WhyCrash📱 On your phone because your PC crashed?
Your PC saves a crash report — a small file called a minidump — every time it blue-screens. When the PC is back up, open this site on the PC and upload that file for the exact cause and the fix.
Text or email yourself the link so it's one tap away later:
Where the file lives: on the PC, open File Explorer → C:\Windows\Minidump → grab the newest .dmp file.
Free Rapid Crash Analysis
Drop your minidump file here or browse to select
Found in C:\Windows\Minidump\ — How to find it
Analyzing crash dump...
Reading file header...
📋 Instant Preview runs in your browser
Severity
Bug Check Code
Probable Cause
Faulting Module
💡 What This Means
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🔧 Recommended Fixes
📦 Driver Version Info
⚠️ Is This Serious?
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🔄 Will It Happen Again?
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🔬 Get the full WinDbg report
Run your dump through Microsoft's debugger (cdb) on our servers for the symbol-resolved call stack, the exact faulting function, the failure bucket, and a plain-English diagnosis from Claude.
Want the full Microsoft-debugger report — free, without an account?
Our sister site runs this same dump through WinDbg with full symbols and explains the fix in plain English.
Stack Trace
Loaded Drivers
System Info
❓ How to Find Your Minidump
- Open File Explorer
- Navigate to
C:\Windows\Minidump\ - Look for
.dmpfiles — the most recent one is your latest crash - Drag it onto this page
No Minidump folder? Go to System Properties → Advanced → Startup and Recovery → Settings and set "Write debugging information" to Small memory dump. The folder will be created after the next crash.
📋 Frequently Asked Questions
What is a minidump file?
A minidump is a small file (usually 256 KB – 2 MB) that Windows creates when your computer crashes. It holds crash metadata — the stop code, the list of loaded drivers, and the kernel stack traces that led to the crash. Minidumps generally do not contain your documents, photos, or browsing data. (Larger kernel dumps can include broader snapshots of system memory — we treat every dump as sensitive.)
Does my file get uploaded?
The instant preview runs entirely in your browser — that file never leaves your computer. If you choose the optional deep analysis, your dump is uploaded over HTTPS, analyzed with Microsoft's debugger, and deleted after processing. A de-identified technical summary (stop code, faulting driver, stack symbols — never raw memory) is retained to improve diagnosis quality. We ask for your consent before any upload. See our privacy policy for details.
What causes a Blue Screen of Death?
BSODs are caused by critical errors that Windows can't recover from. The most common causes are:
- Faulty drivers — GPU, network, and storage drivers are the top culprits
- Hardware failures — bad RAM, failing SSD/HDD, overheating
- Windows updates — sometimes a new update conflicts with existing drivers
- Security software — antivirus, anti-cheat (BattlEye, Vanguard), and VPN software
- Overclocking — unstable CPU/GPU/RAM overclocks
Which of those caused your crash is written in your minidump file. Upload it above and the analyzer reads the actual faulting driver out of the crash data — a specific answer instead of a generic checklist.
Blue Screen vs Black Screen — what's the difference?
Windows 10 shows a blue screen (BSOD). Windows 11 briefly switched to a black screen in early versions, then went back to blue. Both produce the same crash dumps with the same error codes. WhyCrash reads both.
Can WhyCrash fix my blue screen?
WhyCrash diagnoses the cause and gives specific fix steps — which driver to update, which hardware to check, or which settings to change. It pinpoints the root cause so you know exactly what to fix instead of guessing.
What if I don't have a minidump file?
If Windows isn't creating minidumps, go to System Properties → Advanced → Startup and Recovery → Settings and set "Write debugging information" to Small memory dump. The next crash will create a .dmp file in C:\Windows\Minidump\.
What are the most common BSOD error codes?
The top crash codes we see are DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (0x133), DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0xD1), KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR (0x7A), PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA (0x50), and SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION (0x3B). Each code has several possible causes — the code alone doesn't tell you which driver did it. Your minidump does: upload it for the specific answer.
Is WhyCrash free?
Yes. The instant preview is completely free and runs in your browser. During the beta, the full WinDbg deep analysis — the real Microsoft-debugger report with symbol-resolved call stacks and an AI explanation — is also free: 5 analyses per account. Sign in to start.