Kernel Live Dump Files
Windows writes Kernel Live Dump Files into %WinDir%\LiveKernelReports when the kernel captures a live memory snapshot during a bugcheck, watchdog timeout, storage or networking fault, or other low-level subsystem failure. These reports are typically stored as .dmp files alongside related metadata and can consume gigabytes because they preserve portions of kernel memory for postmortem analysis in WinDbg or support diagnostics. Kudu removes old live kernel dump files and associated report artifacts from LiveKernelReports without touching personal files, accounts, passwords, or normal system settings.
Why clean Kernel Live Dump Files?
- Repeated GPU timeout or driver reset events can leave multiple large WATCHDOG and live kernel dump files behind, and the user notices C: space disappearing after freezes, black screens, or display driver recoveries
- Storage or network stack faults often generate fresh kernel snapshots after each incident, so a machine that has already been repaired can still keep accumulating obsolete dumps and show low-disk-space warnings
- Live dump folders are not an active performance cache, but stale crash evidence from old failures makes troubleshooting noisy because newer incidents are buried among outdated .dmp files and similarly named report folders
- Very large dump files in LiveKernelReports can interfere with Windows Update, feature upgrades, or large application installs simply by consuming the free space those operations need, which users see as update failures or installer complaints about insufficient disk space
- Systems affected by recurring BSOD-adjacent hangs may create several partial or full kernel snapshots in a short period, and the practical symptom is sudden multi-gigabyte growth in the Windows directory with no obvious user files responsible
- If these dumps are no longer needed by support or debugging tools, cleaning them removes forensic leftovers from resolved crashes while leaving documents, saved passwords, and application data untouched
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
%WinDir%/LiveKernelReports |
Common questions about Kernel Live Dump Files
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