How to free up disk space by deleting hiberfil.sys
Disk Cleanup cannot clean up hiberfil.sys. Disk Cleanup works only on files that are in the Recycle Bin, or on the disk with enough free space. If you want to delete hiberfil.sys, you must disable Windows Hibernate function firstly.
Is it safe to delete hiberfil.sys
Deleting this file will not affect the system other than taking up a few gigabytes of hard drive space which you might need when you’re working on certain projects and don’t want to restart your computer every time. In some cases, it is advised that you delete hiberfil.sys when the hard drive is full and memory pressure becomes an issue because it can slow down your PC and make applications run slower. If your PC has at least 8GB of RAM, it should be safe to delete hiberfil.sys if there are no important files in the Windows Hibernate folder or if there are no items marked as ‘read only’.
Removing the file manually
To manually delete the file, you will need to use Windows’ Disk Cleanup Tool:
- Open File Explorer, press Control + E on your keyboard and search for disk cleanup
- In the left pane of File Explorer, right-click on C:\ and select Properties
- Select the Disk Cleanup tab at the top of this window and click Clean up system files
- You should now see a list of different types of files that can be deleted. Scroll down until you find the Hibernation file. Click it, then click OK
- Confirm that Delete the selected item is highlighted in blue at the bottom of the window before clicking OK
Deactivating Hibernation in Windows 7
1) Right-click on the Desktop or in any folder.
2) Click Properties, and then click the Advance System Settings button.
3) Click the Hardware tab, and then click Power Options.
4) Click Change when power is applied, and select Turn off system beeps . 5) Click Change advanced power settings . Select Hibernate after.
Deleting Hiberfile manually in all supported versions of Windows
In Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7, use the Command Prompt (Run as Administrator) and enter the following command: powercfg /h off. In Windows Vista and earlier versions of Windows, disable the Hibernate function from running automatically by going to Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do, uncheck Hibernate (click on Change settings that are currently unavailable), click Apply then OK.
