Putting your Windows computer into Hibernation Mode allows you to save power, and quickly access your desktop again when you need it. Here we show how to create a shortcut to put your PC in Hibernation Mode quickly.

Note: Here we show how to create the shortcut in Windows 7 and add it to the Taskbar. But creating the shortcut should work in XP and Vista as well.

Create Shortcut 

Right-click an empty area on your desktop and select New \ Shortcut from the Context Menu.

In the Create Shortcut window type or copy the following in the location field…

C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe powrprof.dll, SetSuspendState 0,1,0

Now give the shortcut a name such as Hibernate Computer or whatever you want to call it.

Now you have the shortcut on your desktop, but you might want to change the icon to something else.

Change Shortcut Icon

Right-click the shortcut icon and select Properties.

Select the Shortcut Tab and click the Change Icon button.

In the Look for icons in this file field copy and past the following then click OK.

%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll

This brings up a list of included Windows icons you can choose from. Select whatever you want it to be. There are a couple of Power icons in the directory…click OK. Of course you can choose any icon you want, if you customize your icons just browse to the directory they are in.

For more on selecting icons check out our article on how to customize your icons in Windows 7 or how to change a file type’s icon.

Now you will see the icon in the Shortcut Properties window, click OK.

Here we have a nice looking shortcut that you can use to put your machine into Hibernation.

Or here we used a customized Star Trek icon just to make things more interesting…

You can pin the shortcut to the Taskbar for easy access.

Conclusion

If Hibernation is not enabled on your Windows 7 system you can easily manage it. By creating a shortcut and pinning to the Taskbar, it allows you to put your machine into Hibernation Mode quick and easy.

If you like to customize your desktop with unique icons check out our posts on a Sci-Fi icon pack or Video Game icon pack.