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Where Are .dmp Files Located?

Windows keeps crash dumps in a few fixed places depending on what crashed. Blue-screen minidumps are the most common and live in C:\Windows\Minidump.

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Short answer: blue-screen (BSOD) crash dumps are in C:\Windows\Minidump\. The full kernel dump, if enabled, is a single file at C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP. Crashes of ordinary apps go to C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\CrashDumps.

The three locations

  • Minidumps — C:\Windows\Minidump\*.dmp. Small (a few hundred KB), one per blue screen.
  • Full memory dump — C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP. Large; only present if configured under System > Advanced > Startup and Recovery.
  • App crash dumps — %LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps. Created by Windows Error Reporting for individual programs.

How to read them

Open a .dmp with WinDbg (Microsoft Store) or the lightweight BlueScreenView from NirSoft. Both show the driver or module that triggered the crash, which is usually all you need.

Is it safe to delete .dmp files?

Yes. Minidumps and MEMORY.DMP are diagnostic snapshots, not part of Windows — deleting them frees space (a full memory dump can be several GB) and nothing breaks. The clean way is Disk Cleanup > tick System error memory dump files and System error minidump files. Keep them only while you are actively debugging a recurring blue screen, since the dump names the faulting driver.

For what these crash files actually contain, see what a .dmp file is.

FAQ

Why is C:\Windows\Minidump empty?

Minidumps are only written when a blue screen occurs and dump creation is enabled. No recent BSOD means no files.

Is it safe to delete .dmp files?

Yes. They are diagnostic snapshots; deleting them frees space and does not affect Windows. Disk Cleanup lists them as 'System error memory dump files'.

How big is MEMORY.DMP?

A full dump can be as large as your installed RAM. That is why many systems use small minidumps instead.

Other file types explained