System
Elevated Diagnostics
Windows Elevated Diagnostics stores local troubleshooting artifacts under %LocalAppData%\ElevatedDiagnostics while collecting and packaging data for support and repair workflows. That folder commonly accumulates compressed log bundles, ETL trace captures, temporary CAB or ZIP archives, staging copies of diagnostic results, and SQLite or ESE-backed metadata used to track collection sessions. Kudu removes these disposable diagnostics caches and temporary package files without touching personal documents, Windows accounts, or system settings.
Why clean Elevated Diagnostics?
- Old ETL trace captures and compressed diagnostic bundles pile up after repeated troubleshooting sessions, and the most visible symptom is unexplained disk usage in Local AppData even after the repair task finished.
- Abandoned temporary CAB or ZIP staging files from interrupted diagnostics runs can make a new collection fail immediately or stop at packaging with generic preparation errors.
- Stale session metadata can point Elevated Diagnostics at files that were already deleted, which often shows up as repeated collection retries, missing attachments, or incomplete support packages.
- Large leftover log archives slow folder enumeration and cleanup inside the diagnostics workspace, so starting a new diagnostic job can feel unusually delayed before any progress appears.
- If cached results from an older troubleshooting pass are reused, support bundles may include outdated logs instead of current evidence, leading users to see the same issue reported as unresolved after rerunning diagnostics.
- SQLite page fragmentation in local session databases wastes space and slows lookups between diagnostic runs; VACUUM rewrites the database file compactly without deleting actual rows or affecting user data.
- Partially written trace or archive files left behind after a crash can trigger access or corruption warnings the next time Elevated Diagnostics tries to reuse the workspace.
What gets cleaned
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
%LocalAppData%/ElevatedDiagnostics |
Frequently asked
Common questions about Elevated Diagnostics
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