• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Technipages

Tutorials and fixes for smartphone, gadget, and computer problems

  • Topics
    • Android
    • Gaming
    • Hardware
    • Internet
    • iOS
    • MacOS
    • Office
    • Software
    • Windows
    • Definitions
  • Product Reviews
  • Downloads
  • About Technipages

Windows 10: Enable/Disable Hibernation

By Mel Hawthorne Leave a Comment

Hibernation is a Windows feature that allows the computer to save the state of all running programs before shutting down fully. The computer can then resume from the saved state when it turns on again. Hibernation is designed to be a middle-ground between shutting down and going to sleep. The computer powers down as if it was shut down but saves its state as if it were asleep.

All data stored on the RAM when the computer hibernates is saved to the hard drive. This means a certain amount of space has to be left free on the hard drive at all times, just in case the computer hibernates at some point. This space is allocated to the “Hiberfil.sys” file. If you come across it – it’s that allocation amount. The size of Hiberfil.sys is approximately equal to the amount of RAM available in your system. So, if you’ve got 16GBs of RAM, 16GBs of your hard drive are unusable for this purpose.

You can reclaim that hard drive space if you want to by disabling the hibernation feature. To disable hibernation, you need to launch command prompt as an administrator by pressing the Windows key and then searching for “Command prompt”.  Right-click, and then click “Run as Administrator”. If you are prompted to confirm that you really want to take this action, click “Yes” to continue.

Once in the command prompt, type the command “powercfg.exe /hibernate off” without the quotation marks and then press enter.

In an administrative command prompt, run the command “powercfg.exe /hibernate off”.

The command doesn’t return any output, so you won’t see any sort of reaction even if it works properly. Once the command has been run, you can close the command prompt by clicking the “X” in the top right corner. Please be careful and don’t otherwise type anything into the command prompt – it’s very easy to accidentally change something important!

Disabling hibernation runs the risk of data loss in the event of power loss – if your computer blacks out or a laptop runs out of battery and shuts down, you’ll lose some of what you were working on. If you want to re-enable hibernation, follow the same steps to open an administrative command prompt but run the command “powercfg.exe /hibernate on” instead.

Tip: If you want to confirm that the process works, restart your computer and check the hiberfil.sys file through a file explorer search. It should no longer be the same size as before, or even gone entirely.

You Might Also Like

  • Windows 10 Goes Into Hibernation When Shut Down
    Windows 10 Goes Into Hibernation When Shut Down
  • Windows 10: Enable/Disable Sample Submission for Windows Defender
    Windows 10: Enable/Disable Sample Submission for Windows…
  • Windows 10, 8 & 7: Enable or Disable Superfetch
    Windows 10, 8 & 7: Enable or Disable Superfetch
  • Enable or Disable CD Burning in Windows 10
    Enable or Disable CD Burning in Windows 10
  • Windows 10: Enable/Disable Bluetooth
    Windows 10: Enable/Disable Bluetooth
  • Enable or Disable Windows File Protection
    Enable or Disable Windows File Protection
  • Enable/Disable Numlock at Windows Startup
    Enable/Disable Numlock at Windows Startup
  • Enable/Disable "Manage" Selection Under "This PC" in Windows 10
    Enable/Disable "Manage" Selection Under "This PC" in Windows…
  • Windows 10: Enable/Disable On-Screen Keyboard
    Windows 10: Enable/Disable On-Screen Keyboard

Filed Under: Windows

Reader Interactions

Did this help? Let us know!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Windows 11: How to Add Clocks with Different Time Zones
  • Google Assistant: How to Never Miss a Birthday
  • Windows 11: How to Disable Notifications and Ads
  • How to Use Oculus Quest 2 Air Link
  • How to Create an Avatar in the Oculus Quest 2
  • 5 Free and Fun Math Apps for Kids
  • Windows 11: How to Discover What Graphics Card You’re Using
  • How to Change Display Resolution on Windows 10 and 11

Who’s Behind Technipages?

Baby and Daddy My name is Mitch Bartlett. I've been working in technology for over 20 years in a wide range of tech jobs from Tech Support to Software Testing. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful reference for all.

You May Also Like

  • Windows 95/98
  • Microsoft Windows NT
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Microsoft Windows 95
  • Windows Media Player (WMP)
  • Top 8 Itunes Alternatives for Windows

© Copyright 2022 Technipages · All Rights Reserved · Privacy