{"id":3034,"date":"2022-01-17T13:29:06","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T13:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/17\/stop-shutting-down-your-windows-pc\/"},"modified":"2022-01-17T13:29:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T13:29:06","slug":"stop-shutting-down-your-windows-pc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/17\/stop-shutting-down-your-windows-pc\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Shutting Down Your Windows PC"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If you\u2019re in the habit of completely shutting down your Windows PC on a regular basis, you might be inconveniencing yourself unnecessarily. Windows 10 and Windows 11 include more effective methods of saving power\u2014and they also save you time. Here\u2019s what to do instead.<\/p>\n

If You Want to Save Power, Sleep or Hibernate Instead<\/h2>\n

Some people shut down their PC at the end of the day when they\u2019re done using it.\u00a0That\u2019s understandable. If you\u2019re not using your PC, it makes sense to want to save electricity, wear-and-tear, or reduce security risks.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a much better way. If you put your Windows PC into sleep mode<\/a> instead, your PC will only use a tiny fraction of the power it consumes when awake, and it will also be ready to resume quickly when you need to use it again.<\/p>\n

If you have a laptop, you can put it into sleep mode by closing the lid<\/a> or pressing a sleep button on the keyboard.<\/p>\n

To put a desktop PC into sleep mode, open Start and click the Power icon (which looks like a circle with a line through it). In Windows 10, the power icon will be on the left, in the sidebar. In Windows 11, you\u2019ll find it in the lower-right corner of the Start menu. In the pop-up that appears, select \u201cSleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As an alternative, you can use the \u201chibernate\u201d mode<\/a> available on some PCs. Hibernate saves the current state of your PC (such as your working memory contents) to hard disk or SSD then power off. When you power your PC back on, Windows will load that saved data off the hard drive and resume your session exactly where you left off.<\/p>\n

Some people might also want to shut down their PC to minimize the risk of getting hacked, or having their PC become a zombie used in DDOS attacks<\/a>. It\u2019s true: a Windows PC sitting idle while connected to the internet 24 hours a day is a security risk. But if your PC is asleep or in hibernation mode, remote hackers typically can\u2019t access your PC, so it\u2019s as good as being completely shut down without any of the inconvenience that comes along with it.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Make Windows Hibernate More Often (Instead of Sleep)<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Shutting Down Frequently Wastes Valuable Time<\/h2>\n
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Speaking of inconvenience, every time you shut down your PC completely, you\u2019re giving yourself a time penalty the next time you power it back on. That\u2019s because your PC has to boot up<\/a>, which means it needs to reload the operating system into memory from scratch, and that takes a while.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also possibly need to take time to re-launch all the applications you were using and load the data within them that you\u2019ve been working on.<\/p>\n

If you put your PC to sleep instead, everything\u2014operating system, apps, work data\u2014will be ready to go quickly when you wake your PC, and you\u2019ll save yourself minutes of valuable time and hassle. Also, your sleeping PC can automatically wake to perform updates<\/a> if necessary, and they\u2019ll be completed in the morning by the time you\u2019re ready to work.<\/p>\n

When to Shut Down Anyway<\/h2>\n

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Still, there are times when completely shutting down your PC is a good idea. For example, if you know you won\u2019t be using your PC for a considerable length of time, such as a week, a month, or longer, it\u2019s best to just shut it down<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(If you leave your desktop PC unused for months, consider also unplugging it from the wall to protect it from lightning strikes<\/a> or other freak power events while you\u2019re away.)<\/p>\n

Another situation where shutting down completely can help is during troubleshooting<\/a>. Sometimes it helps to completely power down the PC and leave it off for about 30 seconds, letting the circuitry completely power down. When you turn it back on, Windows will be forced to reload all of its drivers and helper applications, giving you a fresh start.<\/p>\n

But in general, if you use your PC every day without issues, you\u2019re better off using sleep instead<\/a> when you want to let your machine rest. Good luck!<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Why Does Rebooting a Computer Fix So Many Problems?<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n