How to enable Hibernate on Windows 11

Here are the steps to enable and configure the energy-saving Hibernate feature on Windows 11.

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Windows 11 enable Hibernate
Windows 11 enable Hibernate
  • To enable Hibernate on Windows 11, open PowerShell or Command Prompt (admin) and run the “powercfg /hibernate on” command, then open the Control Panel’s “Power Options” page, click the “Choose what the power button does” setting, and turn on “Hibernate.”
  • You can also enable Hibernate when you press the Power button or close the laptop lid.
  • To disable hibernation, open the Control Panel’s “Power Options” page, click the “Choose what the power button does” setting, and turn off “Hibernate,” and then from PowerShell or Command Prompt (admin) and run the “powercfg /hibernate off” command.

UPDATED 11/21/2023: On Windows 11, you can enable “Hibernate” in multiple steps, and in this guide, I’ll outline steps to complete this configuration. Hibernate is a feature that saves the contents loaded into memory onto the hard drive (in the “hiberfil.sys” file) to shut down the computer completely, preserving your current session with all the running applications. This process allows you to pick up where you left off the next time you turn on the computer.

The Hibernate power state is an alternative feature to sleep or shut down sleep to save energy or preserve battery life when on the go and you don’t have a power source nearby.

Although it’s a convenient feature, you won’t find the “Hibernate” option in the Power options menu because it’s disabled by default. However, if you have a computer that meets the hardware requirements, you must use Command Prompt (or PowerShell) to enable Hibernate on Windows 11. Otherwise, you won’t find the option in Control Panel. Once it’s enabled, you can add the “Hibernate” option to the Power options menu or change the behavior of the power button or laptop’s lid from the Control Panel.

In this guide, I will teach the steps to turn on (and off) and configure hibernation on Windows 11.

Enable Hibernate on Windows 11

To enable Hibernate on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start on Windows 11.

  2. Search for Command Prompt or PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to check the hibernation status and press Enter:

    powercfg /availablesleepstates

  4. Type the following command to enable Hibernate on Windows 11 and press Enter:

    powercfg /hibernate on

    Enable Hibernate command

  5. Close the Command Prompt (or PowerShell) console.

  6. Open Control Panel.

  7. Click on Hardware and Sound.

  8. Click on Power Options.

  9. Click the “Choose what the power button does” option.

    Choose what the power button does

  10. Click the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option.

  11. Under the “Shutdown settings” section, check the Hibernate option.

    Windows 11 enable Hibernate

  12. (Optional) Under the “Power button and lid settings” section, choose the Hibernate option in the “When I press the power button” setting to hibernate the device when pressing the power button.

    Enable Hibernate for power button and closing lid

  13. Choose the Hibernate option in the “When I close the lid” setting to allow hibernation when closing the laptop’s lid.

  14. Click the Save Changes button.

Once you complete the steps, the hibernation feature will be enabled on Windows 11, and the option will be available in the Power menu in Start.

Disable Hibernate on Windows 11

To disable Hibernate on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel.

  2. Click on Hardware and Sound.

  3. Click on Power Options.

  4. Click the “Choose what the power button does” option.

    Choose what the power button does

  5. Click the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option.

  6. Under the “Shutdown settings” section, clear the Hibernate option.

    Windows 11 enable Hibernate

  7. Click the Save Changes button.

  8. Open Start.

  9. (Optional) Search for Command Prompt or PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

    Quick tip: Once you clear the option from the Control Panel, it’ll no longer appear in the Power options menu. However, if you want to turn off the feature, you will have to use the “powercfg” tool.

  10. Type the following command to enable Hibernate on Windows 11 and press Enter:

    powercfg /hibernate off

    Disable Hibernate command

     

  11. Type the following command to confirm the hibernation has been disabled and press Enter:

    powercfg /availablesleepstates

After you complete the steps, the Hibernate feature will be disabled on Windows 11.

Update November 21, 2023: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].