The most common argument against using hibernate has been the wear and tear of the mechanical hard disk due to frequent shutdown and start-up. How to Disable Hibernation on a Windows 10 PC. The truth is, modern mechanical drives are much more resilient in this regard and unlikely to have any major issues due to hibernation. On SSDs, this problem is even less common.
Hibernate also reserves a chunk of storage space on the boot drive. The hiberfil.sys file uses it to save the PC’s current state and then restore it when powered on. The amount of storage reserved is usually equal to the amount of RAM available on your system. If you have limited storage space, then you can delete the hiberfil.sys file to free up some space.
How to Disable Hibernation on a Windows 10 PC
While most people are familiar with the Windows 10 sleep mode, you might not know your computer also has a hibernation mode.
Hibernation mode is a cross between sleep mode and turning your computer off. With hibernation mode enabled, you can turn your computer off, and pick up right where you left off immediately. That means all your apps will open the way they were when you left them, and your computer won’t use any power.
The downside is that hibernation mode does use up some of the storage space on your computer, which is equivalent to around 75 percent of your installed RAM capacity. Thankfully, it is easy to disable the hibernation mode.
- Click the magnifying glass icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen. This is next to the Windows 10 logo.
- Then type Command Prompt into the search bar.
- Next, click Run as administrator.
- Then type powercfg.exe /hibernate off into the Command Prompt.
- Finally, hit Enter on your keyboard. This will disable the hibernation mode on your computer.
Note: You do not want to disable hibernation on a laptop because it is needed to save your state when the battery runs out.
That said, a proper shutdown periodically helps your computer clear RAM and free up resources to optimize performance. It can also help you reduce power consumption and protect your system against power surges.
The claim that Hibernate Mode does damage to a mechanical hard disk’s life span isn’t exactly a myth, but instead a misinterpretation of how the power cycle works. Hibernate will have the same effect on your mechanical hard drive as a regular shutdown or restart. Although it performs a huge round of writes when you go into and come out of hibernation, its effect on your storage drive’s life cycle is minimal.
