Is It Better To Enable Or Disable Fast Startup On Your PC?

When someone mentions fast startup, they sometimes mix it up with fast boot, which shares a similar name but does completely different things. Fast startup is a Windows software feature that saves your PC's running state to your storage drive before shutting down, making startups much faster because the computer doesn't have to load every program again. It's enabled by default on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Depending on your computer's behavior, or if you want to be on the safe side and avoid stability issues, you should disable fast startup altogether.

On the other hand, fast boot (also known as UEFI fast boot) refers to a BIOS setting that tells your computer to skip or reduce hardware checks, essentially getting to the stage of loading your OS even faster. Generally, UEFI fast boot is harmless. If you know your devices work, they don't always need to be tested. You typically should disable it if your USB devices load too late, your PC doesn't power on after startup, or you frequently need to enter your BIOS settings to get the most out of your PC.

Most of the time, though, fast startup is the option you'll want to change. This means your computer doesn't fully shut down, even if you use the command. Think of it like your computer taking a snapshot of how it's running at that moment, with apps and drivers all working. That's great for saving time when loading your operating system, but it also doesn't clear the technical hiccups. Reboots, by comparison, close the computer's loaded apps and other elements, forcing the computer to re-load everything fresh. That's part of why technicians typically ask whether you've rebooted a computer to resolve an issue.

If you don't often restart your PC, the distinctions about shutdowns and reboots may not matter as much. But, if you do frequently choose to "shutdown" your computer, you should know that fast startup does have its potential downsides. Because it's basically keeping the computer loaded as it was, you'll likely still struggle to clear bugs and glitches. For that, you'd need to do a reboot.

Some driver updates also don't work well with fast startup. For example, Microsoft advised in a previous Windows 10 troubleshooting guide to use the restart sequence instead of shutdown if you have issues with software updates. Choosing the restart option during a Windows update would solve this, but disabling fast startup would avoid the problem all together.

That's why some users prefer to turn off fast startup to prevent any abnormal behavior for your hardware and software. Turning it off is easy. Go to the Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > System Settings. There, you can change what the power buttons do, including unchecking the "Turn on fast startup (recommended)" box.