Skip to content
Lifestyle — Unveiling the Future of Tech

Utilizing hibernation to boost battery duration in Windows 11 and Windows 10

Guide demonstrating how to activate and customize the Windows 11 power-saving hibernation function, aiming to conserve energy and boost your device's battery duration.

,   and  Administrator
3 min read
Utilizing hibernation as a method to extend battery life in Windows 11 and Windows 10
Utilizing hibernation as a method to extend battery life in Windows 11 and Windows 10

Utilizing hibernation to boost battery duration in Windows 11 and Windows 10

Enabling and Customizing Hibernation on Windows 11 and Windows 10

Hibernation is a power-saving feature that allows your computer to save its current state to the hard drive and turn off, preserving battery life when not in use. This guide will show you how to enable hibernation and customize its settings on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Enabling Hibernation on Windows 11

  1. Open Start, search for Command Prompt, and run it as administrator.
  2. Type in the Command Prompt and press Enter.

Adding Hibernate Option to the Power Menu

For both Windows 11 and Windows 10, you can add the "Hibernate" option to the Power menu:

  1. Open Start, search for Control Panel, click the top result.
  2. Click Hardware and Sound, then Power Options.
  3. Click Choose what closing the lid does (for Windows 10) or Power Options (for Windows 11), and check the "Hibernate" option.

Changing Hibernation Settings

You can adjust hibernation settings to suit your preferences. Here's how to do it on both Windows 11 and Windows 10:

  1. Open Start, search for Control Panel, click the top result.
  2. Click Hardware and Sound, then Power Options.
  3. Click Change plan settings, then Change advanced power settings.
  4. Expand the Sleep settings, expand the Hibernate after settings, and set the number of minutes of inactivity before the device goes into hibernation mode when the laptop is running on battery or connected to a power source.

Configuring Power Button and Lid Actions

To change the power button and laptop lid actions to hibernate on Windows 11:

  1. Open Settings, click System, click Power & battery.
  2. Click Lid & power button controls, and choose the "Hibernate" option for the "Pressing the power button will make my PC" or "Closing the lid will make my PC" option in the "Plugged in" or "On battery" setting.

Toggles in the System Menu

Windows 10 and Windows 11 have added quick access buttons (toggles) in the system menu (Action Center) to directly view and manage hibernation settings.

Potential Issues

If you're unable to use hibernation, it could be because the graphics card driver doesn't support this power state, hibernation is disabled on the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), or hardware isn't compatible with hibernation. Updating video drivers or accessing the motherboard firmware might resolve these issues.

Hibernation vs. Sleep Mode

Hibernation is not as fast as sleep mode, but it is still useful for preserving battery when not using the device or running low on battery power. When you turn off the laptop or desktop computer, it resumes where you left off the next time you turn it on.

Note

Some devices, such as those with InstantGo, might not have the hibernate option. If you want to change the schedule of when the computer should hibernate after the time of inactivity, and the option is not available in the Settings app, you will have to use the Control Panel.

Starting on the Windows 11 2024 Update, the Settings app includes new settings to configure hibernation after the feature has been enabled through Command Prompt.

The "Hibernate" feature saves data in memory onto the hard drive using the "Hiberfil.sys" system file. Hibernation might not be available on all system configurations due to reasons such as the graphics card driver not supporting the power state, hibernation being disabled on the UEFI, or hardware not supporting hibernation.

Read also:

Related

Latest