Many troubleshooting guides include the same advice: disable Fast Startup. That leaves users asking, should I turn off Fast Startup in Windows 10, or is it a useful feature YY PAUS worth keeping?
Fast Startup saves part of Windows’ running state to the drive when you shut down. The next startup loads that saved state, which is quicker than a full boot.
For most PCs, that is fine. On some systems, however, it causes problems with updates, devices, and dual-boot setups.
Why This Happens
Fast Startup tends to cause trouble in these situations:
- Updates that need a full restart do not finish when you only use Shut down.
- Drivers or devices start in a bad state carried over from the previous session.
- Dual-boot systems cannot safely access the Windows drive from another operating system.
- Some laptops fail to shut down or wake properly with it enabled.
On PCs with fast SSDs, the time saved is often only a few seconds.
Start With These Basic Checks
Decide whether Fast Startup is affecting you.
- Note whether problems happen after Shut down but not after Restart. Restart always performs a full boot.
- Check for devices that fail to work after startup, such as USB devices, Wi-Fi, or keyboards.
- Consider whether you dual-boot with Linux or another Windows installation.
- If updates often ask for another restart, Fast Startup may be involved.
- Time your startup with and without it to see how much difference it makes.
If you have none of these problems, there is no urgent need to turn it off.
Going a Step Further
Turn Fast Startup off or on.
- Open Control Panel > Power Options.
- Select “Choose what the power buttons do.”
- Select “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”
- Untick “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” and select Save changes.
- Shut down and start the PC to test.
To turn it back on, tick the same box. If the option is missing, hibernation may be disabled. Running powercfg /hibernate on in an administrator Command Prompt restores it.
A Word of Caution
Disabling Fast Startup is safe and fully reversible. It does not delete files or affect installed programs. If you dual-boot, keeping it off protects the Windows drive from corruption when accessed by another system.
Final Thoughts
Fast Startup is helpful on many PCs, but it is a common cause of device and update problems. If you have those issues, turn it off and see whether things improve. If not, leaving it on is perfectly reasonable.
A sensible middle ground is to leave Fast Startup on, but use Restart instead of Shut down whenever you install drivers or updates. That gives you the speed benefit without carrying old problems forward.
