Why You Should Turn Off Windows Fast Startup (And How It Actually Improves Performance)
If you shut down your PC every night expecting a clean, fresh start the next morning, you might be surprised to learn that Windows isn’t giving you a true shutdown at all. Thanks to a feature called Fast Startup, your system often wakes up carrying leftover clutter, memory leaks, and half‑finished processes from previous sessions.
Fast Startup was useful a decade ago. Today, it causes more problems than it solves — especially on modern SSD‑powered systems. Disabling it is one of the simplest ways to improve stability, fix update issues, and ensure your PC actually shuts down when you tell it to.
Below is a clear breakdown of what Fast Startup does, why it’s outdated, and how turning it off can make your Windows machine more reliable.
What Fast Startup Really Does
Fast Startup is essentially a hybrid between shutdown and hibernation. Instead of clearing your system state, Windows saves a snapshot of the kernel and drivers into a hibernation file. On the next boot, it reloads that snapshot instead of starting fresh.
This means:
Your PC never fully resets
Memory leaks and background issues persist
Uptime continues climbing even after “shutdown”
Crashed services may return in the same broken state
This behavior is confirmed in the article you’re viewing, which explains how Fast Startup preserves the previous session instead of performing a clean initialization .
Why Fast Startup Is No Longer Necessary
Fast Startup was created during the Windows 8 era, when mechanical hard drives made boot times painfully slow. Today, SSDs and NVMe drives boot Windows in seconds — without needing shortcuts.
Modern hardware has eliminated the original benefit, while the drawbacks remain:
Slower long‑term performance due to accumulated system clutter
Inconsistent driver behavior
Harder troubleshooting because uptime never resets
Reduced stability for power users and professionals
The page you’re viewing highlights that SSDs have made Fast Startup’s speed advantage nearly irrelevant, while its downsides have become more noticeable .
Hidden Problems Fast Startup Can Cause
Fast Startup doesn’t just affect performance — it can interfere with core system functions.
1. Windows Updates May Fail
Many updates require a full kernel restart. Fast Startup prevents that, leaving updates stuck or partially applied.
2. Dual‑Boot Systems Break
If you run Windows alongside Linux, Fast Startup locks the NTFS partition, preventing the other OS from mounting it. This is one of the most common causes of missing dual‑boot options.
3. BIOS/UEFI Access Becomes Difficult
Because the boot sequence is shortened, the window to press BIOS keys becomes tiny.
These issues are all described in the article you have open, which details how Fast Startup interferes with updates, hardware initialization, and dual‑boot environments .
How to Turn Off Fast Startup
Disabling Fast Startup is simple and completely reversible.
Step‑by‑Step Instructions
Open Control Panel
Go to Hardware and Sound → Power Options
Select Choose what the power buttons do
Click Change settings that are currently unavailable
Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended)
Click Save changes
After your next shutdown, your PC will finally perform a true, clean power‑off.
What You’ll Notice After Disabling It
Most users report immediate improvements:
Faster, more consistent performance
Fewer weird glitches after long uptime
Updates installing properly
Dual‑boot systems behaving normally
BIOS access returning to normal
System uptime resetting correctly
The article you’re viewing emphasizes that a true shutdown restores stability and prevents lingering issues from carrying over between sessions .
Final Thoughts
Fast Startup made sense in the era of slow mechanical drives. But today, it’s an outdated feature that often causes more harm than good. Turning it off gives your PC the clean slate it deserves — and helps keep your system stable, predictable, and easier to troubleshoot.
If you ever want to re‑enable it, you can. But most users never look back.
