Can You Safely Delete Hiberfil.sys?

Lurking in the depths of your computer's hard drive, you might have stumbled upon a mysterious file named "hiberfil.sys." Its cryptic name and large size can raise eyebrows, leaving you wondering whether it's safe to delete.

What is Hiberfil.sys?
Hiberfil.sys is a special file created by Windows to facilitate the hibernation feature. When your computer hibernates, it saves the current state of your system, including open programs and documents, to this file. This allows you to resume your work exactly where you left off when you wake your computer up from hibernation.

Is it Safe to Delete Hiberfil.sys?
Generally speaking, it is not recommended to delete hiberfil.sys unless you have a specific reason. If you don't use the hibernation feature, you can safely delete the file to reclaim some disk space. However, keep in mind that deleting the file will disable the hibernation feature.

How to Delete Hiberfil.sys
To delete hiberfil.sys, follow these steps:

1. Open an elevated Command Prompt.
2. Type the following command and press Enter:

powercfg -h off

3. This will disable hibernation and delete the hiberfil.sys file.

Other Considerations
If you're not sure whether you use the hibernation feature, you can check the settings in Power Options. If hibernation is enabled, you will see the option to "Hibernate" in the power menu.

Deleting hiberfil.sys will have no impact on the sleep or standby features of your computer. These features use a different file called "hiberfil.sys.bak."

Conclusion
In most cases, it is advisable to leave hiberfil.sys intact. However, if you don't use hibernation and need to free up some disk space, you can safely delete the file by following the steps outlined above.