Can I delete hiberfil.sys

I need to make more space on my C: drive. I have read that the hiberfil.sys is only used if you want to use hybernate mode which i don’t . So, is it safe to delete this large file to make space?

Although hiberfil. sys is a hidden and protected system file, you can safely delete it if you don’t want to use the power-saving options in Windows. That’s because the hibernation file has no effect on the general functions of the operating system.

The forum of a videogame is likely not the best place to ask a question like this.

A quick websearch with the same question will lead you to much better sources of information regarding how to do this.

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Hi @Donws1957,
I’ve moved your topic in the self-help category: #self-service:pc-hardware
That sub-category is for anything PC related.

You can’t just delete it. Well, I guess you might be able to but Windows will just create another one. In order to remove it correctly you need to open a command prompt window as admin and then run the following command: powercfg -h off

That will disable hibernation and remove the file.

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If you need space on your system drive, you might want to look into symbolic links. You can use mklink /J to create a directory junction after moving all the files to a different drive. Any program that uses that directory will be non the wiser and load it from where you set the link to.

I used it to move iTunes backup to another drive (will only install and backup to the system drive) and move the data directories of Elite Dangerous to my HDD to free up space. It works so transparent, totcmd reports I have 271 GB (out of 256GB SSD) in my users folder, and still 76GB free plus o fcourse Windows on there.

Of course you can start by configuring windows to put the documents, downloads, images, videos etc folders on another drive.

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Thanks for all of the help. It worked. one more question. If by chance i want to re-enable it at sometime in the future, is there a command for that?

Thanks again, this gave me more space for MSFS and seems to have improved the sim performance! :slight_smile:

Yes. Just websearch disable/enable hiberfil or similar and you will find the answers you seek.

Thanks. I shouldn’t have even asked. I found it on the web. I guess it’s just that I trust this group. I have had bad advice in the past by web searches.

Thanks a lot though. Much appreciated.

I haven’t used hibernation since fast SSD’s came along. My system boots faster than my monitor comes out of hibernation. :slight_smile:

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yep… hibernation, quick-start, etc… all that stuff that cause more trouble then it is usefull ( at least since ssd exist ).

Also… since windows 10 MS-Store we get a second kind of hibernation file ( not exactly :wink: ) . Beside of the pagefile.sys ( virtual memory ) we have a swapfile.sys file. This is for the new store apps , which e.g. ‘hibernated into’ if inactive.

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Ahh, that’s what that file is for. I have the store disabled on start up so at least it’s small, 16MB. Always wondered what that new file was doing there.

Pagefile.sys only seems to revert back down in size after a restart. Win 10 left it at 32GB after FS2020 crashed (it had allocated over 56GB of RAM due to a memory leak). Next day when I rebooted it was down to 10GB.

And your link also explains the crash, 256GB SSD, max 32GB pagefile size (windows managed), FS2020 still trying to allocated more memory, CTD. Not that it was running well at all, sub 5 fps. It normally doesn’t go over 22GB allocated with my settings, 56GB is ridiculous.

it can also be disbled per regedit, but I never done/tried that.

Pagefile is going to the min-size after Restart,… what I have in mind :slight_smile:
Therefore is for me the min-size what you want in each case ensure that exist…

was that MSFS alone or the whole system ( all, with possible open browser, etc. ) ?

Nope, just MFS, comitted memory according to performance monitor. This memory leak crops up from time to time when something in the sim falls behind, I suspect the terrain updater but could also be weather. A combination of many trees and bad weather is more likely to trigger it.

The 56GB debacle was over the arctic ocean, no land in sight, but flying through heavy fog, iced up. After restarting it was back to 18GB comitted, smooth, flying with no issues. It builds up slowly and will recover somewhat if you leave it paused for a long time. Yet after it starts doing it, it will keep doing it, that is, memory will quickly go back up again after unpausing. As if it doesn’t clean up behind itself anymore and just keeps loading more terrain into memory.

The other strange thing was that FS2020 kept talking to 5 different servers while paused, cleaning up memory. (In another situation where it had gone up to 42GB, after 20 minutes of pausing it was back down to 17GB comitted. Yet after unpausing it kept going up again at a rate of 1 GB per minute)

hmmm… in this case is 56gig realy to much, in special for a 32GIG RAM system, where the app should not endless request ‘memory’.

