Windows creates memory dump and minidump files when it fails. These files take up space on your system's hard drive or SSD, and you can delete them to free up space. That's how.
What are memory dump and minidump files?
Whenever Windows experiences a blue screen of death error (BSOD), generates a crash file or memory dump file that contains a lot of information, as the procedural threads active before the crash, running programs and applications, active controllers, kernel information and events. timestamps.
Windows keeps a maximum of one memory dump file (generally in C: Windows MEMORY.DMP), which overwrites every time your system shows blue screens. This file can be up to 800 MB and contains many details that may be useful for a programmer or developer who needs to debug the crash.
In addition there are smaller minidump files, which are memory dump files that contain less details. Generally, you can find these files in C: Windows Minidump.
Unless you plan to share these files with someone or use them yourself to help fix a system crash or other problem, you can safely delete them to free up space.
RELATED: Windows memory dumps: What exactly are they for?
Remove memory dumps with Windows settings
You can use Windows Settings app to get rid of system error memory dump files.
To open the Windows Settings application, press windows + iy select the section “System”.
Click on the option “Storage” in the left panel.
Click on “Temporary files” in the right panel.
Check the box next to “System Error Memory Dump Files” if it is not selected by default. You can also check the boxes to see other options to free up more space.
Click the button “Remove files” at the top of the window.
Windows will delete the system error memory dump files from your PC.
Clean up files with Disk Cleanup
You can also start the Disk Cleanup tool. You can remove memory dump files and other system files that the Storage section of the Windows Settings app does not list.
RELATED: Is it safe to remove everything in Windows Disk Cleanup?
To get started with the Disk Cleanup tool, click start, scribe “Disk Cleanup” and select “Execute as an administrator” in the right panel. Click on “Yes” in the User Account Control message.
Select the Windows system drive, which in general is the unit “C:”, and click “To accept”.
Disk Cleanup will calculate the amount of space you can free up by removing different types of files.
Once i do, scroll down to check the boxes for “System Error Memory Dump Files” and “System Error Mini Dump Files”. You can also select other system files that you want to remove. Subsequently, click on “To accept”.
Disk Cleanup tool will remove all chosen files from your PC.
Remove files at command prompt
If you are comfortable using the command prompt, you can quickly enter a command to remove the memory dump file.
Press Windows + R to open the box “Run”, scribe “cmd” in the box and press ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the command prompt with administrator privileges.
Scribe (or copy and paste) the following command and press Enter:
del /f /s /q %systemroot%memory.dmp
You will see a confirmation line of “Deleted file” at the command prompt.
To remove the minidump files, scribe (get it) the following command and press Enter:
del /f /s /q %systemroot%minidump*.*
Now, you don't have memory dump files taking up disk space, in any case, not until Windows reappears on blue screen.
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