Enable and Disable Hibernation on Windows 10

Enable and Disable Hibernation on Windows 10 – Sleep Mode vs Standby!

Whether it’s a PC or a laptop, Microsoft offers numerous alternatives to shutting down your device – sleep vs hibernate or standby, that’s the question! The majority of these modes shorten your boot time, sometimes considerably and thus speed up the startup process of your system. That’s why you should enable and not disable hibernation on Windows 10 whenever possible and diligently save energy. Your computer will thank you for it.

Let the laptop rest after work is done
Source: Free-Photos from Pixabay

To bring some clarity to the variety of terms, let’s first start with a clarification of the most important questions:

Which is Better – Sleep vs Hibernate? Should you always Turn Off your PC?

That depends (as so often) on the individual case. It’s best to stick to what the experts and long-time users of Windows 10 advise:

(1) Classic Shutdown of the Operating System

Before you consider whether you should enable or disable hibernation on Windows 10, you can check whether a complete shutdown is worthwhile. This refers to the classic Windows shutdown, which can be found via On/Off in the Start menu or Alt + F4 on the desktop. Of all the modes, this one consumes by far the least power because everything stays off. In addition, your operating system has the chance to clean itself up. But be careful: Some processes require a direct restart, which completes other processes.

Sleep vs hibernate or the shut down of your PC
Source: Aleksandar Cvetanović from Pixabay

(2) Power Saving Mode or Standby in Use

Still known as Standby in Windows 7, the mode is recently called simply Energy Saving. Both terms mean one and the same, a weakened form of hibernation. Data is temporarily stored, components are turned off, but the PC is basically still running. If the battery is used up after too long, the device switches itself off. It only takes a few moments to continue working in energy saving mode. Many laptops therefore start a standby and do neither enable nor disable hibernation on Windows 10 when closing the lid to save time.

(3) Enable or Disable Hibernation on Windows 10

With a question of sleep vs hibernate, the latter mode is closer to shutting down, and more rigorous. Linked to the lock screen, this mode is not even available on some devices. A clear disadvantage for desktop PCs, which laptops or even tablets often bypass. Hibernation can be seen as a kind of compromise between shutdown and standby. Your system restarts a bit slower than in energy-saving mode, but consequently also consumes less power. This is also a good option for closed devices.

Save energy with Windows 10 hibernation
Source: Bruno /Germany from Pixabay

Does my PC Support the Hibernation Mode of Windows 10?

You can easily find out yourself which modes your computer offers. You can enable or disable hibernation on Windows 10 via the command line (CMD) or via Windows PowerShell. The easiest way to start the latter is via the Quick Access Windows logo key + X as administrator. In the already selected line, you then enter the command powercfg /a. After confirming with Enter, Windows will list all options your system supports.

If the identifier S4 also appears there, you know that you can enable and disable hibernation on Windows 10 as explained below.

Enable and Disable Windows 10 Hibernation: Method 1

If you still have the command prompt CMD or PowerShell open, you do not need to do anything other than the following commands:

  • Enable hibernation: powercfg -H on
  • Disable hibernation: powercfg -H off

That’s it! Now the power off option appears in the menu. You can simply copy the commands from the text here and use your Windows clipboard.

This command can be used to enable or disable hibernation on Windows 10

If you are looking for more advanced settings to work with Windows 10 hibernation, check out the next guide:

Enable and Disable Windows 10 Hibernation: Method 2

If you want to go a little deeper into the matter and enable or disable hibernation on Windows 10, you have various options:

  1. Open the Settings by pressing the Windows logo key + I. There you select System.
  2. Under Network and Energy Saving, you will find the Additional Energy Settings in the Related Settings. Click on it.
  3. In the new window, on the Select page, you can see what should happen when you press the Power Button. This includes operations like closing a laptop.
  4. Unlock the editing of your settings by clicking on Some settings are currently unavailable.
  5. Check the Hibernate box and confirm your choices by clicking Save Changes. The Hibernate option appears in the power menu.
Show hibernation mode in power menu

Additionally, you can edit the key settings in this context menu. What should happen when pressing the power button, what when closing it? Are there differences between battery and mains operation? So you can personalize your PC as you like. If you don’t want to enable and rather disable hibernation on Windows 10, uncheck the corresponding box. That’s it!

You still don’t see the shutdown menu correctly? This can also be due to the fact that your taskbar does not work. So it can happen that in the next step you have to first fix your start menu to be able to enable or disable hibernation on Windows 10. If you are not satisfied with the display of Windows 10, you can even reactivate the classic start menu and find more option for sleep vs hibernate.