Hibernate and Standby – What's the Difference?

Standby and Hibernate both save you from having to log off and shut down to save power when you quit using your PC for a few minutes, a few hours, or longer. Typically, if you plan to be away from your computer for a short while during your workday, put your computer on Standby, which places your entire system in a low-power state. Hibernate puts your laptop into an even deeper sleep than Standby mode. Put your computer in Hibernate when you will be away from the computer for an extended time or overnight.

Hibernation is just short of a complete shutdown. When a Laptop goes into hibernation, Windows saves your desktop state with all open files and documents before powering down your computer. You don’t need to save and close each document before you put your PC into hibernation. To start working again, simply press the power button and logon normally. Your computer starts more quickly because it skips steps such as cache cleanup. When Windows brings your PC out of hibernation, you'll find your documents and files open on your desktop exactly as you left them.

Standby does not automatically save your data like Hibernation before powering down your PC. You should save your documents before putting the computer on Standby. From a user’s point of view, Standby can be compared to a screensaver that starts after 5 minutes or so. The difference is that screensavers don’t reduce noise or save energy. A screensaver doesn’t extend battery life on your laptop—Standby does.

Another advantage of Standby is quieter operation on your laptop. For example, if your PC is idle for a period while you answer a phone call, Standby can reduce noise by turning off cooling fans and spinning drives, but it keeps your PC at the ready for you to continue working, unlike Hibernation which puts your PC into a deeper sleep that takes longer to wake from.