What is the difference between sleeping and hibernating on a computer

So which one is best for your PC or Mac laptop? Is there a difference between Sleep, Hibernate, and shutting your computer down? Each power-saving mode has its own pros, cons, and specific uses. Whether you use a PC or a Mac laptop, Sleep Mode is a pretty universal option on most modern computers. But what is Sleep Mode? WIth all of your progress saved securely in the RAM, everything is recalled almost instantly when you wake the computer up with a touch of the Power button.

The good news is that a majority of laptops including Macs will usually enter some form of Hibernation after a few hours in Sleep mode in order to preserve battery and back up your work.

It is important to note that Hybrid Sleep is not available if Hibernate is not added first. If your PC or laptop does not have Hybrid Sleep turned on, you can set it up by performing the steps below. Remember that hybrid sleep is disabled in laptops for safety. Laptops generally use a different power scheme to preserve active windows and processes when not in use. The portable devices use Sleep when inactive, and then they may activate Hibernate to conserve the battery. Closing the lid puts the laptop to sleep, and if the hybrid option is active, it caches the current session to disk while you move the portable device around to store it and while shaking it up in your backpack or case.

If you plan on leaving your laptop at the desk, Hybrid Sleep is beneficial for HDDs, especially when you get back on to work or finish a task. Sydney Butler is a social scientist and technology fanatic who tries to understand how people and technology coexist.

He has two decades of experience as a freelance computer technician and more than a decade as a technologies researcher and instructor. Sydney has been a professional technology writer for more than five years and covers topics such as VR, Gaming, Cyber security and Transhumanism. Read Sydney's Full Bio. Your email address will not be published. Subscribe to Help Desk Geek and get great guides, tips and tricks on a daily basis! We only send useful stuff! We hate spam too, unsubscribe at any time.

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