• To disable Fast Startup on Windows 11 (or 10), open Control Panel Power Options > Choose what the power button does, click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable,” and turn off Fast Startup.
  • Or in Command Prompt, run the “powercfg /h off” command to disable Fast Startup.

On Windows 11 (and 10), you can disable “Fast Startup” in at least two ways through the Control Panel Power Options settings or Command Prompt, and in this guide, you will learn how.

Fast Startup is a power-related feature that allows your computer to boot faster, combining hibernation and regular shutdown to accomplish quicker system startup. In other words, when the feature is enabled, the system saves the kernel, drivers, and system state to the hibernation (hiberfil.sys) file, and then the computer turns off, but without saving your desktop session and running apps. When the computer turns on, the system will load the contents from the hibernation file to resume more quickly.

Although it’s a useful feature to get to the desktop faster, Fast Startup may also cause problems. For instance, it can cause conflicts when installing updates, managing storage devices with encryption, or in dual-boot systems since it won’t allow you to access the drive from the other setup. In some systems, you may not even be able to access the motherboard’s firmware (UEFI or BIOS) if Fast Startup is enabled.

Whatever the problem might be, on Windows 11 or even on Windows 10, you can turn Fast Startup on or off through Control Panel or Command Prompt.

This guide will teach you how to enable or disable the Fast Startup feature on Windows 11.

  • Disable Fast Startup on Windows 11, 10
  • Disable Fast Startup from Command Prompt on Windows 11, 10

Disable Fast Startup on Windows 11, 10

To disable Fast Startup on Windows 11 (or 10), use these steps:

  • Open Start.
  • Search for Control Panel and click the top result to open the app.
  • Click on Hardware and Sound.
  • Click on Power Options.
  • Click the “Choose what the power button does” option from the left pane.
  • Click the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option.
  • Clear the “Turn on fast startup” option to disable the feature.
  • (Optional) Check the “Turn on fast startup” option to enable the feature.

Once you complete the steps, the feature that allows the operating system to boot faster will be disabled.

Open Start.

Search for Control Panel and click the top result to open the app.

Click on Hardware and Sound.

Click on Power Options.

Click the “Choose what the power button does” option from the left pane.

Click the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option.

Clear the “Turn on fast startup” option to disable the feature.

(Optional) Check the “Turn on fast startup” option to enable the feature.

Disable Fast Startup from Command Prompt on Windows 11, 10

To disable Fast Startup from Command Prompt, use these steps:

  • Open Start.
  • Search for Command Prompt (or PowerShell), right-click the top result and select the Run as administrator option.
  • Type the following command to disable Fast Startup on Windows 11 or 10 and press Enter:
  • powercfg /h off
  • (Optional) Type the following command to enable Fast Startup on Windows and press Enter:
  • powercfg /h on

After you complete the steps, the command will instruct the system to remain disabled on Windows 11 or 10.

Search for Command Prompt (or PowerShell), right-click the top result and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to disable Fast Startup on Windows 11 or 10 and press Enter:

powercfg /h off

(Optional) Type the following command to enable Fast Startup on Windows and press Enter:

powercfg /h on