What is hiberfil.sys and how to Tutn off in Windows 7

What is hiberfil.sys file for?

When you turn off your computer using hibernate, the operating system needs to store all your current running program states onto the hard disk so that programs can resume where they left off when you power up your PC again. To achieve this, the OS need to save all the information into a file called hiberfil.sys. Windows OS (7, Vista, XP) usually stores this as a hidden file under your system root directory or your main OS partition.

So if you never use hibernate, then it’s time for you to get your hard drive space back.

Note: Hibernate mode is different from the sleep mode. When a computer is put in hibernation, it completely shuts down and consumes no power. However, when it’s in sleep mode, it still consumes a small amount of power. Since it’s not completely shut down, computers in sleep mode return to life usually are faster than the one from hibernation mode.

How to delete hiberfil.sys file?

The best way to delete hiberfil.sys is to disable hibernation in Windows:

1. Go to Start menu, type “cmd” open up command prompt
2. Type “powercfg.exe -h off” [make sure you are an Administrator]
3. ENTER
4. Type “exit”
5. ENTER

RESTART YOUR PC and you are all set

After the restart, you should be able to see more free space on your hard drive.