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How to Do a Complete Memory Dump on Windows 11 or Windows 10

We show you how to do a complete memory dump on Windows 11 or Windows 10 so that you can troubleshoot your bluescreen crashes.

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There are few things more frustrating than persistent blue screens or crashes that you are unable to identify the cause of. To aid in this type of troubleshooting, offers the / memory dump feature. Today, we're going to show you how to do a complete memory dump in Windows 11 or Windows 10 today so you can get the root of your issues.

What are Windows system memory dump/crash dump files?

A Windows 10/Windows 11 memory dump is a copy of your computer's memory at the time of a crash. It's because of this that you may have heard to them referred to as Windows 10 or Windows 11 crash dumps.

Though it isn't widely discussed, there are actually three types of memory dump in Windows 11 and Windows 10: a complete memory dump, a kernel memory dump, and a small memory dump.

A small memory dump comes in at just 256kb, and contains only the barebones information about the crash. Information such as the error code, a list of loaded drives, and some kernel information.

The kernel memory dump is about one-third of the size of your system's physical memory. It contains only memory related to the Windows kernel and hardware extraction level, as well as memory allocated to kernel-mode drivers and programs.

In most cases, the kernel memory dump will give everything you need. In some cases, however, you may need the final type: a complete memory dump. A complete memory dump will create a copy of all the information in your computer's memory at the time of the crash. So, if you're using 16GB of RAM, that will be a 16 GB file. In some cases, this can be used to better diagnose the source of the issue.

Here's how to generate a complete memory dump in Windows 11 / Windows 10:

How to Do a Complete Memory Dump in Windows 11 and Windows 10

To generate a complete memory dump in Windows 11 or Windows 10 you first need to modify your boot options to include the maximum memory option. You can then use the system properties menu to enable a complete memory dump, which will complete next time you experience a crash. Here's how to do that:

  1. Open System Configuration

    Press the Start button and type “System Configuration”, then click the top result.

    Windows 11 - Open System Configuration

  2. Open the “Boot” tab and click “Advanced options…”

     

    Windows 11 - System Configuration - Boot - Advanced Options

  3. In the BOOT Advanced Options, tick “Maximum memory” and press “OK”

     

    Windows 11 - System Configuration - Boot - Advanced Options - Check Maximum Memory - Accept

  4. Press “OK” on the main System Configuration screen

     

    Windows 11 - System Configuration -Accept

  5. Note down your BitLocker key and press “Yes” if you receive a BitLocker warning

     

    Windows 11 - System Configuration -Accept

  6. Open File Explorer, right-click “This PC”, and choose “Show more options”

     

    Windows 11 - This PC - Show More Options

  7. Press “Properties” in the “Show more options” menu

     

    Windows 11 - This PC - Show More Options - Properties

  8. Scroll to the “Related links” section and press “Advanced system settings”

     

    Windows 11 - This PC - Show More Options - Properties - Advanced System Settings

  9. Open the “Advanced” tab and press the “Settings…” button under the “Startup and Recovery” heading

     

    Windows 11 - This PC - Show More Options - Properties - Advanced System Settings - Advanced - Startup & Recovery - Settings

  10. Click the dropdown under “Write debugging information” and choose “Complete memory dump”

    Press “OK” and restart the system to apply the changes.

    Windows 11 - This PC - Advanced System Settings - Advanced - Startup & Recovery - Settings - Writte Debugging Info - Complete Memory Dump - Accept

  11. Reproduce the issue and go to the memory dump location in Windows 11 / Windows 10

    If you're wondering what the Windows 10 / Windows 11 memory dump file location is, it's %SYSTEMROOT%. It will be named MEMORY.DMP and will appear after you reproduce the issue. You can then read memory.dmp with the WinDbg tool.

    Windows 11 - This PC - Complete Memory Dump - Result

How to Configure BSOD Dump Files in Windows 11 and Windows 10

Windows 10 - Elevated Command Prompt - Active Memory Dumps

If you'd like to find out more about Windows memory dumps, you can read our full guide on how to configure BSOD Dump Files in Windows 11 or Windows 10. This will better walk you through all the options and provide you with additional methods to enable them.

How to Use Reliability Monitor to Analyze System Crashes and Freezes in Windows 11 / Windows 10

If you don't feel technically proficient enough to go trawling through crash dumps for an issue, you can try Reliability Monitor instead. Reliability Monitor is a great tool that displays all the important software events on your system. If your crash has its roots in a software issue, our Windows 10 / Windows 11 Reliability Monitor guide will help you find it.

Ryan Maskell
Ryan Maskellhttps://ryanmaskell.co.uk
Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.