4 Ways to Disable Fast Startup on Windows 11

Quick Tips

• Enabling fast startup prevents your PC from shutting down completely, which can sometimes hinder the installation of Windows updates.
• Disabling fast startup ensures that your computer undergoes a full shutdown, effectively ending all processes and services before powering off.
• You can disable fast startup through the Control Panel, Command Prompt, Group Policy Editor, or Registry Editor.

Method 1: Disable Fast Startup Using Control Panel

Using the Control Panel is an old-school way of making changes to your Windows computer. Here’s how to use it to disable fast startup on Windows.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type control panel, and select the first result that appears.

Step 2: Use the drop-down menu at the top right corner to change the view type to large icons. Then, go to Power Options.

Step 3: Click the Choose what the power buttons do option in the left pane.

Step 4: Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.

Step 5: Uncheck the Turn on fast startup (recommended) option and click Save changes.

Method 2: Disable Fast Startup via Command Prompt

Command Prompt is a powerful tool that allows you to run scripts, repair system files, and perform advanced administrative tasks. You can also use it to change your PC’s power plan or disable the fast startup feature. Here’s how.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon > select Terminal (Admin) from the list.

Step 2: In the console, run the following command and press Enter:

Powercfg -h off

Once you run the above command, the fast startup feature will be disabled.

Method 3: Turn Off Fast Startup From the Group Policy Editor

You can also change the Group Policy settings to disable the fast startup feature on Windows 11. However, you can only use this method using the Windows Professional, Education, or Enterprise editions.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box. Type gpedit.msc in the Open field and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Local Group Policy Editor window, use the left pane to navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Shutdown.

Step 3: Double-click the Require use of fast startup policy on your right.

Step 4: Select Disabled > hit Apply, followed by OK.

Method 4: Disable Fast Startup From the Registry Editor

Another way to disable fast startup on Windows is via the Registry Editor. Since this method is risky, you should only use it if none of the other methods work.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + S to open the search menu. Type registry editor in the box and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, use the address bar at the top to navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power

Step 3: Within the Power key, locate the HiberbootEnabled entry. Double-click on it and change its value to 0 (zero). Then, click on OK.

Exit the Registry Editor and restart your PC to apply the changes. If you wish to re-enable fast startup at any point, follow the same steps above and change the Value data for HiberbootEnabled DWORD to 1.

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