file in case of power loss. Fast Startup saves the kernel session and drivers to speed up the next startup after shutdown.

When hibernation is disabled, Windows deletes hiberfil.sys. Hibernation, hybrid sleep and Fast Startup become unavailable. After shutdown, the next startup goes through a full boot cycle. On restart, this cycle is performed even with Fast Startup enabled.

Section titled “When it is recommended to disable”
  • a desktop gaming PC where Hibernate and hybrid sleep are not used;
  • on a system SSD, it is important to free up the space occupied by hiberfil.sys;
  • Fast Startup causes a confirmed problem with a driver, dual boot, mounting another partition or incorrect shutdown;
  • a predictable full startup after every shutdown is required.

When to leave it enabled

Section titled “When to leave it enabled”
  • the laptop is regularly carried around and must preserve the session without battery drain;
  • hybrid sleep is used as protection against power loss;
  • startup speed after shutdown matters more than the freed space;
  • there are no problems related to Fast Startup.

Disabling frees up disk space and removes the writing and reading of hibernation data. Shutdown becomes full instead of hybrid. RAM in an already running Windows is not freed, FPS does not increase.

How to change and revert

Section titled “How to change and revert”

In BoosterX, open «Optimization» → «Power options» → «Hibernation» and set the toggle to “Enabled”: BoosterX will disable hibernation and Fast Startup. Click «Apply» at the bottom of the page. If «Instant apply» is enabled, the change is applied immediately.

To revert, set «Hibernation» to “Disabled” and click «Apply»: BoosterX will restore standard hibernation. After disabling, check that the Hibernate item has disappeared and that hiberfil.sys no longer takes up space; after enabling, check the availability of the required power state.

Sources and verification boundaries

Section titled “Sources and verification boundaries”

On Modern Standby systems, the available power states may differ. Before disabling on a laptop, check the Sleep and Hibernate scenarios actually in use.

Last verified: 2026-09-20.