November 7, 2026, 3:37 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Friday evening, the weekend is almost here. Just need to shut down the computer. One last click on “Shut Down,” the screen goes black, the fan goes silent. Monday morning brings a surprise: The computer seems to have had a busy weekend. It takes forever for Windows to be fully operational, standard programs open sluggishly, and somehow the memory seems quite full even before the first click. This impression is not misleading. Windows didn’t really shut down on Friday; it just “slept.”
This is due to a feature Microsoft has hidden behind the “Shut Down” button since Windows 8. Appropriately named “Fast Startup,” it sounds promising because it makes Windows boot faster. To shorten the boot process, Windows freezes the system core along with loaded drivers. The operating system stores all this information in the “hiberfil.sys” file. The computer then “sleeps.” On the next start, Windows simply reads this file instead of booting everything anew.
While practical for boot speed, this negatively affects long-term system performance. Background processes, driver remnants, and program fragments remain in memory. As more file remnants accumulate, the computer gradually slows down.
However, there are two simple solutions to completely shut down the computer. Interestingly, Microsoft does not mention these on its support pages.
Solution 1: Hold the Shift Key
The quickest way without much typing: Hold down the Shift key before clicking “Shut Down.” Windows will then ignore Fast Startup for this one operation and completely shut down. Very practical, without accessing system settings. Downside: Holding the Shift key is often forgotten.
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Solution 2: Permanently Disable Fast Startup
If you want to get rid of the feature permanently, make a few small changes in the Control Panel:
- Press the “Windows key” in combination with “R.”
- Type the command “powercfg.cpl” (without quotes) into the input window and confirm by clicking “Enter.”
- The “Power Options” in the Control Panel will open.
- In the menu overview, click on “Choose what the power buttons do.”
- Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable” at the top to unlock the options.
- In older Windows versions, it says: “Turn on fast startup (recommended).” Uncheck it; in Windows 11, a drop-down menu appears next to “When I press the power button”; expand this and select “Shut down.”
- Click “Save changes” at the bottom.
From now on, the computer will completely shut down every time you click “Shut Down.”
Also interesting: Windows 11 gets new gallery and AI tools
One Drawback Remains
Without Fast Startup, the boot process takes a bit longer. The difference is negligible with an SSD, but more noticeable with a traditional hard drive. By the way, during a restart, the computer always boots completely anew. This is comparable to a full shutdown, except the computer restarts.
If you want Windows to be ready faster, use one of the two solutions. No new hardware is necessary for this.