How to Enable Memory Dump for BSOD Diagnosis on Windows 11

Quick fix: Open System Properties (Win + R, sysdm.cpl) → Advanced tab → Startup and Recovery → Settings. Under Write debugging information, choose Automatic memory dump or Small memory dump (256 KB). The dump file is created at C:\Windows\Minidump\ on next BSOD.

Your PC BSODs occasionally. You want to identify the cause but Reliability Monitor doesn’t show enough detail. The fix is to ensure Windows writes a memory dump on each BSOD — by default it should, but the setting can be off or pointing at a path with insufficient space. Once enabled, you can analyze dumps with BlueScreenView, WinDbg, or WhoCrashed to identify the failing driver.

What causes this

When Windows BSODs, the kernel saves a snapshot of memory to C:\pagefile.sys before reboot. After reboot, this snapshot is moved to C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP (full dump) or C:\Windows\Minidump\<timestamp>.dmp (minidump). The dump contains the kernel state at crash time, identifying the failing driver or module. If dumps aren’t being created, the setting may be off, the pagefile too small, or disk space insufficient.

Method 1: Enable memory dump via System Properties

The standard configuration.

1. Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, press Enter.
2. Switch to the Advanced tab.
3. Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
4. Under System failure:
   • Confirm Write an event to the system log is ticked.
   • Tick Automatically restart if you don’t want the BSOD screen to stay visible (handy for unattended servers).
5. Under Write debugging information, choose:
   • Small memory dump (256 KB) — minimal info, fits in tight disk. Identifies the failing module name.
   • Kernel memory dump — kernel-mode memory only, ~RAM/3 size, more detail.
   • Complete memory dump — full RAM contents, requires RAM-sized free space. Maximum detail but rarely needed.
   • Automatic memory dump (default) — Windows picks based on available space, usually equivalent to Kernel dump.
6. For most users, Small memory dump is sufficient for identifying failing drivers.
7. Confirm the path: Small dump directory shows %SystemRoot%\Minidump.
8. Click OK twice.

On next BSOD, a dump will be written here.

Method 2: Confirm pagefile is large enough for kernel dump

Use if dumps still aren’t being created — the pagefile may be too small.

1. Open System Properties → Advanced → Performance → Settings → Advanced tab → Virtual memory → Change.
2. If you have Automatically manage paging file size for all drives ticked, Windows handles this. Tick it if not.
3. For dumps to work properly, the pagefile must be at least as large as RAM (for Complete dump) or about 1/3 of RAM (for Kernel dump) or just 256 MB (for Small dump).
4. For manual configuration: set Initial size to match RAM (e.g., 16384 MB on a 16 GB system) and Maximum to 2x RAM.
5. Click Set → OK. Reboot.
6. After next BSOD, check C:\Windows\Minidump\ for new .dmp files.

An undersized pagefile is a common reason dumps don’t generate.

Method 3: Analyze the dump file

Once dumps are generated, use one of these tools to identify the cause.

1. BlueScreenView (free, nirsoft.net):
   • Download and run.
   • The tool auto-finds dumps in C:\Windows\Minidump\.
   • The top pane lists BSOD events; click one.
   • The bottom pane highlights the driver(s) involved in the crash.
2. WhoCrashed (free, resplendence.com):
   • Similar to BlueScreenView but with plain-English explanations.
   • Identifies the faulting driver and suggests next steps.
3. WinDbg (Microsoft, advanced):
   • Install Windows SDK to get WinDbg, or get from Microsoft Store.
   • Open WinDbg, File → Open Crash Dump, pick the .dmp file.
   • Run !analyze -v. Reports the failing module with detailed analysis.
4. Update or roll back the identified driver to resolve the BSOD.

This is the diagnostic step. Once you have the dump, the failing driver is named explicitly.

How to verify the fix worked

• Open C:\Windows\Minidump\. After the next BSOD, a new .dmp file appears with the crash timestamp.
• Open the dump with BlueScreenView or WhoCrashed. The tool identifies the failing module.
• Open System Properties → Advanced → Startup and Recovery. Write debugging information shows your chosen dump type.

If none of these work

If BSODs occur but no dumps appear, three causes apply. Disk space insufficient: ensure C: drive has at least 20% free space. Dumps fail if disk is too full. BSOD too fast for write: severe early-boot crashes may not have time to write the dump. The dump only writes for crashes after kernel initialization. Antivirus interference: third-party AV may quarantine dump files. Check AV quarantine for dump-related entries. Wrong dump path: if Small dump directory points at a deleted or read-only path, dumps fail. Verify the path is valid. BitLocker: BitLocker-encrypted drives may need specific configuration for dump access. Check Microsoft documentation for BitLocker + dump settings.

Bottom line: Enable Small memory dump via System Properties → Advanced → Startup and Recovery. After next BSOD, analyze the dump with BlueScreenView to identify the failing driver.