How to Delete hiberfil.sys to Free Storage in Windows

By Supreeth Koundinya Published August 13, 2022

Once you use a device for a long period, you are bound to run out of storage. While there are multiple ways of fixing such low storage issues, we bet you didn’t know that there are some files of the system reserve memory that can be deleted to free storage space. One such file is called hiberfil.sys.

Hiberfil.sys is a system file that can be safely deleted to free up space. As you read this article, you will understand what this file is used for and how you can delete this file for some free space.

What Is the hiberfil.sys File

If you ever stumbled across the power modes on Windows, you must have come across the Hibernate mode. It is a power saver feature that saves the current session to the hard disk before shutting down the PC. Once you boot it up, you can continue your session without having to re-open applications and programs.

Now, your computer needs to have an assigned space to store all these session-related data. This is why we have the hiberfil.sys files. Moreover, these program data have to be moved from the RAM to the hard disk, where they are stored.

The file size is close to the size of the RAM and is usually around 50-75% of the RAM size. This means that it occupies multiple gigabytes of storage. If you are curious to know how much size it occupies, move on to the next section.

How Much Storage Space hiberfil.sys Files Take

Step 1: Open the Settings app on Windows and click Storage.

Step 2: Now, go to Show more categories.

Step 3: Select System & reserved.

You can now see how much space the hibernation file occupies on your system. It takes around 6 GB on my system. It could be more, or even less on your computer depending on devices and configurations.

Is It Safe to Delete hiberfil.sys

Simply put, yes, it is safe to delete the hibernation file unless you are sure not to use the hibernation mode. So, you can delete the file with ease, and free a few gigabytes of storage in your system.

Now if you change your mind and you want to opt for hibernation at any point in time, you can easily restore this file too.

In the later sections of the article, we have provided a step-by-step procedure to delete and restore the file. Moreover, both, deleting and restoring, require nothing but a command prompt. So, the procedure can be deemed safe.

Should You Disable Hibernation

The main difference between the Sleep mode and the Hibernate mode is that hibernation uses significantly fewer amounts of power. So, if this feature seems useful, we recommend against deleting hiberfil.sys.

If this feature isn’t necessary, and if freeing some storage space is important, go ahead and delete those files. Moreover, if you are a user with administrator privileges, you can access Command Prompt and delete those files.

How to Delete hiberfil.sys

We mentioned using Command Prompt to delete the file. Here’s a step-by-step procedure to do so.

Step 1: Find Command Prompt from the start menu.

Step 2: Right-click and select ‘Run as administrator.’

Step 3: Once opened, type powercfg -h off and press enter.

That’s it. Hibernation is now effectively disabled and you can see that it is invisible in the system files as well. This has also helped me save the 6 GB I mentioned earlier.

How to Restore hiberfil.sys

Restoring hiberfil.sys is simple too.

If you are using Windows 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11: Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type Powercfg – h on. This will enable hibernation back onto your PC.

If you use Windows XP: Open Control Panel, select Power Options, select the Hibernation Tab and uncheck the box to enable hibernation.

This is how you can delete hiberfil.sys in Windows. If you ahve more questions, check out the below section where we have answered some common queries you might have.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What happens if I delete Hibernation file?

Once you delete the hibernation file, you can’t use the hibernate option on your system. So your power options will be restricted to sleep, shut down, and restart only.

2. How do I reduce hiberfil.sys file size in Windows?

You can reduce the size using Command Prompt in the admin mode. But, there is a minimum percentage of RAM that the hiberfi.sys has to be sized at, and you cannot reduce it further. This is usually around 40-55%. You need to type Powercfg –h –size percentage. For example, if I need to reduce it to 40%, I need to type Powercfg –h –size 40.

3. Can I move hiberfil.sys to another drive?

Unfortunately, the file is meant to remain only on the drive on which Windows is installed in. Thus, you cannot move or partition hiberfil.sys files.

Safely Delete Hibernation File

This is all you need to know about hiberfil.sys and how, and why you need to delete it. We hope this article helped you free up significant storage space on your device. Have more questions regarding your Windows device? Share them in the comments below.

Last updated on 12 August, 2022

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