How to Configure Windows Crash Dump in Registry

This article explains how Windows controls the creation of memory dump files during a kernel panic, commonly known as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). By modifying a specific DWORD value within the Windows Registry, administrators can determine whether a crash dump file is generated and specify the type of diagnostic data collected when a fatal system error occurs.

The registry value that controls crash dump generation in Windows is CrashDumpEnabled, located in the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl

CrashDumpEnabled Values

The CrashDumpEnabled value is a 32-bit DWORD (REG_DWORD). Changing its numeric value alters how the operating system handles memory dumps upon a system crash:

• 0 (None): Disables crash dump generation entirely. Windows will not create a dump file when a kernel panic occurs.
• 1 (Complete memory dump): Writes the entire contents of physical system memory to the dump file.
• 2 (Kernel memory dump): Records only the memory allocated to the Windows kernel and hardware abstraction layer (HAL), omitting unallocated memory and user-mode applications.
• 3 (Small memory dump / Minidump): Records the smallest set of useful information, including the stop code, parameters, loaded driver list, and processor context (typically 64 KB to 256 KB).
• 7 (Automatic memory dump): The default setting on modern Windows versions. It acts similarly to a Kernel memory dump but allows Windows to dynamically scale the page file size to accommodate dump generation.

How to Modify the Setting in Regedit

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl
3. In the right pane, double-click the CrashDumpEnabled value.
4. Set the Base to Decimal or Hexadecimal, enter the desired numeric value (e.g., 0 to disable, 3 for Minidumps), and click OK.
5. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.