Turn off this function on your computer and reduce power by up to 50%

Turning a Windows computer on and off may seem like a chore, but there’s a feature of this operating system that may be contributing to unnecessary power consumption: Fast Startup.

This feature is enabled by default in Windows 10 and Windows 11, and promises faster startup and shutdown times. However, few users are aware of the impact it can have on energy, so deactivating it can be an option that helps reduce spending in this regard, as well as other recommendations to follow.

Fast Startup is a feature introduced in Windows 8 and maintained in Windows 10 and 11. Designed to speed up the operating system boot process.

Instead of performing a complete shutdown, this tool saves the system state to the hibernation file. When you turn your computer back on, this file loads quickly, significantly reducing boot time.

To better understand how fast start affects power consumption, it’s helpful to understand how it works:

• When you shut down your computer with Fast Startup enabled, Windows closes all applications and logs users out, But it saves the kernel state of the operating system and drivers in the hibernation file.
• This file, called hiberfile, is stored on your hard drive or SSD. It contains all the information necessary to quickly reboot the system.
• When you turn on your computer, Windows reads the hiberfile and restores the state of the kernel and drivers, allowing for a faster boot.

Although Fast Startup reduces the time required to boot your computer, it can increase power consumption for several reasons.

This mainly occurs because the system is not completely turned off and some components may continue to consume power in standby state. In addition, creating and reading the hibernation file may result in additional hard drive or SSD usage, resulting in additional power consumption, especially on older devices.

Added to this, some users have reported that some hardware and software issues are not completely resolved because the system does not shut down completely.Which leads to more reboots and thus higher power consumption.

• Hardware and software problems– If you are experiencing recurring hardware or software issues, disabling Fast Startup can help resolve them by ensuring a complete shutdown and clean reboot of the system.
• Older devices– In older devices, additional power consumption and file read/write cycles can cause components to wear out more quickly.
• Energy conservation– If you are aware of power consumption and want to reduce it, a quick shutdown can reduce the amount of power your device uses. This should not be considered the only solution, but rather as part of a larger set of saving options.

If you only need to disable Fast Startup once, There are two quick ways:

• Use the Shift key: When you click the shutdown button, hold down the Shift key. This will force a complete shutdown.
• Using the shutdown command: Open the Run application (you can press Windows + R) and enter the command “shutdown -s -t 00” (without the quotes). This will completely shut down your computer without using Fast Startup.

To permanently disable Fast Startup, follow these steps:

1. Open the Windows Settings menu and search for “Power & Sleep.”
2. At the bottom of the Power & Sleep section, select “Additional power settings.”
3. In the new window, select “Choose Power Button Behavior” from the left menu.
4. Click “Change settings that are currently unavailable” at the top of the window.
5. Finally, uncheck the “Enable fast startup” option and save the changes.