How to add the hibernate option in the shutdown menu of Windows 10 and Windows 11

By default, the hibernate option is not present in Windows, so if you want it to appear, you must carry out a series of steps that we are going to tell you about.

When we go to the power menu, we see how we have several options in Windows such as Shutdown, Suspend or Restart. By default, there is not the option that we would lack in this equation, such as Hibernate.

This occurs in both Windows 10 and version 11, so it will not matter to us whether or not we have updated to the latest operating system released by Microsoft.

The truth is that it is strange that the Hibernate option does not appear, since it is one that could come in quite handy on certain occasions.

It occurs to us that they have not incorporated it due to the tendency in many users to not know how to differentiate between what is sleep mode and hibernation, something that we are also going to explain to you in case you have the same doubt.

How is hibernation and sleep mode different?

These are two terms that tend to be confused and, honestly, it is not surprising, since it is not that there is a very great differentiation, quite the opposite.

When the computer enters the sleep mode, it goes into what is called a low-power state, cutting power to the display, hard drive, and ports. There is only one component that is on during sleep mode and that is RAM. That is why the information we had at the time of activating this mode is still there when we return to the PC.

However, in the hibernate mode the power is cut from everything we have talked about in the suspension, but also including the RAM. It is essentially the same as shutting down our computer without having to close all of its files and programs. In this case, if you turn on again, you will not keep anything you were doing, as if it happened in sleep mode.

We can consider hibernation as a middle ground between what is the sleep mode and the definitive shutdown, with the advantage that it is faster to turn on a PC from hibernation than when we have completely turned it off.

Add hibernation in Windows 10

If we want to have hibernation on the computer as an option in the power menu, in case we want to use it in the future, we must activate it.

For that we must follow certain steps and make it feasible in Windows 10:

• We open the Energy optionsright-clicking the battery icon in the system tray, and then clicking Energy optionsor opening the Control Panel and clicking on Energy options.
• Click on Choosing what the lid lock does either Choose what the power buttons do. .
• If we don’t see Hibernate in the shutdown settings, we click the link Change settings that are currently unavailable.
• In the shutdown setting, it should exit Hibernate as an option.
• We activate the function with the checkbox and so the new option should already appear in the power menu.

We should already have the Hibernate option present next to Shutdown, Sleep and Restart in the power menu.

If by any chance, the Hibernate option still does not come out, then you must use the Command Prompt to get it to be enabled.

• We must start the Command Prompt as Administrator, so we must click on the magnifying glass in the start bar and write command prompt.
• As soon as it comes out, we will click on the right side where it says Execute as an administrator.
• Now we must put the following: powercfg.exe /hibernate and press the Enter.
• We exit the command line and return to the Control Panel.
• The Hibernate option should now be available.

Add hibernation in Windows 11

To get the Hibernate option to launch in Windows 11, we must follow a series of steps that will sound familiar to you because they are extremely similar to those we have seen before with Windows 10, changing the odd name, but little else.

What we have to do is the following:

• We must enter the Windows Control Panel. The best to do it by entering the start menu and at the top write control panel.
• We will see a good number of options as usual in this panel, from which we must choose and, therefore, click on Security system.
• Now we must click on one of the options that has one of the large titles. You have to click on the option Change the actions of the start/stop buttonswhich is under Power Options.
• As we are going to be able to see, we are on a screen where we can change what the computer turns on and off does. At this time we must click on Change settings currently unavailable an option that is at the top in blue.
• Now you will have seen how the buttons that were at the bottom are no longer inactive.
• At this moment the only thing left for us to do is activate the option of Hibernate that appears in the options Power off settings.

However, if you have activated the Quick startenabling Hibernation is going to be something so very similar that both things are as if we had the same thing.

In other words, the great advantage of hibernation over shutdown is speed when starting the computer. If we have the system to start fast, both things become the same and therefore recursive.

As you have seen, it is not complicated for the Hibernate option to be present in our Windows, whether it is version 10 or the most current version 11. In both cases, it is possible to have this other option when entering the power menu .

The more options we have, the more possibilities are presented to us and the more shutdown options will be available to us for the moment we need them.