System Error Reports
Windows Error Reporting stores crash and hang diagnostics under %ProgramData%/Microsoft/Windows/WER, including queued report folders, Report.wer metadata, minidumps, heap dumps, appcompat text, and CAB archives prepared for upload or local troubleshooting. These files are created when apps, services, or drivers stop responding so Windows can package fault details for Microsoft and for local analysis tools. Kudu removes old WER report directories, queued crash packages, and archived diagnostic dumps without touching your documents, accounts, app settings, or installed programs.
Why clean System Error Reports?
- Large heap dumps and CAB-packaged crash reports can accumulate after repeated app or driver failures, and the visible symptom is ProgramData consuming gigabytes even though your personal files have not grown
- Stuck entries in the WER ReportQueue leave old failures waiting for upload indefinitely, which shows up as a constantly growing Windows Error Reporting folder and repeated background disk activity after boot
- After a bug has already been fixed, archived Report.wer files and minidumps from the old crash no longer help day-to-day use, but they still clutter support investigations because you keep seeing outdated fault reports from months ago
- Repeated service crashes can generate many nearly identical WER folders, making it harder to find the current dump you actually need and causing long folder enumeration times in cleanup or forensic tools
- On systems with limited free space, accumulated kernel or application crash dumps under WER contribute to low-disk warnings, failed feature updates, and installers refusing to continue until space is freed
- Corrupt or partially written queued reports from an interrupted shutdown can leave behind orphaned WER directories and zero-use CAB files, which you notice as space used by error reports that never successfully upload or disappear on their own
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
%ProgramData%/Microsoft/Windows/WER |
Common questions about System Error Reports
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Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No account required, no feature gates, no telemetry without consent. All cleaning targets are open source and community-auditable.