How to Delete Hibernation File on Windows 10

Do you know how to delete hibernation file on Windows 10? In this article, we will discuss 2 ways to do it. In addition, a more useful PC cleaner will be mentioned to optimize PC more effective.

Tina

By Tina / Updated on November 28, 2023

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Can I delete hibernation file on Windows 10?

 

All of a sudden, my hard disk space has fallen from 5GB to 1GB. I have already deleted all files I can, but with little success. The hard disk diagnostic test reveals that there is a hiberfil.sys file of 2.3 GB. I never hibernate my PC - I always shut it down. Can I delete hibernation file on Windows 10? If yes, how to do it?

- Question from Microsoft Community

Delete Hibernate Files

Hibernation file refers to files that Windows OS creates on your PC when it goes into hibernation mode. Unlike sleep mode (saved files in RAM), hibernation mode stores the current user configuration (such as programs, files, and folders) to your hard disk, allowing you to immediately restore the computer to the state you left off.

However, because the hibernation file occupies a relatively large space in the PC, many users will consider deleting the hibernation file when encountering problems such as the C drive is full and insufficient space on the PC.

Hibernate Files Large Size

If you simply delete the hibernation file located in the C drive, Windows will automatically recreate it. Thus, you need to master the methods on how to delete hibernation file on Windows 10 totally.

Two methods to delete hibernate file on Windows 10?

To help you completely remove hibernate file on Windows 10 and free up PC space, we'll provide you with two methods below.

Method 1. Use CMD to delete hibernation file

Firstly, you can delete hibernation file with CMD. CMD is a Windows built-in tool, which is famous for effectively solving various disk problems, such as formatting partitions, resizing partitions, etc. Follow the steps below to delete hibernation files in Windows 10.

Step 1. Hit the Windows key and type "cmd" in the taskbar, hit "Run as administrator".

Hit Run as Administrator

Step 2. In the command line window, type "powercfg -h off" and press "Enter". This command will disable hibernation and the hibernation file will be deleted.

Disable Hibernate

Method 2. Delete hibernation file via System Settings

Windows setting is another good way to help you solve how to delete hibernation file on Windows 10.

Step 1. In Windows Settings, click "System" and "Power & Sleep" in turn, then click "Additional Power Settings".

Choose What the Power Buttons Do

Step 2. On the left side of the new interface, click "Choose what the power buttons do" and then click "Change settings that are currently unavailable" in the pop-up settings. Uncheck the hibernate option and select "Save Changes".

System Settings Save Changes

Although deleting the hibernation file can free up some PC space to some extent, if you want to quickly restore it to the state you left off, you shouldn’t off disabling hibernation and deleting the hibernation file. There're some better methods to releasing your PC space.

How to free up space without deleting the hibernation file

Still struggling with how to delete hibernation file on Windows 10? If you want to free up computer space, you can try a powerful alternative - AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard.

This computer cleaning expert has created a Free up space column for you:

PC Cleaner function can thoroughly scan and delete all junk files in the computer.
Delete Large File function can safely filter and delete large files larger than 16MB in the computer.
App Mover function can easily migrate applications to another drive without reinstalling.

In addition, you can also enjoy many popular functions, such as wipe hard drive, format partition, rebuild MBR, convert data disk between MBR and GPT, etc.

Let’s see how it replace deleting hibernation file on Windows 10.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Step 1. Download and open it, click "Free up" and "PC Cleaner" in turn.

Click PC Cleaner

Step 2. You can speculate how much space can be freed up, click "Start Scan" to scan for all junk files.

Start Scan

Step 3. Just wait for a while, it can find out all junk files on your PC.

Scanning

Step 4. Choose the target junk files, then click "Clean All".

Click Clean All

Step 5. Click "Back" after finishing the cleaning task.

Click Back

Extended reading: How to free up more space

If you want to free up more space after deleting all junk files. You can upgrade to the Professional Version and use the "Delete Large Files" function to efficiently delete some large files from your computer.

Step 1. Run AOMEI Partition Assistant, click "Free up" and "Delete Large Files".

Delete Large Files

Step 2. Choose the target drive to clean up large files and click "Start Scan".

Start Scan

Step 3. In the new window, you can see all the found large files, tick the large files to be deleted and click "Delete".

Click Delete

Step 4. Click "Delete Now", then all the selected large files can be removed from your PC.

Delete Now

PS.: There are many features you can try to manage your PC after upgrading to Pro Edition, including migrating OS to SSD, allocating free space, converting system disk between MBR and GPT, converting dynamic disk to basic, etc.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we shard two methods on how to delete hibernation file on Windows 10. Besides, we recommend a reliable and powerful alternative AOMEI Partition Assistant to free up space.

By the way, You can also free up your PC on Windows Server, the trick is to switch to the Server Edition; in addition, the Unlimited Version, which allows simultaneous use by multiple people, is also available.

FAQs about how to delete hibernation file Windows 10

How do I check the size of the hibernation file on my Windows 10 computer?
Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type: 'powercfg /hibernate /size'. This command will display the current size of the hibernation file.

Can I re-enable hibernation after deleting the hibernation file?
Yes, you can re-enable hibernation by opening Command Prompt as an administrator and typing: 'powercfg /hibernate on'.

Will deleting the hibernation file affect my system's performance?
Deleting the hibernation file should not noticeably affect your system's performance. However, if you frequently use hibernation, you may experience a slightly longer startup time when re-enabling the feature.

Is it recommended to delete the hibernation file on a regular basis?
It is not necessary to delete the hibernation file regularly. It's typically done as a one-time action to reclaim disk space, especially if you don't use the hibernation feature frequently.

Tina
Tina · Staff Editor
Tina is an English editor of AOMEI Technology. She has a positive attitude and full of energy. On her work, she always keeps thinking to figure out the solutions for users' problems, and writes the answers so that can help someone. In her daily life, she likes to sing, watch TV and sleep. She always being grateful and happy to all the things happened and all the people encountered.