Windows started booting up a lot faster since Windows 8. The Hybrid Boot feature changed how Windows used to shut down and restart. That said, if, for any reason, you want to switch to non-hybrid mode to shut down or restart Windows instead of Fast Boot, here is how to disable or enable Hybrid Boot in Windows 10. It was also called Fast Startup.
What is Hybrid Boot in Windows 11/10? How does it work?
Let us now understand why you should not opt for this exemplary behavior. If you have already used Windows 8 a bit, you know how fast it boots compared to Windows 7. It’s because in Hybrid Boot, Windows does not shut down the kernel when the machine shutdowns. What is closed is the user sessions, i.e., any application, files, etc. As most of the time is spent bringing the kernel or the Windows Core up, Hybrid mode ensures the boot experience is as good as getting up from sleep mode.
You can compare this with Hibernation, where both the state of Windows and User State is frozen to state, and it boots up very fast, but here, only the kernel is hibernated, and since the user session doesn’t take much time, everything is fast here.
The most probably moment you will use this will be when you find your computer slow or something; I suggest you either refresh or reset your computer. Refresh will fix any corrupt files, and bring settings to default, whereas the reset will remove all your data and take you to the day Windows was first installed on your computer. Read more on how to do this.
Disable or Enable Hybrid Boot/Fast Startup in Windows 11/10
Windows is now 30-65% faster because it did not permanently shut down Kernel. It preserved its stage and restored it from there. If you have a UEFI system, the boot will be even faster. Let’s learn how to configure Faster Startup or Hybrid Boot.
There are three ways to do this. The last two options should only be if the first is blocked.
- Power Options
- Registry Changes
- Group Policy
You will need an administrator account to execute these suggestions.
1] Using Power Options
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command box, copy and paste the following command, and press Enter:
powercfg.cpl
- In the Power Options windows, click the Choose what the power buttons do option from the left pane.
- On the System Settings page, click on the Change settings that are currently unavailable link.
- Under Shutdown settings, check the Turn on fast startup (recommended) option and click Save changes. Restart your PC.
Next time when you reboot your computer, it will take loads of time, which I experienced personally. The complete shutdown took 7 to 8 minutes though the restart was a bit okay but still slow. Though it says restart behavior is not affected, I found some slowness.
2] Registry Changes to enable or disable Fast Startup
- Create a Restore Point.
- Type regedit in the Run prompt, and hit Enter key.
- In the registry editor, navigate to+
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power
- Check if there is a key with the name HiberbootEnabled. If yes, skip the next step.
- On the right-hand pane, right-click in space, and create a DWORD. Name it “HiberbootEnabled.”
- Double-click on it to edit it. Enter 0 or 1 in the value section
- 0 = Do not Force Hybrid Boot
- 1 = Force Hybrid Boot
- Click ok and exit. Next time you restart, you will know if those changes made any effect.
3] Group Policy changes to disable or enable Hybrid Boot or Fast Startup
- Type gpedit.msc in the Run Prompt, and hit Enter key
- Then navigate to
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Shutdown
- Locate the policy with the name Require use of fast startup, and double click to edit it.
- Enable to turn on Fast Startup or Hybrid mode, Disable to turn it off.
- Apply, exit, and then restart to see if the changes are applied.
I hope the tutorial was easy to follow, and you could disable or enable Fast Startup, aka Hybrid Boot, in Windows 11/10.
