How To: Disable Hibernation in Windows

If you’ve ever gone looking at what takes up space on your Microsoft Windows computer then you’ve probably come across this huge file: hiberfil.sys. This file is for when your computer goes into Hibernation mode. When this happens, the entire contents of your RAM is saved to this file and the system is turned off. If you have a closer look: The size of the hiberfil.sys file matches the amount of RAM that your computer has. The contents of your RAM are then restored next time you turn the computer on and you can pickup exactly where you left off.

While this is helpful in a situation where you might lose power (e.g. laptops) but may not be useful on a desktop computer that never moves or a laptop that is always on a desk.

If you decide that you don’t need Hibernation and would like to disable it, open Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin) and run:

powercfg.exe /hibernate off

Compatability: Microsoft WIndows Vista and later - including Windows 7, Windows 10 and Windows 11.