Hibernate vs Shutdown
By the end of this post, I hope to have convinced you that hibernating your computer is, in most cases, a better option than the default ‘shutdown”. In order to understand why we must take a look at the 3 different options for “turning off” a Windows computer:
- Shutdown
- Sleep
- Hibernate
Disclaimer: As a few people have pointed out, shutting down (or rebooting) allows the computer to “reset”, and also to install any pending updates.
Personally, I reboot my computer at least once a week, just to make sure everything keeps running smoothly. If I get a notification saying Windows needs to perform an update, I will reboot as soon as I am done with my work (and so should you).
1. Shutdown
Shutdown, like the name indicates, shuts down the computer.
When you select ‘shutdown’ it may take a little while until the computer is turned off. Windows needs to kill off any processes running (apps you may have open, or background processes). You may have seen this screen before:
What this means in practical terms is that you are looking at a long boot time the next time you turn on your desktop/laptop, since Windows needs to restart every service again. When it’s done, you’re left with a blank slate to begin work/procrastinate on.
Stats
Computer off? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Startup speed: ⭐
2. Sleep
Sleep is what happens by default when you close the lid of most laptops. You’re forcing your computer to go into an indefinite ‘nap mode’, until you choose to turn it back on. And, boy, is it fast when you do. You turn it on and immediately you’re greeted with the login screen. Type your password and all your apps and previously open windows are still there.
What a good boi 🐶
Now, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
So, what is actually happening behind the scenes?
The way ‘sleep’ works on Windows is like a weird time-freeze. The CPU, GPU, WiFi and most other things stop what they were doing. However, RAM — the playground on which your programs run — stays powered on.
This means that, when you turn the computer back on, it already remembers where it was, and you can resume whatever you were doing (Netflix, perhaps) lightning fast.
The drawback is that it uses power 🔋 while on this ‘standby mode’. Additionally, if by any chance you remove the battery (laptop) or the power goes out (desktop), everything is lost.
Stats
Computer off? ⭐⭐
Startup speed: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Hibernate
Hibernate is the love child of Sleep and Shutdown.
(If you don’t see this option on your computer, don’t despair. For some reason Microsoft decided to hide it in Windows 10. You can follow this guide to make it show up on the Start Menu again.)
Just like shutting down, hibernating completely turns of your computer. However, like sleeping, hibernating takes a snapshot of everything currently happening on the computer and saves it — this time to your SSD or hard drive.
This means that, in the event of loss of power, everything is safe. It also means that when you start your computer, everything you were using before is opened again. It just. makes. sense.
Here are some apps I keep open whenever I’m on the computer:
- Whatsapp
- Slack
- Brave
- Notion
Question: Should I close them every time I turn the computer off, if I’ll have to open them again when I turn it on?
Answer: No 🙄
Stats
Computer off? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Startup speed: ⭐⭐⭐
To recap
If you’re going to be away from the computer for a few minutes, the most convenient option is Sleep 😴
If you’re going to be away for longer, or want to turn off your computer, the best option — by far — is Hibernate 😪
If you enjoyed this mini-post, leave a 👏
I’m on twitter @InternetJohnny, feel free to say hi
InternetJohnny
