Common Fast Startup Issues and When (and How) to Disable It

Ideally, Fast Startup allows you to continue where you left off when you restart your PC, even after a while. However, common Fast Startup issues can lead to a lack of properly applied updates and seemingly random glitches and lagging. Here’s what you need to know.

How Does Fast Startup Work and When Do You Need It?

In general, you don’t “need” the option at all, as it simply allows your PC to store some drivers and kernel files to bypass a lot of BIOS bootstrapping.

Most commonly, the feature is used to speed up boot time, especially on devices that are still using an HDD for the Windows repository.

Common Fast Startup Issues

Since Fast Startup doesn’t allow your PC to truly turn off everything between sessions, it can lead to a few different issues:

• Some updates may not be applied since they require all background processes to be reset.
• Dual-booting with another system, such as Linux, may prevent the Windows repository from being “seen” by the other system.
• USB and other peripherals might not load properly or show up in Device Manager.
• You might not be able to enter the BIOS by restarting the system, as the input window is too short.
• Third-party storage encryption software might not work, failing to prompt you to enter the password.

Some issues with Fast Startup can also manifest as a host of seemingly unrelated errors, usually with app or program settings, due to the utility preventing Windows from dumping its memory and “refreshing” its state.

Notably, Fast Startup does reduce load times, but in modern PCs, this is measured in a few seconds.

How to Disable Fast Startup

There are two workarounds if you want to disable Fast Startup since it doesn’t show up in traditional settings.

Option 1 – Use the Control Panel

While the Control Panel has been practically hidden in Windows 11, you’ll need it for advanced power options such as Fast Startup.

Step 1. Search for the Control Panel (in the search bar) and open it.

Step 2. Expand to see all Control Panel items, then find “Power Options.”

Step 3. Click on “Choose what the power buttons do” from the left-hand panel.

Step 4. Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”

Step 5. Uncheck “Turn on fast startup” and click “Save changes.”

Option 2 – Use the Command Prompt

You can also use a simple command to turn the feature on or off.

Step 1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator (you can search for it via the search bar and accept the User Account Control).

Step 2. Enter the following command: powercfg /h off

Notably, you might not be able to see Fast Startup as an option in the Control Panel if you use this. To revert the change, use “powercfg /h on.”