Ubuntu 18.04 LTS – Hibernate to Swapfile 4


This is a short summary for the following instruction: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1042946

Swapfile activation

# create swapfile (XX stands for your RAM size e.g. 32GB + 1GB => XX=33)
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/swapfile bs=1G count=XX

# change swapfile permissions
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile

# make this file as swapfile (ignore UUID)
sudo mkswap /swapfile

# disable all current active swaps
sudo swapoff -a

# activate the new swapfile 
sudo swapon /swapfile

# add the new swapfile to the file system table
sudo -b gedit /etc/fstab

# inside fstab: comment out all swap entries and add the following new line:
/swapfile   none   swap   sw   0   0

Hibernate activation

# get partition of the root path
mount | grep " / "

# get UUID of the root partition from above
sudo blkid

# get the UUID of the swapfile
sudo swaplabel /swapfile

# get the "resume_offset"
sudo swap-offset /swapfile

# edit grub
sudo -b nano /etc/default/grub

# set the resume and resume_offset behind "quiet splash"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash resume=UUID=xxxx resume_offset=xxxxx"

# activate the new grub configuration
sudo update-grub

# test hibernate
sudo systemctl hibernate


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4 thoughts on “Ubuntu 18.04 LTS – Hibernate to Swapfile

  • filippo maggiio

    I am a beginner of ubuntu so followed step by step your message the only problem I had is that I didn’t know which value put in place of yyyyyy!
    when I did reboot in the power menu was not resent the “hibernate” possibility!

    if from the terminal I give the order sudo hibernate the hibernate works fine also if I get in the terminal “hibernate:Warning: Tuxonice binary signature file not found.” but I have no hibernate on the power menu!. can you help me?

    • pal.sch Post author

      Hi Filippo,

      You will get the offset number with the command “sudo filefrag -v /swapfile”

      For more detailed description please see the linked article at very beginning of my article.

  • julio

    Thanks for your guide. I tried many many thing and now I am not sure what as the one that in fact worked, but I guess the main thing for me, in addition to the instructions above, was to disable in BIOS the secure boot (as I read in other forums) and the fast boot.

    • pal.sch Post author

      Hi Julio,
      thanks for your comment. I didn’t had the problem with the secure boot and fast boot features, maybe the were disabled already. But it may help other people with those problems, thanks.