DMP File Extension
Have a problem opening a .DMP file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what DMP files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.
Have a problem opening a .DMP file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what DMP files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.
The .dmp filename extension is mainly associated with the Memory Dump/Minidump (DMP) file format and file type used in Microsoft (MS) Windows operating systems. A .dmp file is a binary file that contains a verbatim copy of a certain area of the machine's RAM (Random Access Memory). Dump files are usually saved if and after an application has crashed and are used as diagnostic 'black box' data to be later analyzed for clues to possible causes of a crash.
In Windows, .dmp files are usually created by the 'savedump.exe' system tool and can be processed by several available debugging utilities. Windows saves minidumps (64/128 Kb) at the '%SystemRoot%\Minidump' directory, while kernel memory and full memory dumps are saved at the system root as 'Memory.dmp' files.
Memory dump files are quite large and can take up much storage space. If they are not needed for debugging purposes, .dmp files can be safely deleted, either manually or with the standard 'Clean disk' wizard in Windows.
In databases, the .dmp extension is used in backup and recovery database files created and used by Oracle database products. Oracle DMP files are database backups and can be imported/restored into a running database instance via a database server. It is common practice to use date and time stamps as filenames of .dmp files.