Files with the .dmp extension, or Windows Memory Dump files, are created when a system error or a program crash happens. Since these files are located in the Windows folder, it is common to ask whether it is safe to delete DMP files.
It is safe to delete .dmp files as the system doesn’t need these crash dump files. They are only helpful to help diagnosing the causes of a system error. However, if your system often crashes, it is better to keep them as they might be essential to identify the issue.
If your PC works fine, consider deleting memory dump files. Alongside deleting .tmp files, this is a great way to free up disk space and reduce the size of your Windows folder.
Now that we know we can delete .dmp files, let’s check the best way to delete them.
How to Safely Delete DMP Files in Windows 10/11
There are two ways to delete crash dump files: you can do it through Windows built-in Disk Cleanup or manually delete the .dmp files on your PC. Both methods are quick and effective. Here is how you can do it:
Deleting .DMP Files with the Disk Cleanup
The Disk Cleanup is a very effective Windows tool to help you safely clean up system files and reduce the size of your Windows folder. You can delete most of the .dmp files in your PC by using the Disk Cleanup as explained below:
- Enter Disk Cleanup on Windows Search and click on it:
- With Disk Cleanup open, click on Clean up System Files:
- Under Files to Delete, select System error memory dump files:
- Reboot your PC.
If you do not see this option, there are no dump files, or your PC didn’t go through a system failure.
However, this does NOT mean there are no .dmp files on your PC, as shown in the step below.
Deleting .DMP Files with the Everything
A great way to find files that Disk Cleanup missed is to do a quick scan with the Everything app. This will help you find all files with the .dmp extension on your PC.
To find all memory dump files on your disk, just follow the steps below:
- Download and Install the Everything App:
- Open Everything, and on the search box, enter .dmp and press Enter to find all memory dump files.
- Sort the files by clicking on size, then right-click and delete the big ones:
Remember to check Path to know where the memory dump file is located. If you are not whether you can delete it, make a quick search online.
Conclusion
Files with the .dmp file extension, or Windows Memory Dump, are created as an error log whenever your system or an application crash. So you can safely delete .dmp files.
However, if you have recurrent PC crashes, it can be beneficial to keep crash dump files, as they allow you to dig deep or obtain support to fix these issues.
The best ways to delete .dmp files are to use the Disk Cleanup tool or the Everything app to scan your PC for all memory dump files.
To learn how to clean more disk space in your PC, check out my article on how to find large files and folders on Windows.
