Sleep and Hibernate in Windows 10/8/8.1/7: The Complete Guide

Updated By

Linda 

Written By

Tracy King 

Last Updated on April 22, 2024

One question that every computer user has faced at some point is what to do with it when not in use. Some people prefer to turn it off to save power, while others like to leave it on in a low-power state. While Windows offers several power-saving options, such as Sleep, Hibernate, or Hybrid Sleep, many of us are unsure about the differences between these modes.

The most commonly used options are Sleep and Hibernate, both of which are useful since they allow your system to remain functional without having to fully power down your computer. While both power-saving modes have their advantages, they also come with certain trade-offs. Understanding the differences between them can help you choose the most efficient way to save power and time.

This article will delve into the differences between sleep and hibernate to help you choose the right option for your situation. Let's get started.

Quick Access:

Sleep and Hibernate
How to Set Up Sleep and Hibernate Modes
How to Optimize Your Computer and Check for Disk Errors

Sleep and Hibernation

Sleep

Hibernate is a power-saving mode that lets you resume your computer quickly from where you last left off. It's like pausing a DVD player and then hitting play to resume right where you stopped. In Hibernate mode, all your open documents, apps, and windows are saved to your system's RAM, and the computer powers down.

Technically, your computer is kept active by consuming a small amount of power and ensuring that it can spring back to life instantly – with a mouse click or a tap on the keyboard or screen. The restart is fast, taking just a second or two to get you back up and running.

If you're going to be away from your computer for a short period, such as running out to grab something or getting a snack, sleep mode is your best bet. It lets you quickly boot back up and pick up right where you left off.

Hibernate is an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) framework for Java, which enables developers to associate database operations with Java objects. In Chinese, "Hibernate" can be translated as "冬眠" or "休眠," but in the context of programming, it is usually directly transliterated as "Hibernate."

Hibernate is a power-saving mode that's slightly different from Sleep, and is mostly designed for laptops. Instead of saving your open apps and documents to RAM, Hibernate saves them to your hard drive. This unique difference allows your computer to fully shut down, consuming zero power in the process.

When you wake your computer from hibernation, your activities resume precisely where you left off, but it takes longer than sleep mode to get going. The system has to collect all the information that was stored on the hard drive while it was hibernating. If you have a solid-state drive (SSD), this process is much faster than with a traditional hard disk.

Hibernate is best when you want to stop using your computer for a while but plan to pick up where you left off later.

How to Set Up Hibernate and Sleep Mode

How to Put Your Computer to Sleep

For Windows 10

Click the Start button, then click Settings. In the list of apps, click System, and then click Power & sleep.

Browse to the Power & sleep options

In the options that appear, click “Change what the power buttons do,” and then choose “Sleep.”

Click Save changes.

Note: For laptops, select When lid is closed, then choose Sleep, and then Save changes.

For Windows 8.1

Swipe in from the edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
• In the search box, type Power options.

Then, click on the Sleep option from the displayed choices.

For Windows 7

Click the Start button, then click the arrow button next to the Shut Down option on the right side of the Start menu.

Hibernate and Sleep options in Windows 7

4. Next, choose Sleep.

How to Put Your Computer to Sleep

For Windows 10

Click the "Start" button, then click "Settings." From the list of apps, click "System," and then click "Power & sleep." From the displayed options, find and click "Choose what the power buttons do." Next, select "Change settings that are currently unavailable." Under the Shutdown settings, choose "Hibernate." Finally, click "Save changes."

For Windows 8.1

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. Enter Power options in the search box. Next, choose .

Notice:

• You can quickly wake your computer from sleep or hibernate by pressing the power button. However, this varies depending on the computer; some may require you to click the mouse, open the lid of a laptop, or press a key on the keyboard.
• In sleep mode, your computer uses very little battery power to keep your activity stored in RAM so that it can quickly resume where you left off. If the power is disconnected, your computer may run out of battery and cause unsaved work to be lost, since information stored in RAM is volatile.
• Hibernation saves all of your current work data to your hard drive and completely powers down the system. Your laptop can stay unplugged for extended periods without losing charge. Information saved to the hard drive is non-volatile, so you don't have to worry about losing data.

How to optimize your computer and check for disk errors? Optimizing your computer and checking for disk errors are crucial steps to ensure system performance and data integrity. Here's a guide to help you with these tasks: 1. **Clean up disk space**: - Delete unnecessary files and programs. - Clear temporary files and caches. - Use the built-in Disk Cleanup tool (in Windows, search for "Disk Cleanup"). 2. **Defragment the hard drive**: - In Windows, use the "Disk Defragmenter" tool to reorganize files for faster access. - For SSDs, defragmentation is generally not needed, as they operate differently. 3. **Update the operating system and drivers**: - Install the latest OS updates for improved performance and security. - Update hardware drivers for compatibility and optimal performance. 4. **Optimize startup items**: - Manage startup applications to reduce unnecessary programs running at boot time. - In Windows, access this through Task Manager > Startup tab. 5. **Scan and repair disk errors**: - In Windows, use the `chkdsk` command in Command Prompt to check and fix disk errors. For example, type `chkdsk /f /r C:` to check errors on the C: drive (replace with the actual partition). 6. **Maintain antivirus software**: - Regularly run antivirus scans to ensure your system is free of malware. - Keep antivirus software up to date to detect the latest threats. 7. **Adjust power settings**: - If your computer is primarily used for high-performance tasks, set the power options to "High Performance." 8. **Close unnecessary background processes**: - Use Task Manager to identify and end resource-intensive processes. By following these steps, you can effectively optimize your computer and check for disk errors, resulting in a smoother user experience.

Eventually, due to disk errors, operating system upgrades, and other reasons, every computer will slow down. However, there are some optimizations you can make to speed it up again. One of these is to regularly check your hard drive for errors.

Checking your hard drive for errors can help resolve disk read errors, issues with system booting, and storage-related problems. Verifying and fixing errors on your hard drive partitions can significantly optimize your computer's performance.

SSD Maintenance Tools: Check Disk Errors or Manage Partitions

You can use a third-party disk checking tool to thoroughly scan for disk errors and manage the hard drive partitions on your computer. The Partition Master Tool provides the simplest solution, automatically fixing and checking disk errors for Windows 10 and other Windows operating systems. The software will analyze hard drive issues and fix them effortlessly. Simply download and install the Partition Master Tool, then follow this quick guide to check and repair disk errors.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant on your computer. Then, locate the disk and right-click the partition you want to check, and choose "Advanced" > "Check File System".

Select "Check Partition"

(2) In the Check Disk Utility dialog box, select the Automatically fix file system errors check box, and then click Start.

Step 3: The software will now begin checking the partition's file system. When finished, click “Finish”.

That's all you need to check for disk errors and optimize your PC effectively. Partition Master provides a seamless way to partition your hard drive and make the most of your disk space.

Abstract

The commonality between Sleep and Hibernate is that both are power-saving states. Think of Sleep as your computer taking a short nap with low power usage, while Hibernate is a deep sleep that uses no power at all. You can easily choose the appropriate mode based on your specific needs at any given time.