How to Disable Fast Startup on Windows 11 (Step-by-Step)

Fast Startup is a Windows feature that speeds up boot times by saving part of your system state to a hibernation file instead of fully shutting down. It’s usually helpful, but it can also cause problems like devices not detecting properly after a shutdown, dual-boot conflicts, or updates failing to apply. Here’s how to switch it off on Windows 11.

Quick steps

1. Open Control Panel and go to Power Options.
2. Select Choose what the power buttons do.
3. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
4. Untick Turn on fast startup (recommended).
5. Click Save changes.

Before you start

You’ll need an account with administrator rights on the PC, since the Fast Startup toggle sits behind an admin-only permission prompt. This setting applies to desktop PCs and laptops running Windows 11, and it’s the same feature whether people call it “fast startup” or “fast boot.” If you’re using a work or managed device, check with your IT team before changing power settings, since some organizations control these settings through policy.

Turn off Fast Startup from Control Panel (main method)

1. Press the Windows key, type Control Panel, and open it.
2. Set the view to Large icons or Small icons if you’re using category view, then click Power Options.
3. In the left-hand menu, select Choose what the power buttons do.
4. At the top of the next screen, click Change settings that are currently unavailable. You may see a Windows security or admin prompt, go ahead and confirm it.
5. Scroll down to Shutdown settings and untick the box next to Turn on fast startup (recommended).
6. Click Save changes at the bottom of the window.

Fast Startup is now off. Your PC will go through a full shutdown from here on, which takes a bit longer to boot but avoids some of the glitches tied to the hybrid shutdown state.

Turn off Fast Startup using the Settings app

Windows 11 doesn’t have a dedicated Fast Startup toggle inside the Settings app, so you still need to go through Control Panel’s Power Options as described above. You can get there faster from Settings if you prefer:

1. Open Settings and go to System, then Power & battery.
2. Scroll down and look for a related power plan link, or simply search “power options” from the Windows search bar.
3. Once Control Panel’s Power Options opens, follow the same steps as above: Choose what the power buttons do, then Change settings that are currently unavailable, then untick Turn on fast startup.

If it doesn’t work

The checkbox for Turn on fast startup is missing or greyed out

This usually happens because hibernation is disabled on the device, or because a policy on a managed work PC is controlling the setting. Fast Startup relies on hibernation being available, so if hibernate is turned off at the system level, the option won’t show up at all. On a company-managed device, check with your IT admin, since organizational settings can lock this down.

You can’t click “Change settings that are currently unavailable”

Make sure you’re signed in with an administrator account, or that you have the admin password handy if you’re using a standard account. The link only becomes clickable once Windows confirms you have permission to change system-wide power settings.

Fast Startup turns back on after a Windows update

Some updates can reset power settings to their defaults, including re-enabling Fast Startup. If you’ve noticed it switch back on, just repeat the steps above to turn it off again.

Your PC still seems slow to shut down after disabling it

A full shutdown without Fast Startup naturally takes a little longer than the hybrid shutdown, since Windows is closing everything properly instead of hibernating the kernel session. That’s expected behavior, not a sign something’s broken.

Frequently asked questions

Should Fast Startup be on or off in Windows 11?

For most people, leaving it on is fine and gives you quicker boot times. It’s worth turning off if you’re troubleshooting hardware detection issues, setting up dual boot with another OS, or your device isn’t fully powering down between uses.

What’s the difference between Fast Startup and Fast Boot?

They’re often used interchangeably, but technically Fast Boot usually refers to a BIOS/UEFI-level setting that skips some hardware checks at startup, while Fast Startup is the Windows feature that uses hibernation data to speed up the boot from a shutdown. Disabling one doesn’t automatically disable the other, so check your BIOS separately if you’re trying to remove all fast-boot behavior.

Will turning off Fast Startup slow down my PC?

It can add a few extra seconds to your boot time since Windows has to start fresh rather than resuming from a saved hibernation state. Everyday performance once you’re logged in isn’t affected.

Does disabling Fast Startup delete the hiberfil.sys file?

Turning off Fast Startup alone doesn’t remove the hibernation file, since hibernate can still be used separately. If you want to free up that disk space too, you’d need to disable hibernation entirely through the command line, which is a separate setting from Fast Startup.

Why is Fast Startup causing problems on my PC?

Because Fast Startup keeps parts of the previous session in memory via hibernation, some drivers or network settings don’t fully reset between sessions. This can show up as devices not reconnecting properly, dual-boot systems seeing out-of-date disk info, or updates that need a true restart to finish installing.

Related guides

• How To Stop Teams Loading Up After Logging In
• How to Disable OneDrive on Windows 10 and 11
• How to Remove OneDrive from Your PC

Sources

• Windows Documentation (Microsoft Learn)
• Manage additional Windows Update settings (Microsoft Learn)