How to Set a Hibernate Time in Windows 11
- You can set how long your computer sleeps in the Windows 11 Control Panel under Power Options.
- Before you can do that, you may need to enable hibernation, which is disabled by default in Windows 11.
- Hibernation mode is more efficient than hibernation mode because it saves your system settings on the hard drive and completely shuts down the PC.
Microsoft has given less emphasis to hibernation in Windows for years, perhaps to reduce confusion with the very similar hibernation mode available in the shutdown options. Still, hibernation is a useful feature, so you might want to enable it in Windows 11 and routinely use it to shut down your PC.
What is Windows hibernation?
Maybe you already know about sleep mode. If you select it at shutdown, your computer’s current state (including all running apps, open windows, and temporary settings) will be saved in RAM and your computer will go into a sleep mode. If you’re using a laptop, the battery will still drain slightly to maintain memory, but your entire desktop will be restored almost instantly when you wake it up again.
Rest mode is similar. All the same system settings are stored in a file on your computer’s hard drive or SSD – no power is required to maintain them – and then the computer shuts down completely. When you turn the computer back on, all your apps and windows will be restored as if you put it to sleep, but without the constant drain on battery that sleep mode brings. Sleep mode is also a bit safer, as a power outage or full battery drain won’t make you lose your work.
How to enable hibernation in Windows 11
Microsoft has removed hibernation from the default shutdown menu, so you must enable it to use it.
1. press the Start button and then type “Control Panel”. click Switchboard when you see it in the search results.
2. click system and safety.
3. In which power options section, click Change what the power buttons do.
Focus on the option to set what the power buttons do.
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4. In which Define power buttons and turn on password protection section, click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
5. In which Shutdown settings section, click the check box for hibernate.
6. click save Changes.
To use hibernation at shutdown, you must enable it in the Control Panel.
Dave Johnson/Insider
How to set a time to start hibernation in Windows 11
In addition to manually putting your computer to sleep from the Start menu, you can set your computer to automatically sleep after a period of inactivity—just like you can set your computer to sleep automatically.
1. press the Start button and then type “Control Panel”. click Switchboard when you see it in the search results.
2. click system and safety.
3. click power options.
4. Click to the right of the currently selected power plan Change plan settings.
If there is more than one power plan, click Change plan settings next to the selected one.
Dave Johnson/Insider
5. On the Edit tariff settings page, click Change advanced power settings.
6. On the power options In the dialog box, click the plus sign on the left of Sleep to expand these options.
You can configure the sleep mode in the same way as your computer’s energy saving settings.
Dave Johnson/Insider
7. Extend Then hibernate.
8th. Now you can choose the time settings you prefer for your computer to sleep. You can set different times for battery operation and AC power operation of the computer.