The “Fast Startup” feature in Windows 11 helps the operating system boot up more quickly. This feature, available in Windows since at least Windows 7, employs a hybrid of hibernation and shutdown power strategies to speed up the booting process. If your computer is having trouble booting, a fast startup may be the problem. If so, use these steps mentioned in the article to change the setting in Windows 11.

What is Hibernation?

To understand fully how the fast startup feature works, some knowledge of hibernation is required. When hibernation is turned on in Windows 11, the operating system saves the active session from discing, so users may pick up where they left off during a power outage. The fast startup function follows a similar technique. It first logs out all currently active accounts before storing the memory contents on the hard drive. Since numerous services and apps may be recovered from the previous session, this method helps the system boot up more quickly.

The fast startup option is usually selected automatically after setup to save boot times. Disabling and re-enabling the functionality may be necessary if booting troubles persist. It may be required, under some conditions, to disable rapid startup completely.

Enable Fast Startup in Windows 11

Step 1. Begin by opening the Control Panel.

Step 2. From there, navigate to Hardware and Sound.

Step 3. Once you’re there, select Power Options.

Step 4. Click on the option labeled “Choose what the power button does.”

Step 5. Next, click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”

Step 6. Scroll down to the “Shutdown settings” section and locate the “Turn on fast startup” option.

Step 7. Make sure that this option is checked.

Step 8. Finally, save your changes by clicking on the “Save changes” button.

After following the instructions, the device should experience a quicker boot-up time.

Fix fast startup option missing

If you cannot find the option to activate fast startup in the Control Panel, it is possible that hibernation has been disabled. To enable hibernation, you can follow these steps:

Step 1. Click on the Start menu.

Step 2. Search for Command Prompt.

Step 3. Right-click on the top result and select the “Run as administrator” option.

Step 4. Type in the following command to check the power states available on your computer: powercfg /availablesleepstates

Verify that “Fast Startup” is listed in the output.

Step 5. To activate fast startup in the Control Panel, you can enter the command “powercfg /hibernate on” and hit the Enter key. This will enable hibernation on your system.

Step 6. Upon completing the steps, the fast startup option will become accessible within the Power Options settings.

Windows 11‘s fast startup function may reduce the time it takes to launch, but it might only work with some hardware. You probably shouldn’t activate this option if you’re short on space.

Note that the fast startup function may hinder the saving of data from a different Windows or operating system version if you have a dual-boot configuration with a secondary partition. This is because the feature prevents changes to the file’s structure that might result in lost information.

Disable fast startup on Windows 11

Step 1. Open the Control Panel.

Step 2. Navigate to the “Hardware and Sound” section.

Step 3. Select “Power Options.”

Step 4. Choose the “Choose what the power button does” option.

Step 5. Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”

Step 6. Look for the “Shutdown settings” section.

Step 7. Check the box next to “Turn on fast startup.”

Step 8. Finally, click the “Save changes” button to apply the settings.

Conclusion

The Fast Startup function works flawlessly even on slower, older machines with standard hard disc drives (HDDs) or hybrid setups. Even with an SSD, you can save a few seconds, but the inability to dual boot and problems with Windows upgrades are a headache for many people. It all depends on the issue you’re attempting to fix when deciding whether Fast Startup should be enabled or disabled. You may test the feature to determine whether it meets your needs. If not, revert back to your previous configuration.

Hence, you can follow above given steps to enable and disable Fast Startup features in windows 11.