Windows Power Options: When to Sleep, Shut down, Restart or Hibernate

Windows Power Options: When to Sleep, Shut down, Restart or Hibernate

Whether you are finishing a full day of work or just stepping away for lunch, the Windows power options are Sleep, Shut down and Restart. We also have the option to select hibernate in Windows settings. They all seem similar but they do very different things. 

When you click the Start menu > Power, if you've ever wondered when to use each option, this post is for you. 

Sleep

Sleep uses very little power, your PC starts up faster, and you’re instantly back to where you left off. You don’t have to worry that you'll lose your work from your battery draining because Windows automatically saves all your work and turns off the PC if the battery is too low. Most laptops are set to to sleep when you close your lid or press the power button.  

Best for:

Use Sleep when you’re going to be away from your PC for just a little while—like stepping away for a coffee break. Sleep is also good if you are in the middle of multiple open tasks or browser tabs. 

Shut Down

Shut down will close all the programs running on the computer including background apps and then powers off your computer. However, Windows has a option called Fast Startup, which does not completely shut down the computer - it saves some information from RAM to load faster the next time you turn the computer on.   

Best for:

• Ending your day.
• Powering off your computer between work sessions.
• When you are going on vacation.

When you do not need to Shut down:

You don't have to shut down every night. In many cases, Sleep or Hibernate is more convenient if:

• You are stepping away temporarily.
• You want to resume work quickly.
• You're in the middle of multiple open tasks or browser tabs.

Restart

Restart closes all the programs running on the computer including background apps and then turns it off completely. Restarting your computer can help clear memory, resolve system glitches or reset processes that may be misbehaving. Restart performs a complete shut down and then starts your system fresh.

Best for:

• Installing system updates
• Fixing performance or software issues
• Clearing out temporary system files

When to restart:

• When your computer is acting slow or buggy.
• When you are installing new hardware.
• When you want to give your computer a fresh start. 

Hibernate (Disabled by Default)

Hibernate is not shown on the Power menu by default. But if you customize Windows power settings, you will see hibernate as an option. 

What it does:

Saves your session (open documents, windows) to your hard drive and powers off the system completely. It uses less power than sleep and when you start up the PC again, you are back to where you left off. It boots faster than shut down but not as fast as sleep. Best part is that you don't have to worry about losing data if the battery runs out. 

Best for:

• When you know you won't use your laptop for an extended period and won't have an opportunity to charge the battery during that time. 

Quick Reference Breakdown

Sleep

• Resume speed: Instant
• Power usage: Low
• Saves Session: Yes (RAM)
• Ideal for: Short breaks, stepping away for a few minutes or hours

Shut Down

• Resume Speed: Medium
• Power Usage: None
• Saves Session: No
• Ideal For: Ending your workday or not using the PC for a while

Restart

• Resume Speed: Slow
• Power Usage: None
• Saves Session: No
• Ideal For: Installing updates, fixing issues, or refreshing system performance. 

Hibernate

• Resume Speed: Slower
• Power Usage: None
• Saves Session: Yes (Disk)
• Ideal For: Long breaks, overnight, travel without draining battery

Article by Billie Wilson, Extension Learning Technologies, bjwilson@umn.edu