Disabling Fast Startup in Windows 11 is one of those things that might seem small but can actually make a difference, especially if your PC is acting weird on boot or updates aren’t installing right. Basically, Fast Startup speeds up your boot time by saving a chunk of the system state (like driver info and kernel) into a file on shutdown. Sounds good, right? Well, on some setups, this meddling can cause hardware to misbehave, drivers to not load properly, or updates to get stuck. If you keep noticing weird stuff after closing your laptop or restarting, turning off Fast Startup might help clear things up.
How to Disable Fast Startup in Windows 11
Going straight to it—how to turn off that speed booster
So here’s the deal. This might seem kinda hidden at first, because Windows doesn’t put it front and center. But if you want your PC to do a full shutdown (which can fix driver conflicts or update issues), this is the way to go. It’s kind of frustrating because Windows prefers to be sneaky about it, so you’ll have to dig a little into the settings. Once turned off, your system performs a proper shutdown every time, no shortcuts. Not sure why it works, but on one machine it helped resolve weird startup glitches, on another… not so much. Anyway, here’s the step-by-step:
Open the Control Panel
- Hit the Windows key or click the start menu, then type “Control Panel”.
- Select the app from the search results. Be aware, sometimes it’s tucked away under “Large icons” view, so switch that if you don’t see it right away.
- When Control Panel opens, navigate to System and Security > Power Options. Nope, it’s not in Settings anymore, at least for this stuff.
Go to Power Button Settings
- In Power Options, on the left sidebar, click on “Choose what the power buttons do”.
- Here’s where things get a little sneaky: You might need to click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable” to unlock the shutdown options. All those gray-out options, of course, get unlocked here.
Disable Fast Startup
- Scroll down to the section labeled “Shutdown settings”.
- Look for the checkbox that says “Turn on fast startup (recommended)”.
- Uncheck that box. Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary.
- Click Save changes at the bottom. Now your PC won’t use that shortcut for booting anymore, and every shutdown will actually be a full one.
And just like that, you’ve turned off Fast Startup. Expect your system to take a few extra seconds to get going on startup—but it might be worth it if things weren’t playing nice before.
Tips for Disabling Fast Startup in Windows 11
- Backup data: Always good to do, especially before messing with system settings. Better safe than sorry.
- Check drivers: Make sure all your device drivers are up to date before and after flipping this switch. Especially graphics, chipset, and network drivers.
- Test things out: After disabling, reboot a few times to see if your issues clear up or if boot times become unmanageable. On some machines, the difference isn’t huge, so weigh that.
- Update Windows: Sometimes, the latest system updates tweak how fast startup works, so keep everything current.
- Re-enable if needed: Still having problems? No biggie. Just revisit the control panel and re-check that box if you want to go back to speedy boots.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fast Startup in Windows 11?
Fast Startup is basically Windows’ way of speeding up boot times by hibernating parts of the system instead of doing a full shutdown. It saves session info to a file, so next time it boots up faster.
Will disabling Fast Startup affect my computer’s speed?
Yup, it generally makes your startup slower because it’s no longer saving that system snapshot. But it can avoid some weird bugs with hardware and drivers.
Is it safe to disable Fast Startup?
Absolutely. If you’re having issues with updates, devices, or just weird boot stuff, turning it off is a legit troubleshooting step.
Can I turn it back on later?
Of course. Just follow the same process and re-check the box. Windows is pretty flexible about these things.
Why bother disabling it?
If you’re noticing hardware conflicts, driver quirks, or updates not working, the full shutdown that results from disabling Fast Startup might do the trick by forcing Windows to do a real reset.
Summary
- Open Control Panel > System and Security > Power Options.
- Click “Choose what the power buttons do”.
- Click “Change settings that are currently unavailable”.
- Uncheck “Turn on fast startup”.
- Save your changes and restart.
Wrap-up
This whole thing with Fast Startup is kind of a mixed bag. It’s meant to make things faster, sure, but sometimes the trade-offs cause more trouble than they’re worth. Disabling it is a quick and fairly simple fix if your system has weird boot problems or driver issues after update. Sometimes, it’s even worth just toggling it back and forth to see what plays nice with your hardware. Fingers crossed this helps clear up some of those persistent startup glitches or update headaches. Just something that worked for me — hope it works for you, too.