By Michael | Last Updated
Windows automatically deletes BSOD memory dump files to free disk space when running low. But if you're troubleshooting crashes, keeping your dump files can be critical. Here’s how to enable or disable this behavior and ensure you retain memory dump files when needed.
What are memory dumps? Memory dump files capture essential system information at the time of a crash (Blue Screen of Death). These files are invaluable for debugging and diagnosing system errors.
Where to Find the Setting? You can toggle this option via: Advanced Startup & Recovery settings (System Properties), Windows Registry.
When Does Windows Remove Dumps? Automatic deletion occurs when Free Space (MB) < MAX(600, 10*√(total disk size in MB)).
Step 1: Press Windows + R and type sysdm.cpl. After that, press Enter to open System Properties.
Step 2: Click the Advanced tab and choose Settings under Startup and Recovery.
Step 3: Check Disable automatic deletion of memory dumps when disk space is low.
Step 4: Click OK twice to confirm. This ensures dump files (e.g., memory.dmp, %SystemRoot%\Minidump) are always retained. If you want to make the memory dumps automatically remove, you can uncheck this option.
Step 1: Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
Step 2: Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl
Step 3: If needed, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named AlwaysKeepMemoryDump. Set its value to:1 to disable automatic deletion or 0 (or delete the entry) to enable automatic deletion.
Step 4: Close Registry Editor and restart Windows to apply changes.
Q1: Will disabling auto-deletion cause disk issues?
Yes—dump files (especially complete dumps) can be large. Ensure you manage them to avoid storage shortages.
Q2: Where are memory dumps saved?
%SystemRoot%\memory.dmp for full/kernel dumps or %SystemRoot%\Minidump\ for minidumps
Q3: Can I delete dump files manually?
Yes—safe to delete after analysis, but researcher backup before removing dumps.
If you're troubleshooting BSODs, keep dump files by disabling automatic deletion. If storage is tight and you don’t need dumps, re-enable deletion to save space. Always balance debugging needs with storage constraints.
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