How to disable Fastboot, why it helps, and where it complicates Windows 10

Tell me you’ve shut down your computer without fully shutting down your computer, and I’ll say you’ve used Fastboot. This hybrid mode of shutdown and sleep mode saves your operating system state in a hibernation file. When you turn your computer back on, it doesn’t need to reawaken the entire operation, so it boots up faster.

But what are you risking with this time-saving technique? You can disable Fastboot so nothing goes wrong—but maybe you’re worried that will also lead to complications. 

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Fastboot, so you can leverage it according to what works best for you and your IT organization.

The challenges of Fastboot

The main benefit of Fastboot is that it saves you a couple of moments each time you start your computer. But just as free or cheap solutions can be expensive in the long-term, so can this little time-saving trick end up costing you way too much time in unwanted IT issues. 

Here are some of the downsides to relying on Fastboot.

It can make maintenance and applying system updates more challenging

Regular shutdowns allow you to conduct system maintenance, run system updates, and turn off your computer with peace of mind.

But when you have Fastboot, the shutdown isn’t fully performed. This means updates might not be applied as usual—even if they’re critical ones. Similarly, if you’ve made changes to your hardware during this incomplete shutdown, the system might not recognize them when you Fastboot.

Dual booting won’t be possible—or it will cause system corruption

Windows locks down its hard disk when Fastboot is enabled, so you likely can’t access it from other operating systems—even if you have dual booting configured. If you still find a way in and try to make changes through the other operating system, it can lead to system corruption, data loss, or disk errors.

BIOS/UEFI settings might become unavailable

Since Fastboot doesn’t lead to a complete shutdown of your computer, it resembles hibernation in the way you’re not able to access all your systems—including BIOS/UEFI.

It could disrupt disk image encryption

Your drivers might be automatically remounted without proper shutdown, disrupting disk image encryption.

Your system might not be compatible with hibernation enablement

If your system doesn’t support hibernation, it won’t support Fast Boot either. Chances are good you won’t have Fastboot if you lack that prerequisite. But in the slim possibility that you do have Fastboot, it could lead to system issues.

The hidden costs of IT issues that waste technicians’ time

Perhaps even worse than wasted time is the financial and business implications for both IT departments and MSPs.

Implications for IT departments

When employees encounter IT issues or your technicians deal with issues in their systems, it’s often impossible to proceed with regular work. This bottleneck often leads to inefficiency and can result in bigger business problems. Missed regulatory deadlines or upset customers are two relevant and common drawbacks. Other issues can also arise: For instance, an employee may try to fix the issues themselves and cause an even bigger problem.

Implications for MSPs

As an MSP, you want to show clients that working together decreases the amount and severity of tech issues, as well as how long it takes to resolve them. If your clients’ teams experience IT issues due to Fastboot, they might have their own business implications. (See examples above).

If your technicians experience these issues, it can reduce their availability to clients. There’s also the risk a tech malfunction will flare up at a critical event or at a pre-scheduled time block, leading to conflicts.

Even though IT issues are part of everyone’s journey, there’s no need to deal with challenges that can be stopped with a few clicks of a button.

How to disable Fastboot

Disabling Fastboot is fairly straightforward:

1. Right-click the Start menu.
2. Choose “Power Options.”
3. Click “Choose what the power buttons do” on the left column.
4. Choose to “Change settings that are currently unavailable.” If you’ve already made changes to Fastboot configurations in the past, you can skip this step.
5. Scroll to the bottom until you see “Shutdown settings.”
6. Uncheck the box that says “Turn on fast startup (recommended).”
7. Save changes.

How to know that disabling Fastboot worked

To ensure that Fastboot is disabled:

• Turn off your computer, then turn it back on.
• Follow the first five steps above. When you reach #6, make sure the box that says “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” is unchecked. If it’s not, be sure to do so.

Disabling Fastboot can cause issues, too. Here are 7 ideas to fix them.

A couple of years ago, a Reddit user shared that disabling Fastboot made Windows boot time slow down exponentially. Instead of 3-15 seconds, it took 15-20 minutes. Others have gone online to report other challenges, such as Fastboot not disabling despite following the standard steps.

These instances are rare—most of the time everything goes smoothly. But in case they don’t, here are some ideas to consider if disabling Fastboot ends up causing more frustration or challenges than those it solves.

1. Enable hibernation, as it’s often a system requirement for disabling Fastboot.
2. Run an SFC scan to verify there aren’t any corrupt system files that made your Fastboot settings unavailable.
3. Update your drivers.
4. Update Windows.
5. Edit your local group policy.
6. Disable Fastboot through the Windows registry editor. Be careful, though, as editing mistakes can lead to more significant challenges.
7. Sometimes the best solution is to enable Fastboot again after all.

Please remember that each situation is unique, and these are just general recommendations. If you’re unsure which option is best for your case, consider consulting with your team or outsource expert advice.

Become a valued profit partner to management with more efficient IT management

Figuring out how to disable Fastboot is just one of many tasks on IT professionals’ lists as they work to transition IT from a cost center to a solution-driven profit center.

But the best way to meet this goal isn’t simply crossing items off your to-do list. It’s to automate as much mundane, repetitive work as possible, simplify complex, deep AI-driven data, and scale your performance without scaling your headcount or other expenses. You can do all that—and so much more—with Atera’s AI-powered all-in-one IT management platform. Try it for free for 30 days, and prepare to get high-fives from management while benefiting your entire company.