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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.

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