Yep, it crashed at 41 GB committed before I upgraded to 32GB ram, so the extra 16GB just raised the crash barrier haha. (I had firefox running as well at the time, 56 - 32 physical - 32 pagefile = 8 GB in use by windows + steam + firefox)

It happened as well before SU3 but very rarely, since SU3 it happens almost daily after adjusting terrain detail down to 100 (used to run fine at 200 before)

I guess I triggered it over the arctic ocean by trying to redo a flight at higher LOD. (terrain detail 100 is about 1nm draw distance at 82 degrees North…) My full transcript of those attempts:

Rematch, setting up a night flight with higher LOD to see Alert in the morning

04-05 Barter Island PABA 2:37 AM LOD 8.0 22GB allocated, overnight flight)
16% mixture FL120 2428 rpm -13F IAS 121 TAS 143 GS 153 ETA 10:50 AM)
7:31 80°23’22.51"N 115°14’4.22"W CTD 56GB allocated memory leak problem, IAS 110 GS 132 in heavy fog

Third attempt, halving the LOD to avoid memory leak

04-05 Barter Island PABA 7:48 AM LOD 4.0 18GB allocated
17% mixture FL120 2424 rpm -25F IAS 129 TAS 151 GS 144 ETA 4:14 PM)
17% mixture FL120 2424 rpm -22F IAS 125 TAS 140 GS 144 18.1 nmpg 1.84 gallons reserve ETA 4:12 PM turbulance
Weather emergency, clouds top to bottom, icing going up slowly, descent to 2,500ft, 100% icing, 26 knot headwind
Memory leak starting to interfere again, maybe related to fog, from 18GB to 36GB since getting in the clouds
Over 44GB allocated, abandoning LOD 400 terrain detail 10 letting it recover
Clouds now down to ground level, fuel emergency, going for ground effect to save fuel before landfall
18% Mixture 8 ft 2440 rpm 7F IAS 128 TAS 120 GS 116 283nm 23.85 gallons left 39GB Allocated
Volumetric clouds set to low detail to speed up memory recovery
Memory not recovering setting everything to low/off sigh still 33GB allocated and rising again for no reason
18% mixture 15ft 2440 rpm 6F IAS 133 TAS 125 GS 123 237nm 21.85 gallons left 40GB Allocated 23.0 nmpg
What is it doing!!! 41GB allocated 21GB working set, everything is on low, broken
Pausing Sim to see if it recovers 3:10 PM (6:54PM UTC) sim fell 16 minutes behind due to stuttering 42GB Allocated
FS2020 is exchanging data with 5 different servers while paused slowly cleaning up memory
Memory down to 17.5GB seems its done 3:35 PM flight resumed (paused at quarter sim rate, 7:01PM UTC)
17% mixture 16ft 2440 rpm 7F IAS 124 TAS 117 GS 112 220nm 21.11 gallons left 19GB Allocated
Memory climbing up again, back in fog, 100% icing
34GB Allocated Paused again 4:00 PM (7:26PM UTC) Terrain ahead
17% mixture 15ft 2440 rpm 6F IAS 115 TAS 109 GS 105 183nm 19.35 gallons left 21.0 nmpg
13.35 useable gallons left, 183nm to go, need to stay above 13.7 nmpg for the remainder
Memory back down to 18.6GB turned off data until near Alert (keeping live weather)
FS2020 is still talking to 5 different servers while paused, not a lot of traffic but consistent
4:19 PM trying to continue, starting to climb at 100fpm, mixture to 19%
19% mixture 650ft 2440 rpm 7F IAS 128 TAS 123 GS 121 173nm 18.72 gallons left 15.8 nmpg 75% icing
19% mixture FL35 2440 rpm 6F IAS 146 TAS 147 GS 146 117nm 15.55 gallons left 17.6 nmpg ice free 22GB allocated
Quarter sim rate, kids want cookies, ie bake cookies
19% mixture FL57 2440 rpm 6F IAS 147 TAS 155 GS 154 50nm 11.69 gallons left 17.3 nmpg over mountains 23GB allocated
Final pause 20nm to go, reconfigure graphics settings and online data for landing after memory use settles down
19% mixture FL38 2440 rpm 10F IAS 160 TAS 163 GS 160 20nm 9.97 gallons left 17.4 nmpg descending 23GB allocated
Very low FPS, terrain updating randomly, allocated memory increasing fast
04-05 Alert Bay CYLT 6:08 PM (8:55 PM UTC)
Fuel used 71.65 gallons 16.85 nmpg 8h54 (adjusted for pausing, stuttering and quarter sim rate) 135.6 avg GS

And then the next flight from Alert down to Hudson Bay, not a single hitch. It’s so random. This morning I had it again near Chigago, ended up in the rain, PG areas, heavy stuttering, memory going up. I restarted the game, continued from the exact same place, all smooth (still in the rain) did a couple loops through Chigago, no further issues.

I normally just restart, but for that one long flight I wanted to prove to myself I could do it on one tank no matter what conditions. Hence can’t restart. It was still not quite a live flight since sim time fell over an hour and a half behind…

It’s definitely related to movement speed as slowing sim rate down slows down the memory accumulation. And I guess flying circles over the same place also helps, or landing frequently. It’s on long straight line flights where it’s prone to get triggered. However this morning it was the rain I think, since I was landing everywhere, flying circles over PG areas, pausing to take pictures with the drone, and still it triggered.

More memory is not the answer, a reload world option could help. I haven’t figured out yet how to resume at the right height after a restart, it always throws me back up to 8,500ft or so. (I was flying at 1,800 ft)