There are quite a lot of users who prefer disabling Fast Boot in Windows 11 and Windows 10. It helps in reducing your computer boot time. So if your Windows PC is taking too long to boot up, you may consider disabling Fast Boot in Windows PC. By disabling it, you will prevent your computer from booting from Network, optical and removable devices. However, if you don’t know how to enable or disable Fast Boot Windows, this article guides how to do it.
What is Fast Boot?
Fast Boot is a setting in the motherboard’s BIOS that allows you to skip certain stages of post.
Be aware that this Fast Boot is different from the Fast Startup.
Windows offers a Fast Startup feature that allows it to boot up quickly by using a form of hibernation. When enabled during the shutdown, the process dumps the contents of the RAM onto the HDD/SSD and copies it back to the RAM on the next Boot to speed up the initialization of Windows.
Fast Boot, on the contrary, will make it impossible to access BIOS as it skips a lot of checks and boots into Windows directly. USB devices like keyboards, mice, drives will not be available until Windows 10 loads up. As a result, it will prevent you from accessing the BIOS setup during Boot using the F2 or DEL key.
You will also not be able to boot using an optical drive or USB drive to install an operating system or Boot from a network.
If you need to access BIOS after enabling Fast Boot, you will have to use the Advanced Recovery method within Windows.
Should you disable Fast Boot in Windows 11/10?
According to some users, by disabling Fast Boot in Windows 10, they did not notice a massive change in the overall boot time. Hence, it is advised to keep it enabled only. If you ever feel a need to reinstall Windows and can’t access your system, you will still have the option to boot up your machine using a recovery disk.
How to Enable or Disable Fast Boot in Windows 11/10
Enabling or Disabling Fast Boot in Windows PC is completely different from one computer to another. Different Laptop/PC and motherboard manufacturers have their own set of steps to make changes in the bios.
However, to have a basic idea, you can follow these below steps:
- First, restart your PC and start pressing down the F2 or DEL key to enter the BIOS setup.
- From BIOS, go to Boot> Boot Priority option. If you don’t find this option, then look for Advanced.
- Over here, look for the Fast Boot setting.
- Finally, enable or disable Fast Boot according to your preference.
- Finally, hit the F10 button to save changes and exit.
So those were all the steps you have to follow to enable or disable Fast Boot in Windows 11/10. Different OEMs have their own way of implementing Fast Boot. So I would recommend you check your PC’s BIOS guides for a better understanding.
What Is the Fast Boot Time for Windows PC?
It usually takes 5 to 10 seconds at the maximum to turn on the PC when Fast Boot is enabled. Without this, the PC may take more than 30 seconds, depending on your hardware configuration. Some users have noticed that even if they allow this feature, the PC goes through the normal boot process. In that case, it is advised to update the BIOS or UEFI.
What Is the Difference Between Fast Boot and Fast Startup?
While Fast Boot allows to boot faster to Windows by skipping some checks in P.O.S.T, Fast Startup is a form of hibernation which saves everything including the cotnetr of RAM to SSD or HDD. So when you reboot, everything is copied back to RAM, and you get a lot better speed.
Unable to Boot into BIOS/UEFI after Fast Boot or Fast Startup
I enabled Fast Boot and now I can’t access the BIOS is a common complaint. It is like everything gets so quick, you cant even access your BIOS. The only solution is if an option to add delay is available from the OEM. So if you haven’t enabled that, clear the CMOS, get into the UEFI and then set the delay.