Enable Hibernate on Ubuntu: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Check Secure Boot Status

Before proceeding, ensure Secure Boot is disabled. Run:

mokutil --sb-state

If the output shows SecureBoot enabled, disable it in your BIOS settings.

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2. Verify Hibernation Support

Open a terminal and check if your system supports hibernation:

cat /sys/power/state

Expected output:

freeze mem disk

If disk is present, your kernel supports hibernation. Test it with:

sudo systemctl hibernate

Your system should power off and restore upon boot.

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3. Ensure Adequate Swap Space

Your swap should be at least the size of your RAM. Check RAM and swap size:

free -h

Verify swap partition or file:

swapon --show

If no swap exists, create one.

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4. Check Disk Space

Install and run gparted:

sudo apt install gparted
sudo gparted

Select /dev/sda and examine partitions for available space.

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5. Resize Partition (If Needed)

If you need space for swap, shrink a partition like /dev/sda7:

df -h /

Use gparted to resize it. Backup your data before proceeding.

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6. Create a Swap Partition

In gparted, create a new partition:

• Set size (e.g., 32 GB).
• Choose linux-swap as the type.
• Apply changes.
• Note the new partition’s device name (e.g., /dev/sda8).

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7. Configure Swap

Format and activate the swap partition:

sudo mkswap /dev/sda8
sudo swapon /dev/sda8

Get the UUID of the swap partition:

sudo blkid /dev/sda8

Edit /etc/fstab:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Replace the /swapfile entry with:

UUID=your_swap_uuid none swap sw 0 0

Then remove the old swap file:

sudo swapoff /swapfile
sudo rm /swapfile

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8. Configure GRUB for Hibernate

Edit GRUB:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Modify this line:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash resume=UUID=YOUR-SWAP-UUID"

Update GRUB:

sudo update-grub

Also, update initramfs:

echo "RESUME=UUID=YOUR-SWAP-UUID" | sudo tee /etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d/resume
sudo update-initramfs -u

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9. Enable Hibernate in PolicyKit

Create necessary directories:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/10-vendor.d

Edit the PolicyKit configuration:

sudo nano /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/10-vendor.d/com.ubuntu.desktop.pkla

Add the following:

[Re-enable hibernate by default in upower]
Identity=unix-user:*
Action=org.freedesktop.upower.hibernate
ResultActive=yes

[Re-enable hibernate by default in logind]
Identity=unix-user:*
Action=org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate;org.freedesktop.login1.handle-hibernate-key;org.freedesktop.login1;org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate-multiple-sessions;org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate-ignore-inhibit
ResultActive=yes

Also, create another rules file:

sudo nano /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/10-enable-hibernate.rules

Add:

polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
    if (action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate" || 
        action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate-multiple-sessions" || 
        action.id == "org.freedesktop.upower.hibernate" || 
        action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.handle-hibernate-key" || 
        action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate-ignore-inhibit") {
        return polkit.Result.YES;
    }
});

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10. Test Hibernate

Reboot and verify hibernation:

sudo systemctl hibernate

If everything works, your system should restore after powering back on.

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