Set App Crash Dump Retention Limit via Regedit

Windows Error Reporting (WER) automatically generates and stores application crash dumps to assist in diagnosing software failures. By default, Windows retains up to 10 crash dumps before overwriting the oldest files to conserve drive space. This guide outlines the exact steps to modify the system-wide application crash dump retention limit using the Windows Registry Editor (regedit).

Step 1: Open the Windows Registry Editor

1. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.
2. Type regedit and press Enter.
3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrative permissions.

Step 2: Navigate to the LocalDumps Key

Use the left navigation pane or paste the following path into the address bar at the top of the Registry Editor window:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps

Note: If the LocalDumps key does not exist under Windows Error Reporting, right-click the Windows Error Reporting folder, select New > Key, and name it LocalDumps.

Step 3: Modify or Create the DumpCount Value

1. With the LocalDumps key selected, look at the right-hand pane for a value named DumpCount.
2. If DumpCount does not exist:
   • Right-click an empty area in the right-hand pane.
   • Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
   • Name the new value DumpCount.
3. Double-click the DumpCount value to open its properties.
4. Under the Base section, select the Decimal radio button.
5. In the Value data field, enter the maximum number of crash dumps you want the system to retain (e.g., 5 to keep a maximum of 5 dumps, or 20 to expand retention).
6. Click OK to save the changes.

Step 4: Verify Related Dump Settings (Optional)

Within the same LocalDumps registry key, ensure the following complementary values match your retention requirements:

• DumpFolder (REG_EXPAND_SZ): The directory where dump files are stored. The default location is %LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps.
• DumpType (REG_DWORD): Controls dump size. Set to 1 for a Custom/Mini dump or 2 for a Full dump.

The new dump retention threshold takes effect immediately for all subsequent application crashes without requiring a system restart. When the number of stored dump files in the target directory exceeds the configured DumpCount, Windows will automatically delete the oldest dump file.