Need to debug a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)? Here is the exclusive, definitive guide to the exact location of minidump files in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Here is exactly where to find them and how to ensure your system is creating them properly. Where Are Minidump Files Located?
If your system crashes and you cannot find files in the Minidump folder, check the root of your Windows drive.
Ensure is set to Small memory dump (256 KB) .
Yes. It is entirely safe to delete files inside C:\Windows\Minidump or to remove C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP . Deleting them will not harm your PC; it simply removes past diagnostic history. Windows Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup often clear these automatically to save space. Why is my Windows Minidump folder missing? minidump files location exclusive
Why is this exclusivity so "interesting"? Because in the world of Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR), the minidump is the .
If an individual app crashes without taking down the whole system, its dumps are often stored in C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\CrashDumps Live Kernel Reports: Located in C:\Windows\LiveKernelReports
Recap of the key exclusive locations:
(Note: This is a larger, single file that contains more data than a standard minidump.) To access these quickly, you can press %SystemRoot%\Minidump Need to debug a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)
Within this key, you can set the DumpFolder value (REG_EXPAND_SZ) to specify the . It is important to note that for services that crash, the dump location may vary; for example, the profile folder for system services is %WINDIR%\System32\Config\SystemProfile , while for network services it is %WINDIR%\ServiceProfiles . Always ensure that the target folder has the correct Access Control Lists (ACLs) to allow the crashing process to write the data.
Also, under , ensure "Hide protected operating system files" is unchecked . 3. How to Configure the Minidump Location (Step-by-Step)
What did you see on the blue screen?
are small, specialized dumps (typically 128 KB to 256 KB) that contain just enough information to identify what went wrong, such as the error code, the driver involved, and the stack trace. Where Are Minidump Files Located
Files in this directory are typically named based on the date and a sequence number, such as Mini051926-01.dmp . 2. The Memory Dump Location (MEMORY.DMP)
If you have experienced a crash but cannot find any files in C:\Windows\Minidump , it means one of a few things:
%localappdata%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Crashpad\reports
Windows stores small memory dump files in one specific, exclusive directory on your system drive. C:\Windows\Minidump File Extension: .dmp