Windows 10 comes with the Fast Startup feature which performs a hybrid shutdown of your PC by logging you out of your user account and then hibernating the PC when you click Shut Down. Because fast startup is essentially logoff+hibernation, the regular Hibernate option which turned off the PC without logging out is hidden and disabled by default. In this article, we will take a look at how to hibernate your PC in Windows 10.
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Before proceeding, see the following articles:
- Enable or disable the Hibernate option in Windows 10.
- Add Hibernate to the Start Menu in Windows 10.
All ways to hibernate your PC in Windows 10
The first one is obvious - you can use the power button in the Start menu:
Open the Start menu and click the Power button. Its menu contains the Hibernate item when hibernation is enabled.
The second method is Power Users menu / Win + X menu. It can be opened in several ways:
- You can press Win + X shortcut keys together to open it.
- Or you can right click the Start button.
You only need to run the command "Shut down or sign out -> Hibernate":
The third way involves the console utility "shutdown.exe". At the command prompt you can type the following command:
shutdown -h
This will hibernate your PC immediately. The "shutdown" utility exists even in Windows XP (or even as far back as the Windows 2000 Resource Kit) and is very useful for various batch file operations and script scenarios.
Tip: Use the following command to force running apps to close, and hibernate the local computer.
shutdown -h -f
Another way is Ctrl + Alt + Del security screen:
You will find the Hibernate option in the menu of the Power button.
The same is applicable to the sign-in screen:
Finally, you can press Alt + F4 on the Desktop to open the classic Shutdown dialog. Although Windows 10 comes with a lot of ways to shutdown your PC, the classic shutdown dialog is accessible only with the help of a hotkey. You have to minimize all windows, then click to focus on the Desktop and finally press Alt+F4 to make it appear. There, select "Hibernate" as your shutdown action.
See the following articles:
- How to set the default action for the Shutdown dialog in Windows 10
- How to create a shortcut to the Shut Down Windows dialog in Windows 10
That's it.
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You missed one possibility: You can also hibernate your computer using the power button, if you configure it as an action in Power Options in the classic control panel. Change plan settings, then Change advanced power settings, and set Power Button Action (under Power buttons and lid) to Hibernate.
Thank you