How to Add or Remove the Hibernate Button in Windows 11

What is the Hibernate Button?

The hibernate button on your Windows 11 PC lets you save all your open apps and documents to your hard drive before turning the computer completely off.

Hibernate works differently than sleep mode. Sleep saves your work to your computer’s memory but doesn’t completely shut down. While sleep wakes up faster, hibernate uses significantly less power.

Sometimes Windows hides the hibernate button from your power menu. Here’s how to bring it back—or remove it permanently if you never use it.

Method 1Add or Remove Hibernate Button Using 🎛️ Control Panel

You can add or remove the hibernate button in Windows 11 using the 🎛️ Control Panel by going to Power Options.

1. Open 🎛️ Control Panel. Click the ⊞ Start button, type Control Panel, and press Enter. Learn more about 🎛️ Control Panel
2. Go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
3. Click on “Choose what the power buttons do” on the left menu.
4. Click “Change settings that are currently unavailable” at the top. This unlocks the options.
5. Look under Shutdown settings. Check the Hibernate box to show it. Uncheck it to hide it.
6. Click Save changes.

Here’s what it looks like:

Method 2Use Windows Registry Editor to Show or Hide Hibernate Button

If you’re comfortable with advanced settings, you can use the Windows Registry Editor to show or hide the hibernate button on your Windows 11 PC.

1. Open Registry Editor. Press Windows key + R, type regedit, and press Enter. More info on opening Registry Editor
2. Go to this folder path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FlyoutMenuSettings
3. If you don’t see FlyoutMenuSettings, 🖱️ right-click on Explorer. Choose New > Key, and name it FlyoutMenuSettings.
4. In FlyoutMenuSettings, 🖱️ right-click on the right side. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it ShowHibernateOption.
5. Double-click ShowHibernateOption and set the value to:

   • 1 to show the hibernate button
   • 0 to hide the hibernate button
6. Click OK and close Registry Editor.
7. 🔄 Restart your computer to see the changes.

Example:

Method 3Use Local Group Policy Editor

Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise users can manage the hibernate button using the Local Group Policy Editor.

1. ⊞ Click Start. Type Edit group policy, and open it.
2. In the left panel, go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer
3. In the right panel, find and double-click “Show hibernate in the power options menu”.
4. Choose one of these options:

   • Not Configured – This is the default setting. Windows shows the hibernate button.
   • Enabled – Shows the hibernate button.
   • Disabled – Hides the hibernate button.
5. Click OK, close the editor, and 🔄 restart your PC.

Screenshot:

What Does the Hibernate Button Look Like?

Hibernate button shown in power menu:

Hibernate button hidden from power menu:

Summary

Managing the hibernate button in Windows 11 is simple, with easy methods like the 🎛️ Control Panel, Registry Editor, or Group Policy Editor.

Now you know how to manage the hibernate button on your Windows 11 PC!