Buzz
When users activate the Hibernate feature (sleep mode), Windows OS generates a file named hiberfil.sys. The hiberfil.sys file is stored in the root directory of the Windows installation drive. For instance, if the Windows 10 installation drive is C, then the hiberfil.sys file is located in C:\ location.
By default, the hiberfil.sys file is hidden, making it invisible. You'll need to configure File Explorer to display protected operating system files as well as hidden files and folders to view and check the size of the hiberfil.sys file before deleting it on Windows 10.
Although the Hibernate option isn't displayed in the Power menu, the Hibernate feature is activated by default.
Depending on the size of your computer's RAM, the hiberfil.sys file can consume anywhere from a few hundred MB to several GBs. Generally, the hiberfil.sys file size occupies about 30-70% of the computer's RAM size.
The Hibernate feature doesn't shut down the computer and running programs, and it's worth noting that hibernate is entirely different from the sleep feature.
View and check the size of the hiberfile.sys file
Step 1: Open the root directory of your Windows 10 installation drive. For example, if your Windows 10 installation drive is C:\, double-click on the C:\ icon.
Step 2: Since hiberfile.sys is a hidden file, it won't be visible. Therefore, you need to enable the option to show hidden files and folders. Click on File, then click on Options or Change folder and search to open the Folder Options dialog box.
Step 3: In the Folder Options dialog box, switch to the View tab. Here, select the option Show hidden files, folders, and drives and uncheck the option Hide protected operating system files. If a confirmation dialog appears, click Yes.
Finally, click on the Apply button to display the hiberfil.sys file.
Note that you can only see the hiberfil file, not the hiberfil.sys file. To view the file extension of the hiberfil file, click on View and then select File name extensions.
To check the size of the hiberfile.sys file, right-click on the file and select Properties.
Delete hiberfil.sys file on Windows 10
To delete the hiberfile.sys file, you'll need to disable the Hibernate (sleep) feature.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt with Admin rights. To do this, type CMD in the Search box on the Start menu or Taskbar. Right-click on Command Prompt from the search results, then choose Run as administrator.
If a UAC window appears on the screen, click Yes to proceed.
Step 2: In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter to disable the Hibernate feature and delete the hiberfil.sys file:
powercfg /hibernation off
To re-enable the Hibernate feature, follow similar steps and type the command below in the Command Prompt window:
powercfg /hibernation
Here, Mytour has just guided you on how to disable the Hibernate feature and delete the hiberfil.sys file on Windows 10 to free up space. If you have any queries or questions needing answers, feel free to leave them in the comments section below the article.
