How to Disable Fast Startup in Windows 11

To disable Fast Startup in Windows 11, open Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do, select “Change settings that are currently unavailable,” uncheck “Turn on fast startup (recommended),” and select Save changes. After that, Shut down fully turns off the PC instead of saving part of Windows for a faster start.

This guide covers Windows 11 Home and Pro (the steps are the same in Windows 10). It explains what Fast Startup does, two ways to turn it off, how to do a single full shutdown without changing anything, and when turning it off helps. You need an administrator account to change the setting.

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What Fast Startup Does

Fast Startup is on by default on most PCs. When you select Shut down, Windows closes your apps and signs you out, but saves the Windows core to the hibernation file instead of shutting it down completely. Microsoft’s documentation explains that a fast startup loads that hibernation file into memory, which takes much less time than a cold start that loads and sets up Windows from scratch.

Illustration comparing shut down with Fast Startup, restart, sleep, and hibernate in Windows 11 — Illustration: how shut down, restart, sleep, and hibernate differ.

Method 1: Turn Off Fast Startup in Control Panel

Press Windows key + R, type powercfg.cpl, and press Enter. Result: the Power Options window opens. You can also search Start for Choose a power plan.
Select Choose what the power buttons do in the left pane. Result: the power button and Shutdown settings page opens.
Select Change settings that are currently unavailable. Select Yes if Windows asks for permission. Result: the Shutdown settings checkboxes become clickable.
Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended).
Select Save changes. Result: the next Shut down is a full shutdown.

Illustration of the steps to turn off Fast Startup in Windows 11 through Control Panel — Illustration: the Control Panel steps for turning off Fast Startup.

If you don’t see the Fast Startup option, hibernation is turned off on your PC, and Fast Startup is already unavailable. The same Control Panel page is where Microsoft sets power button and hibernate options. To turn Fast Startup back on, repeat the steps and check the box.

Method 2: Turn Off Hibernation With a Command

Fast Startup depends on the hibernation file, so turning hibernation off also turns Fast Startup off.

Right-click Start and select Terminal (Admin). Select Yes in the prompt.
Type powercfg /h off and press Enter. Result: no message appears, but hibernation and Fast Startup are now off.

This also removes the Hibernate option. To undo it, run powercfg /h on. Lenovo notes that after using this method, the Fast Startup checkbox may disappear from Control Panel until you turn hibernation back on. The command is listed in Microsoft’s powercfg reference.

Fully Shut Down Once Without Changing the Setting

Hold Shift while you select Shut down from the Power menu.
Or select Restart. A restart always does a full shutdown and startup.
Or type shutdown /s /f /t 0 in Terminal and press Enter. This closes open apps without asking, so save your work first.

Why Turn It Off?

Updates and drivers: some updates and driver changes only finish after a full shutdown or restart.
Dual boot: another operating system may refuse to write to, or even mount, a Windows drive that was shut down with Fast Startup on.
Firmware settings: Lenovo notes you may need a full shutdown to get into BIOS or UEFI settings.
Devices: some USB or audio devices work better after a cold start. Universal Audio, for example, recommends turning it off for its audio interfaces.

The trade-off is a slightly slower startup, which is small on PCs with an SSD. In one test on an NVMe machine, startup took about 4 seconds with Fast Startup and 9 to 10 seconds without.

Troubleshooting

The checkbox is grayed out: select Change settings that are currently unavailable first. You need administrator rights.
The Fast Startup option is missing: hibernation is off. Run powercfg /h on as administrator if you want the option back.
It turned itself back on: a major Windows update or your PC maker’s power software may change power settings. Check the setting again after big updates.
Work PC: your organization may control power settings, so the option may be locked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fast Startup the same as sleep?

No. Fast Startup only affects Shut down. Sleep keeps your apps open in memory.

Will disabling Fast Startup fix my problem?

It can help with issues that go away after a restart but come back after a shutdown.

Is it safe to turn off Fast Startup?

Yes. Windows works normally without it; it just starts a little slower from a full shutdown.

How do I turn Fast Startup on or off in Windows 10?

The steps are the same in Windows 10: open powercfg.cpl, select Choose what the power buttons do, then Change settings that are currently unavailable, and check or uncheck Turn on fast startup. For the different ways to shut down, see how to turn off your computer in Windows 11.

Matthew Burleigh

Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.

Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.

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